Vanderbilt Museum photo
Tour Beautifully Decorated Vanderbilt Mansion
Open December 22-23 and Week of December 27-30
The Bright Lights holiday event at Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum will continue on Wednesday-Thursday, December 22-23.
The delightful, all-ages event will be extended Monday-Thursday, December 27-30. (These encore evenings will not have Santa, live actors, or live music.)
That week, visitors also can take public or private tours of the Vanderbilt Mansion, with its halls and rooms transformed beautifully for the holidays by the Museum’s curators, local garden clubs, and for the second year by designers from Ethan Allen.
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Additional support from H2M architects + engineers, National Grid, and Xavier and Laura Palacios
Bright Lights includes holiday lights, roaming carolers, themed light-up displays, festive music and snacks, a scavenger hunt, and Santa Claus and his friends – reindeer, snowmen, gingerbread men, nutcrackers, and elves – all portrayed by costumed actors.
Elizabeth Wayland-Morgan, executive director of the Vanderbilt, said, “The decorated Estate grounds have been transformed into a winter wonderland. Bright Lights is our second annual holiday winter walk and offers evenings of family fun for all.”
Children and families can visit Santa Claus in his workshop, take photos with him, and drop letters to him into a special mailbox. Visitors also may explore the animal dioramas in the Stoll Wing and the Habitat. Masks are required in those interior Museum areas and inside Santa’s workshop.
Admission: adults $20; children 12 and under $10; and children 3 and under, free. Non-member adults, $25; children 12 and under, $15; and children 3 and under, free. Tickets are sold online only.
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Creating Holiday Magic in Historic Vanderbilt Mansion
Ethan Allen Designers and Local Garden Clubs Deck the Halls
Courtesy of Ethan Allen
December visitors to the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum once again will see the Vanderbilt Mansion transformed elegantly for the holidays by the Museum’s curators, local garden clubs, and for the second year by designers from Ethan Allen.
The decorators created enchanted rooms with lighted trees, boughs, ornaments, wreaths, ribbons, and elegantly wrapped faux gifts. Ethan Allen decorated the Vanderbilt Library and Moroccan Court. Other participants were the Three Village Garden Club (Organ Room), the Centerport Garden Club (Rosamond Vanderbilt’s bedroom and dressing room), and the Asharoken Garden Club (William Vanderbilt’s bedroom and the yellow guest room).
The Ethan Allen design work in the Vanderbilt Library is a tribute to William K. Vanderbilt II’s love of seagoing exploration and includes a decorated tree flanked by a large model sailboat and rolled-up nautical charts and topped by a globe. The accompanying Ethan Allen text reads: “We celebrate the season in true Vanderbilt fashion. By adding our classic festive touches to William K. Vanderbilt II’s eclectic global elegance, we bring Christmases past to the present for enjoyment of all who wander the halls of this Gold Coast treasure.”
Elizabeth Wayland-Morgan, executive director, said, “Ethan Allen and the local garden clubs have created an atmosphere of charming holiday grandeur and sophisticated living. We’re grateful to them for bringing magic to this historic house.”
Visitors can see the stunning results on public guided Mansion tours. Tickets are available for purchase only at the door. Mansion tours can be added to a general-admission ticket for $6.
Private tours of the Mansion are also available days and evenings. The single-price group ticket for up to 8 people is $150 in the daytime, $175 in the evening. For reservations, call 631-854-5579 or contact carol@vanderbiltmuseum.org
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Stroll Decorated Mansion on Public and Private Tours
Vanderbilt Museum photo
Museum visitors can explore the elegantly decorated Vanderbilt Mansion on a regular, guided tour or on a private, small-group tour. The Mansion, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has been transformed stunningly for the holidays. (See story above.)
Visitors can see the results on public guided Mansion tours. Tickets are available for purchase only at the door. Mansion tours can be added to a general-admission ticket for $6.
Private tours of the Mansion are also available during the days and at night, each day of the week. The single-price group ticket for a group of up to 8 people is $150 in the daytime, $175 at night. For reservations, call 631-854-5579 or contact carol@vanderbiltmuseum.org.
