Interactive ‘Alien Safari’ LIVE in the Planetarium!
For one day only, on Saturday, July 12, at 1:00 pm, the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum’s Reichert Planetarium will offer Alien Safari, an unforgettable journey through the cosmos! This exciting, interactive experience fuses science, storytelling, and space exploration. For ages 8+.
Adults: $20 | Seniors & Students: $18 | Children (2+): $16
Recommended for ages 8+.
For one day only, the planetarium transforms into a cutting-edge starship for an unforgettable journey through the cosmos! Join us for “Alien Safari”—a thrilling, live interactive experience that fuses science, storytelling, and space exploration like never before.
Climb aboard our fully immersive spaceship—created right inside the dome—and step into the role of an Astrobiologist on a daring mission to discover alien life! Guided by our expert astronomy educators—portraying the Captain and Pilot of the legendary U.S.S. Planetarium—you and your crew will blast off at warp speed to the farthest reaches of the galaxy.
Explore strange new worlds, decode the secrets of life’s building blocks, and delve into cosmic mysteries in this high-energy, family-friendly show designed to educate, entertain, and inspire.
Whether you’re a space enthusiast, sci-fi fan, or curious explorer, this is one mission you don’t want to miss. Seats are limited, and this interstellar safari is happening for one day only.
Reserve your seat now—your cosmic adventure awaits!
We May Be Right — Billy Joel Tribute Band
Join us for our first Courtyard Concert of the season on Saturday, July 19!
Gates open at 6:00 pm | Concert begins at 7:00 pm
$45 guests | $40 members
Children 3 and under are free
We May Be Right is a Billy Joel Tribute Band, delivering hit after hit along with some of Billy’s best deep cuts—and bringingaudiences to their feet, singing along to all the classics.
Pack a picnic and BYO lawn chair!
Summer Science Fun: Junior Astronomer Workshop
The Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum’s Reichert Planetarium presents an exciting program for young astronomers.
Children in grades 3-5 | $250/$225 members
July 14-18 or August 11-15 | 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Junior Astronomers will explore our solar system, learn how to use a telescope, identify constellations visible from Long Island, discover how astronauts will return to the Moon with NASA’s Artemis Program, and more. This workshop focuses on hands-on learning with STEAM activities and crafts supplemented by immersive live and pre-recorded fulldome presentations in our Planetarium theater.
Registration is open for children entering 3rd – 5th grade.
Commemorate Your Loved One with a Brick!
This is the season for graduations, birthdays, weddings, and more.
It’s the perfect time to gift someone special with an engraving that lasts forever.
Bricks can be installed on any walkway at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum.
Your purchase will help to bring outstanding science, history, and art (STEAM) education to more than 25,000 students annually.
Wilderness Survival with Ranger Eric Powers & Mike Evans
The Vanderbilt Museum is excited to offer the Wilderness Survival Series with Ranger Eric Powers and Mike Evans. Each workshop focuses on specific skills such as making cordage, shelter building, purifying water, and toolmaking. Perfect for those starting their survival skills journey or looking to deepen existing skills, these workshops offer a platform to learn, share experiences, and connect with a community of like-minded individuals.
Saturdays | 2:00 pm
$50 guests/$45 Vanderbilt Museum members
July 12: Navigation & Traps
August 9: Making Fire with Friction
September 13: Making Fire with Sparks
Please bring sturdy footwear, work gloves, and dress appropriately for the weather. Survival knives are suggested, but not required
“Ranger Eric” is a wildlife biologist, outdoorsman, and conservationist. He started leading nature hikes in 1987 as a park ranger in Colorado until he served two years in the US Peace Corps. Since then, he has been running nature centers in Colorado, Alabama and then in 1997, Long Island, New York. In 2005 he started a mobile nature company, “Your Connection to Nature” (YC2N), doing environmental education programs, live animal shows, field trips, and eco-tours worldwide.
In 2013, he started as an Adjunct Professor at Molloy College and developed a summer course for their Teaching Green Sustainability Institute. In 2016 he co-founded The Center for Environmental Education & Discovery (www.CEEDLI.org ) in Brookhaven Hamlet, N.Y., as Long Island’s newest nature center and holds the title of Site & Program Director. Please view his award-winning TV Series, “Off the Trail…with Ranger Powers” on YouTube.
