The mansion has the most beautiful grounds whether you want to go for a scenic, calm walk, a moderate hike, or an historical tour through the mansion. Either way Vanderbilt has a vast and interesting history so the tour is well worth it. The inside of the mansion is well maintained and the tour guides answer all of your questions. This is a perfect place to come alone or with company - a hidden gem of the Hudson valley for sure! read more

Went on tour today...was very interesting with and the history of mansion. Tour guide was very informative .will be back in fall to tour the whole mansion since part is under renovation read more

Calling All Artists! Scouted the grounds looking for en plein air opportunities (did not go inside) and I found the grounds and gardens calling my name! DEFINITELY will return with my kit! read more

One of the smaller Vanderbilt homes , this was designed to supplement the 5th Ave mansion and the place in Newport.The grounds and setting are lovely and the house itself attractive .Let's face it , it's much nicer than FDR's place.Unlike some of the Hudson Valley mansions it doesn't suffer from an over the top grandiosity.In short , it's worth your time. read more

While we didn't get a chance to do a tour of the inside of the mansion...the grounds are gorgeous and the views of the Hudson valley are phenomenal. I would definitely recommend a visit if you're in the area. read more

This Vanderbilt place is not nearly as large or overwhleming as Biltmore or the Breakers (I have been to all three). It does, however, have a beautiful setting and very lovely gardens. Its relatviely small number of rooms is due to the fact that folks were supposed to come for dinner but not stay over. Not quite an absolute must, but a very nice point of interest on a Hudson Valley tour. read more

Holy shit, this guy had a huge house. I've never been to the Vanderbilt mansions in Newport which are supposed to be much bigger, but this is big enough. This was built for the Mrs. so she could entertain. It's so expensive, it could make you vomit. If it's a nice day, this is a good place to head with some folding chairs and a newspaper. There's a huge lawn, some big gardens and lots of great spots overlooking the river. Watch out for dog poop, though. There's a lot of it on their front lawn. read more

We came here as part of a day trip to Hyde Park. First we dined at the CIA and arrived in time for the 2 o'clock tour. Park Ranger Margaret was wonderful! The tour was an hour and it left me wanting to know even more about them. I would love to come back and explore the grounds. read more

I grew up in Hyde Park so the Vanderbilt mansion was a place for all of us, as high schoolers, to hang out. Our favorite spot was a bench overlooking the Hudson River. I have a lot of good memories with friends from there. A Historical landmark as much of the town is. A couple miles south is the FD Roosevelt mansion, a couple miles north is Ogden Mills estate. And a couple miles east is Valkill, Eleanor Roosevelts abode. read more

Im surprised this place has such few reviews. I went on a tour of the hudson valley this weekend and saw the Lyndhurst Castle in Sleepy Hollow, The Kykuit Rockefeller House, FDRs house and the Vanderbilt and I have to say the Vanderbilt was my favorite. The tour guide was nice and informative and our group got to split up inside the house to ensure we weren't all crowded into one room together. It was relaxed and you really get to see each room on this tour. Very fun. I recommend it! read more

Other reviewers have covered what's on the Vanderbilt Mansion tour. I'd like to review the tour guide who, in my opinion, really makes or breaks any guided tour. I took the Mansion tour recently for the second time. Our tour guide was Tony, a volunteer at the Mansion. I'd highly recommend taking the tour with him. He has a great booming voice that's easily heard even on large tours, an encyclopedic knowledge of the Vanderbilts and the Mansion and a well thought out presentation. His tour was informative; containing historical facts about the Vanderbilts as well as humorous incidents from their daily lives, and very comprehensive. I'm sure all the guides and rangers give good tours, but this guy was exceptional. read more

The grounds are amazing, I'm a local and it's always been a great and favorite spot. The tour is definitely worth it for history buffs and casual interest types alike. Sadly they have really shown their inability to maintain the sunrise to sunset hours, make changes to hours at the drop of a hat without notice to the locals and really don't seem to care about anything other than money now. read more

