Tarrytown Things to Do

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Visiting Lyndhurst was a last minute decision for me and Richie and Patrick. This was a real treat for us all, not just because the mansion was the back drop for one of my and Richie's favorite childhood shows, but also because the mansion itself has a very long and interesting history.

The mansion itself went through various stages of construction. The oldest part of the home was built in 1838 by William Paulding. George Merritt began additions to the house in 1864 and by 1865 the mansion had nearly doubled in size. Merritt named the home Lyndenhurst after the Linden trees he had planted there. Jay Gould took over the home in 1880 and again added onto the structure. The building is considered to be an example of Romantic Gothic Revival architecture.

My favorite room was the dining room. The combination of the colors, designs and furniture was absolutely beautiful. We all got a kick out of the bathrooms, especially the toilet paper dispensers. The upstairs art gallery is filled with beautiful paintings and trinkets of all sorts. I liked that there were two master bedrooms, his and hers. LOL The child's bedroom was charming and included a toy piano and the cutest little pair of shoes. Patrick noted a stuffed toy sitting in a basket that reminded him of our cat Buddy. In the study downstairs there was a really, really old piano. The tour guide invited a fellow visitor to put on a one minute concert. To our amazement the man played beautifully. Each room has different stained glass windows. Some were just amazing while others were boring.

There are a variety of tour choices for visitors from self guided to tours with tour guides who truly are masters of knowledge about the house and its history. No matter which tour you decide to take, you are gonna have to lay out a decent amount of dough, $12 for adults and $6 for children 6 and up. Until April the mansion is only open on the weekend for visitors, usually from 10 AM until 4 PM. The guided tours are available at 10:30 am; 11:30 am; 12:30 pm; 1:30 pm; 2:30 pm and last tour 3:30 pm. The entrance gate closes at 3:30. If you only want to visit the grounds there is a $5 fee per person. April through November the hours are 10 AM until 5 PM with guided tours offered Tuesday - Friday, 10:30, 11:45, 1:00, 2:15. 3:30 and 4:15 pm and Saturday - Sunday, 10:30, 11:30, 12:00, 12:30, 1:00, 1:30, 2:00, 2:30, 3:00, 3:30 and 4:00.

The grounds and first floor of the building are wheelchair accessible. Unfortunately the second floor is not.

Be sure to visit the gift shop on your way out.

As Tarrytown is a small town, there isn't a great deal to do in the immediate vicinity. Our main past time was training it into Manhattan daily and spending our time there.

The trains run about every 20 minutes from Tarrytown station straight to Grand Central, they start at about 6am and run till about 11pm. I think the frequency decreases the later it gets. There are timetables available at the station.

Once you are in Manhattan the world is your oyster or so to speak. You have all the usual attractions; Central Park, Empire State Building, Grand Central itself, Statue of Liberty, the Library, battery park, Grenwich Village... the list goes on.

What a fantastic place!

NY Waterway Northern Hudson Cruise
This boat ride takes you from Tarrytown north up the Hudson River, past such memorable places like Sing-Sing Prison, Oyster Point Nuclear Power Plant and other lovely places. It really is a nice boat ride, you will pass some amazing waterfront homes, spot the Amtrak train heading to New England or Canada and just have a nice couple of hours on the river.