Mike Evans, founder of Forgotten Skillz, is a motivator, educator, and life changer, blending his roles as a martial arts instructor, massage therapist, and science communicator. His leadership fosters a community on Long Island dedicated to exploring ancestral skills and generalism, from bushcraft and foraging to woodworking and homesteading. Mike’s approach embodies the spirit of being a “jack of all trades”, drawing inspiration from historical methods to thrive in the modern world.
Architecture & Collections Tours
Take an intriguing walking tour of the Vanderbilt Estate with knowledgeable Museum educators. Learn about the history of the Eagle’s Nest estate; Warren & Wetmore’s design and exterior architectural details of the 24-room Spanish Revival mansion; and the striking ironwork of Samuel Yellin, considered the greatest iron artisan of the early 20th century, and visit the marine, natural history, and cultural artifact collections
Created by the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum Education Department, the next tours will be given on Friday, July 25, at 12:00 and 1:15 pm.
Other dates: August 15, September 27, October 19.
Adults $16; seniors/students $15; children 5-17, $14; and members free.
Beth Laxer-Limmer, Director of Education, said, “The grounds are beautiful during the summer and the walking tour is a perfect way to be introduced to the history of the estate. There is an abundance of beauty in the eclectic architecture and the unique details that reflect William Vanderbilt’s interests.”
William K. Vanderbilt II (1878-1944) spent summers at his Eagle’s Nest estate and mansion on Northport Bay between 1910 and 1944. He and his wife, Rosamond, hosted intimate gatherings and entertained well-known guests, such as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Pierre Cartier, Conde Nast, Charles Lindbergh, and the Tiffanys. Eagle’s Nest is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Vanderbilt Museum Celebrates 75th Anniversary!
Don’t miss this milestone event at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum.
We’re celebrating the 75th anniversary of Rosamond and William K. Vanderbilt II’s gift of their mansion, estate, and museum to Suffolk County, New York – and the opening of the complex to the public on July 6, 1950.
Thursday, September 25, 2025
5:30 – 9:30 PM
Enjoy cocktails and a variety of culinary tasting stations, live entertainment featuring the sophisticated sounds of Cole Porter and Frank Sinatra, dancing, and raffles! For information, visit our website or call the Development office: (631) 215-3997
(At right: Rosamond and William Vanderbilt.)
Imagine Your Wedding at the Romantic Vanderbilt Estate
Step back in time—plan your wedding at the Vanderbilt Estate, one of the most beautiful venues on Long Island, located on 43 stunning waterfront acres in Centerport.
The estate—where the Vanderbilts lived from the Jazz Age through the Second World War—offers lush gardens and greenery, Spanish Revival architecture, sprawling grounds, incomparable views of Northport Bay, and the delight of immersing yourself in the history of a distinguished American family.
The rolling, hilltop estate and its extensive mansion—listed on the National Register of Historic Places—is the former summer getaway of William and Rosamond Vanderbilt and home of the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum and Reichert Planetarium.
Some dates are still available in 2025.
Inquire: host@vanderbiltmuseum.org.
Options:
- Wedding ceremonies (and mini-ceremonies)
- Receptions
- Engagement photos
- Bridal party photography
- Rehearsal dinners
- Anniversary dinners
- Engagement parties
- Private proposals
- Elopements
Vanderbilt Portrait Displayed in Deco at 100 Exhibition
This portrait of William Kissam Vanderbilt II (1878-1944) is included in the Nassau County Museum of Art’s original Deco at 100 exhibition – which coincides with the 100th anniversary of the 1925 Paris International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts – now through June 15.
Vanderbilt, in his U.S. Navy blazer, is depicted at his estate on Fisher Island, Florida. This is the first time a painting from the collection of the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum has been loaned for an exhibition.
The Nassau County Museum of Art calls Boutet de Monvel “a pioneer of the Art Deco portrait style, much like his contemporary Tamara de Lempicka. His style is quintessentially Deco, fusing simplicity and geometry in such high society portraits as that of William Kissam Vanderbilt II.”
Above right: Bernard Boutet de Monvel (1881-1949), Portrait of William Kissam Vanderbilt II, 1935, 39” x 47”, oil on canvas