This was one of the first stops I made while on my trip for NY. The staff was super friendly and knowledgeable. I took the tour and learned a lot that I didn't know about both the family and the history of the house. The tour me and my friend took of the grounds was simply amazing. The gardens weren't in bloom because of the time of year that we went but it was still a sight to see!!! I would love to return for a trip during the summer when all the flowers were in bloom. The only thing I found a little bit disappointing was that they do not allow any kind of photography while you are in the mansion. Worth the $8.00 admission for the tour and spend the time to walk some of the grounds, the view of the Hudson is something to remember read more

Great little 2 hours stop. I feel like most of us have heard of the Vanderbilt but I knew them very little. Very affordable hour tour that was both informed and kept in its original state. And 10 a person can't be beat for the price. read more

What a fascinating look into the of the Gilded Age of America through the Vanderbilts one of the leading families of the period. Frederick Vanderbilt built Hyde Park as a summer home but loved it above all his other homes. The Ranger that led the tour of the home did an excellent job of putting you into that time and helped you understand what it must of have been like to have lived in the luxury you see around you. The home has been preserved and looks much as it did when Frederick lived there. The gardens are equally beautiful and work viewing. Don't pass up the chance to see this home even if it's just to see how the other half lived. Stunning,amazing grounds, rich in history and with great views of the Hudson Valley and River. read more

This is great stuff. The nice thing about this mansion is that you walk in and imagine you were invited to an amazing ball. The green marble in the entryway is just beautiful. The fireplaces and antiques (bought at bargain-hunter prices from great families of Rome and Tuscany, etc.) are truly impressive. In a place like this, you always think that one family shouldn't have had all this wealth. Well, anyway, they did have all this wealth, and because they donated the place, you can enjoy its beauty, too. The Parks Department tour guide was great. read more

This was a great place to see! We didn't get a chance to walk around the grounds because it was cold out. Our tour was packed with people and the wonderful joy of fighting with people to see the roped off rooms and their complete lack of consideration for the line of people behind them was definitely not fun. However, despite all of that, I had a lot of fun. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and gave a lot of historical and practical information about the house and each of the rooms. This place was very beautiful. There was another ranger there named Charles. He was the best! He saw us taking pictures and offered to take a picture of my friend and I together. He then showed us a couple of pieces of interest and their history. That was really nice of him. Our tour guide gave a history of why the place looks like it did and how the park service came to acquire it. You only have a limited amount of time on each floor so if you are in a crowded tour like we were, make sure you see everything before you have to move on. Once you go upstairs, you have to stay there with the group, our tour guide warns you about how long you stay up there and if it was going to a problem to step outside of the house before the group goes up (in case you need the bathroom, make a phone call, or something like that). At the end of the tour, he made a mistake. He said he would tell us what the Vanderbilts were doing these days but he did not. He mentioned all of their money is now gone so I asked him how Gloria Vanderbilt was still wealthy. He gave an odd response. He said Anderson Cooper is her son (which I already knew) and he did not know Cooper's financial situation (which was not my question). I asked again and he replied that she inherited $5 million but spent it all then went to work and earned her money. read more

This once majestic estate with rolling hills overlooking the Hudson is now unkempt and full of waist high weeds, smells like a barnyard, and the entirety of the landscaping it seems is now left to Lyme diseased tick-riddled goats stuck behind an electric fence. Poor things. Who is the idiot in charge of this?! What a shame! read more

our tour group was roughly 8 people on a weekday afternoon, so very nice. our tour guide was young, but knowledgeable. the coolest part of the place, was that the mansion has been barely touched since people stopped living there. so it's very historical to it's time period. cost was pretty cheap, i believe $10 a head. gift shop was generalized, nothing really related to the site itself. weird. after the tour ended, you're allowed to roam the property freely (exterior) so we explored the gardens, etc. overall, if you've never been, go here. and if you love old "homes", go here. read more

Very interesting tour.....the park ranger was great! He had a great pace and we were in a group of about 20 which was just right! The history is great to hear about and the beauty of the Hudson River was wonderful. Be sure to go around back and see the view! read more

