Mansions, Gardens & Arboretums

2 Days

The Gold Coast Gatsby Mansions and their gardens attribute a lot to Long Island’s culture. Especially in the Spring & the Summer, the gardens across the island’s most famous mansion estates are blooming and ready for visitors to enjoy their beautiful aesthetic. As you tour through the gardens, get inspired and stop at some of the many well-known garden centers to bring your own beautiful estate-garden ideas home!

Day 1

  • 127 Middle Neck Road
  • (516) 571-7900

Sand's Point Preserve is home to three spectacular mansions: Falaise; Hempstead House; and CastleGould. Falaise is a Normandy style home filled with antiques and open to the public for tours. It's here that Charles Lindbergh wrote his famous book "WE," while staying with the Guggenheim family at…

  • 71 Old Westbury Road
  • (516) 333-0048

This elegant estate, which features a 44-room English manor house and traditional, formal gardens sprawling over 200 acres, was built by financier John S. Phipps and his wife, Margarita Grace Phipps, in 1906. The spectacular estate has been featured in over 25 movies including North by Northwest and…

One of the most quaint parts about visiting Old Westbury Gardens is being able to have lunch or tea outdoors on premises. You can get your lunch fix at Café In the Woods before you leave Old Westbury, and even buy some locally crafted jams & treats!

Insider Tip

As you drive from Sands Point to Old Westbury and start thinking about how you want to make your own spring garden at home, check out Hick’s Nursery. Their garden & plant center in Westbury serves many North Shore properties that you see when you visit the area, so check them out to bring all the right garden ideas home.

As you drive through the hilly roads of the North Shore in Oyster Bay, you may encounter a massive regal-looking English imported gate that leads up a long tree lined path. This gate is a key piece to the Planting Fields Arboretum & Coe Hall Estate which encompasses so much Gold Coast history along…

Dining Tip

Getting hungry along the way? Be sure to stop into Planting Field’s café, visitor center & gift shop in what used to be the old stables for a quick bite or even afternoon high tea!

Insider Tip

Love what you saw when you explored Planting Field’s greenhouses? Check out one of the best local garden centers, Heritage Farm & Garden in East Norwich, when you leave. You can even participate in one of their workshops to learn all the best ways to curate your own greenhouse plants!

While you are on your trip visiting the mansions, be sure to book your overnight stay at the Mansion at Glen Cove. Built & owned by one of the Rockefeller’s dear friends, Charles Platt, the Mansion still stands today with its original infrastructure and has an entire hotel & event center attached…

Dining Tip

End the day with dinner or drinks al fresco at the Mansion’s outdoor patio in the nice weather right next to the beautiful outdoor pool & garden landscape.

Day 2

Bringing his love for the nautical world & marine life to the North Shore of Long Island, William K. Vanderbilt established his 43-acre waterfront estate on the Long Island sound, which is known now as the Vanderbilt Museum & Planetarium. The exquisite mansion where the Vanderbilt’s inhibited their…

Insider Tip

Feeling inspired by the Vanderbilt’s courtyard flower scheme? Visit Decker’s Nursery in Greenlawn to make your own villa-inspired garden dreams come alive! Decker’s is a full service garden center & florist that will provide you with the best educational resources to get your planting started.

  • 135 West Gate Drive
  • (631) 659-1400

A breathtakingly beautiful historic mansion located on the famed Gold Coast of Long Island between New York City and The Hamptons. At OHEKA CASTLE guests will discover a World of charming luxury and European ambiance. OHEKA is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and a member of…

The castle has 32 luxurious hotel rooms & suites on premise, giving you a one-of-a-kind stay experience with high end amenities that you will never forget.

Dining Tip

Enjoy a night cap or a fancy dinner at Oheka Castle’s on-site restaurant, OHK Bar & Restaurant. Dine in the elegant dining room or outside in the opulent courtyard for authentic European ambiance in one of Long Island’s finest mansions.

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