Playing “I Spy” While Touring Eagle’s Nest at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Mansion and Planetarium on Long Island

Eagle’s Nest is the Long Island summer home of William K. Vanderbilt II, the great grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and his wife Rosamond. What began as a small, seven room “English Cottage” on 43 acres in the early 1900s grew into a 24 room Spanish Revival mansion with several additional museum galleries filled with the private collections of William’s world travels. An avid hunter, fisherman, and traveler, William eventually opened the museums to the public and even donated his estate, including Eagle’s Nests and its furnishings, to Suffolk County to be turned into a public museum after his death in 1944 for the public to enjoy.

Eagle’s Nest is located in the town of Centerport on the Northport Bay, which had a deep port for Vanderbilt to anchor his boats, with views of Long Island Sound, and as far as Connecticut, from many of the rooms. Guided tours of the family’s private quarters are offered year round (Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) and include lots of anecdotes and fun trivia about the Vanderbilt family. 

Our family enjoyed a wonderful tour of Eagle’s Nest on a recent trip to Long Island. Be sure to leave time before or after a tour to explore the entire Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium grounds and gardens and visit the numerous museum galleries inside the main mansion and the Hall of Fishes marine museum building. Read more about all the things to do on the estate in our feature here. 

Travel Tips:

Note: During our visit in May 2025, the Learning Center Garage and Boathouse were closed for renovations- check here for updates.

Playing “I Spy” While Touring the Mansion:

1. The ceiling of the Dining Room, covered in wood from the trees of Fisher’s Island in Miami, which William Vanderbilt owned.
2. The button on the floor of the dining room, which Vanderbilt would push when he wanted service from his servants.
3. The commissioned Coat of Arms for the family, “Honor Before Expedience” painted in Tiffany blue on the fireplace in the Dining Room.
4. The original knife sharpener in the Prep Kitchen.
5. The original upholstered furniture from Portuguese sitting room of the “Alva”, the yacht William had commissioned for some of his exploration, named for his mother, a leader of the women’s suffrage movement. William later donated the “Alva” to the US Navy (he was a sailor in the Navy in the 1910s and early 1920s).
6. Some of the 1,476 pipes for the organ in the second floor Organ Room. The organs go all the way to the basement of the mansion.
7. The fingerprints individually pressed into the ceiling of the Organ Room to create an unique design.
8. The English gentleman’s reading chair in William’s master bedroom (men would sit backwards!)
9. The place settings at the table in the Breakfast Nook (check out those water views!)
10. The Hollywood lighting in the make up room of Rosamond Vanderbilt, who was on Vogue’s best dressed year every year- check out her closets!

Looking for other adventures on Long Island? Check out our features of Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park, Walt Whitman Birthplace State Historic Site, and the Long Island Aquarium. And follow along on our adventures on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.

Disclosure: Our family was given a media pass to tour the estate; all opinions expressed are my own.