Every December, the Vanderbilt offers seasonal events that have become popular holiday traditions at the spectacular mansion of William K. Vanderbilt II – the tree lighting in the courtyard, the holiday dinner, and tours of the mansion, decorated by local designers and garden clubs. Here is this year’s calendar:
November – January 6 (see: Mansion Hours and Admission Section for days and times)
Tours of the Decorated Vanderbilt Mansion
Following Thanksgiving each year, visitors can see the decked halls of the Vanderbilt Mansion.
The spectacular results of the volunteer decorators charm hundreds of visitors throughout the season. Tours cost $5 person, plus general admission – $7 for adults, $6 for seniors 62 and older and students with ID.
Saturday, November 29
Annual Tree Lighting: Vanderbilt Mansion Courtyard,
This free event, open to the public, begins at 3:45 with free ornament-making for children, offered by the Vanderbilt Education Department. (No sign-up is necessary. Parents and kids can merely stop by.) At 4:00, the Northport Chorale will perform holiday favorites and Christmas carols – followed at 4:30 by the lighting of the tree and the arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Claus. Cookies and hot chocolate will be served.
All who attend may pick up complimentary tickets to the Chorale’s concert on Friday, December 12, at 8:00 p.m. at Northport High School.
Saturday, December 6
Holiday Dinner in Vanderbilt Mansion
This popular event, held in the festively decorated Vanderbilt Mansion, offers limited seatings of 50 at 6:00 and at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $100 per person. A benefit for the Museum’s education programs, the dinner sells out quickly, so early reservations are strongly recommended. To purchase tickets, call 631-854-5579.
Dinner in the Vanderbilt Mansion is a time-machine trip to the 1930s, a taste of the elegant Gold Coast life of a lost era. The evening begins with wine and hors d’oeuvres in one of the natural-history galleries, followed by a guided tour of the festively decorated mansion. The formal dinner is served in the mansion’s glass-walled Northport Porch overlooking the harbor lights, with dessert in the Lancaster Room.
Friday-Sunday, December 26-28
Twilight Tours of the Vanderbilt Manson
These evening (7:00 to 9:00) tours, offered each year Christmas and New Year’s Eve, include hot chocolate and cookies. Admission: $10 for adults, $9 for students and seniors (62 and older), and $5 for children 12 and under.
This event is a treat for visitors, and the only time of the year the Vanderbilt family’s private living quarters can be seen at night.
