Private Parks/Estates

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Explore The Private Parks/Estates in NYC & Vicinity

These estates and private grounds often have mansions to tour and vast well manicured grounds and gardens to walk/picnic on… some of them are now state or county owned, but all were once grand homes to some notable figures…

Jump to Private Estates/Parks in: Bronx, Manhattan, Westchester, Long Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Upstate NY, Pennsylvania

BRONX

  • Wave Hill– Vast grounds with awesome views and lots to do…
  • Bartow-Pell Mansion– The only grand 19th century house in Pelham Bay, it offers tours inside and access to gardens is free…
  • Van Cortlandt House Museum– Self-guided tours of house and grounds available at a Van Cortlandt Park location…

MANHATTAN

  • Morris Jumel Mansion– Oldest house in Manhattan with a little garden around, inside tours available…

WESTCHESTER

  • Kyukuit– Landmark 40-room estate, home to Rockefeller family, with gardens, views and art collection…
  • Lyndhurst Mansion– Majestic Gothic revival mansion on the banks of Hudson with 67 acres of grounds…
  • Philipsburg Manor– Explore the daily lives in 1750 including a gristmill, without sugarcoating the slave history…
  • Washington Irving’s Sunnyside– Charming home of a famous author (Headless Horseman and Rip Van Winkle) with gardens and costumed guides…
  • Glenview Historic Home/Hudson River Museum– Also known as John Bond Trevor House, this museum offers tours of the gilded age mansion as well as art exhibits, a planetarium and a courtyard…
  • Van Cortlandt Manor– Explore the manor house and gardens, or stroll down a quiet country road along the Croton River…

LONG ISLAND

  • Vanderbilt Mansion– Also known as Eagle’s Nest is a grand old mansion overlooking the sound, with a planetarium and a hiking trail…
  • Old Westbury Gardens– 200 acre property with formal botanical gardens and historic mansion…
  • Sands Point Preserve/Hempstead House– The place that inspired The Great Gatsby offers vast grounds, hiking and a beach, a magnificent castle and lots of children’s activities and programs…
  • Chateau at Coindre Hall– A 33 acre park with great views, some tours available at the mansion too, although it’s mostly used for events…
  • Chelsea Mansion/Muttontown Preserve– Named on of the best nature walks in LI, this preserve comprises of 3 estates, including the Chelsea Mansion and ruins of a mansion owned by King Zog of Albania… has a nature center too…
  • Marshall Field– In Caumsett State Historic Park, there’s a mansion/education center, plus green fields overlooking the water…
  • Coe Hall– Some think the most beautiful mansion in LI… tours available as well as grounds, gardens and greenhouses…
  • Nassau County Museum of Art– Former Frick mansion hosts an art museum with formal garden, hiking trails and arboretum on the grounds…

CONNECTICUT

  • Harriet Beecher Stowe House– House and gardens of the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin offers conversational tours and access to gorgeous flower gardens… inspiring…
  • Mark Twain House & Museum– Guided tours of the famed author’s home…
  • The Glebe House– Experience what it was like in the 18th century at one of America’s oldest house and garden museum…
  • Lockwood Mathews Mansion Museum– Guided tours are offered at this grand old country house with rotating (art) exhibits…
  • The Glass House Hill-Stead Museum– Cool glass house with tours, gardens and a cafe…
  • Hollister House Garden– Pretty English garden to tour and they also offer workshops and events…

NEW JERSEY

  • Lambert Castle– At the grounds of Garrett Mountain Reservation, this manor has a museum inside (to be reopened in 2023) and some trails with NYC views from a hilltop…
  • Skylands Manor @ NJ Botanical Gardens– Botanical gardens and a grand old manor to gawk at, plus lots for kids to do…
  • The Emlen Physick Estate– Tour an 18 room Victorian mansion in Cape May, what could be more appropriate?…
  • Natirar Park Mansion– Absolutely gorgeous park around the mansion to hike and picnic in (or sled in the winter) but no entrance to the mansion unless invited to a party…
  • Drumthwacket– The official residence of NJ governor. Tours available for mansion and grounds, but you must register first…
  • Smithville Mansion– A mansion with some tours available, great grounds for hiking and they do tea parties occasionally…
  • Batsto Village and Mansion– A whole 250 year old historic village to tour, including the mansion, general store, iron furnace and lots more… guided tours available…

UPSTATE NY

  • Staatsburgh– Breathtaking mansion and grounds with great Hudson views, take the tour, although just visiting the grounds is nice as well…
  • Boscobel– 19th century Georgian mansion with gardens, orchards and striking views…
  • Lindenwald– Martin Van Buren’s home is now a historic site with grounds and tours…
  • Clermont– 500 acres of grounds with river views, hiking trails and a mansion to tour
  • Montgomery Place– Owned by Bard College, the 380 acres of grounds are for hiking and some great Hudson views…
  • Springwood/Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt– Well maintained home of former president with mansion and museum, plus endless views…
  • Olana– Frederic Church’s masterpiece with amazing views, plus house tours, exhibits and workshops…
  • Locust Grove– Historic Italianate mansion on a hill, overlooking the Hudson, to tour and 200 acres of grounds for hiking, plus a visitor center with art exhibits…
  • Wilderstein– Mansion overlooking the Hudson with free grounds/trails with sculptures and paid house tours available…
  • Bannerman Castle– Boat and kayak tours are available to visit this abandoned/burnt down castle on Pollepel Island in the middle of Hudson… you’ll feel like you are in Scotland… they even offer movie nights and live music on certain days…

PENNSYLVANIA

  • N.C. Wyeth House & Studio– Home and studio of a famed artist set amongst a larger conservancy with trails and nature in picturesque Brandywine Valley…
  • Fallingwater– Cool house with a waterfall, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, it is now a historical landmark offering tours of the insides and ground passes, also has a cafe…
  • Andalusia– A mansion with formal garden and woodlands on Delaware River offering tours, picnics allowed on grounds and kids under 12 are free…
  • Pearl S. Buck House– A former house of a famed author, humanitarian and a Nobel Prize Winner, with gardens, greenhouses and a mansion to tour…
  • Eisenhower National Historic Site– Tranquil home of President Eisenhower offers tours, military exhibits as well as kids programs…
  • Grey Towers National Historic Site– Picturesque estate of the founder of US Forest Service with a French Chateau style mansion and vast, well manicured lawns…
  • Fonthill Castle & Mercer Museum– Very cool and slightly odd palatial castle to tour and a park and museum near-by…
  • Nemacolin Castle– 3rd oldest castle in US offers tours…
  • Eastern State Penitentiary– Gothic style prison offering tours, including Al Capone’s cell…

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