I visited the Vanderbilt Mansion back in 75 and I'll never forget how beautiful the Mansion was. The rooms were so stunning,it felt like I was walking in a fairytale if that makes any sense. Mrs Vanderbilt's bedroom just absolutely took my breath away. Her bed had this pretty little fence that matched the bed itself, it went around the bed and had a gate attached to it The dining room had the longest table I have ever seen before. As best as I can remember the ceiling was made of gold. After that tour was over I toured the Roosevelt Mansion, what a let down that was. Compared to the Vanderbilt Mansion the Roosevelt's lived in a dump. As for the Vanderbilt Mansion, if you ever have the chance to visit New York you should add the Vanderbilt tour to your list of Things To Do. read more

Beautiful grounds and garden. What little we saw of the mansion was wonderful. The mansion is being renovated, so half of the place was off-limits. All of the windows were sealed in plastic and our entry was through temporary stairs down to the kitchen. There were (appropriate) safety fences surrounding the building which made it impossible to take any decent pics of the outside of the beautiful building. I'm a strong supporter of the park system, so the $10. admission fee wasn't a problem, but I wished I'd known about the abbreviated tour beforehand. read more

The hour-long tour through the mansion was interesting and informative. The Italian Gardens are a must-see. The gift shop is pretty cool, too. But what I enjoyed most about our time spent here is the picnic we had on the grounds. Bring a blanket and grab some sandwiches at Cranberry's Cafe (about a mile down route 9) and voila - an afternoon for less than $20. read more

The one hour tour is interesting and you'll be entertained by Kevin, the tour guide, if you are lucky enough to get him. The gardens are nice and the $10 fee is affordable with all kids 15 and younger entering for free. there are many places to eat in the area and many other historical sites too. read more

Perhaps my experience with the Vanderbilt Mansion is the exception compared with the other reviews, but I feel like I should share my experience nonetheless. I have visited the Vanderbilt grounds countless times having lived in the area for several years. I cannot say a bad thing about the grounds, their maintenance, the serenity, and the nature trails. I highly recommend visiting the trails and experiencing a peaceful day. Even though I have visited the site multiple times, I never toured the mansion itself until last week and I was quite disappointed with my experience. I've always enjoyed taking tours with a park ranger as their passion and knowledge for their particular site is always a joy. However, I was surprised to receive a tour from a woman who was not a park ranger and unfortunately, we did not receive the same quality tour that I had come to expect. She was very rude, awkward with everyone on the tour, and not informative at all. With the exception of the main entrance to the mansion, she did not explain what a single room was or what may have occurred in each room. We were a small tour of only a handful of people so it would have been very easy to take us around the mansion and explain the significance of each room. When we did ask questions, she was very short and sarcastic. Prime example of a question that we shouldn't even have to ask, "Which was Mr. Vanderbilt's bedroom?" Her response, "Which one do you think?" Everyone in the tour kept looking at each other wondering if this was normal behavior. On top of this, we felt very rushed. It's her responsibility as a tour guide to control the pace of the tour without literally hurrying everyone along because you went on too long talking about the fashion of the gilded age. We left the tour feeling like we really missed out on an opportunity to learn more about the mansion. Frankly, this woman should be giving tours if anyone from the Vanderbilt Mansion is reading this. Again, I'm sure our experience is the exception here, but I can only review what I personally experienced. read more

My visit to the mansion was in the late 60's. My brother was working for the Park Service at the time. We were I think on the 3rd floor (not accessible to the public at the time) when I left one of the guest rooms and the door slammed shut behind me. I looked at my brother , he looked at me and we just left the area with a rather brisk walk. read more

I and my three companions were extremely disappointed in our tour. We were glad we had the National Parks pass and didn't have to pay for the experience!. Our tour guide was a young woman and not in uniform-I don't know if she was an intern or what-but she gave us very little info other than an introductory ten minute talk before we entered the building. We were free to wander the first floor and then as a group wander the second all on our own. Since there are no placards describing what we were viewing, we had no concept of any specifics. One man in uniform happened to be walking by and he offered a detail regarding the piano but other than that our young guide offered nothing. Her voice was low due to CP or MD and so her voice couldn't be projected to the large group. Again, if you go there, be sure you ask if you are be given information about the rooms you are seeing because our party didn't receive any!!! We all enjoyed FDR but this was a big disappointment! The walk along the Hudson was lovely as well as the beautiful trees. read more