- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Kykuit - The John D. Rockefeller Estate
Rating Details »
- Good for Kids:
- No
6 reviews for Kykuit - The John D. Rockefeller Estate
Even though it clocks in at 3 hours, the Grand Tour, which goes through 2 levels of the house (plus some things on the lower level), the gardens, the coach barn, and the basement art gallery, moves at a brisk pace and there isn't any time for dilly-dallying. Sue, our guide, was great -- cheerful, knowledgeable, and you can tell she loves what she does. It was a very pleasant way to spend an afternoon, and for art lovers, it would be worth it just for the first class art collection. And, of course, you'll learn a lot about the Rockefeller family (for example, that John Davidson Rockefeller was the first American billionaire, and that he was a strict baptist, which is why there is no ballroom in the house).
Note: no photography is permitted inside any of the buildings.
Visited today - Sunday. Although I have to agree about the limited tours, strict old ladies and a feeling of being rushed, this place really is one of America's treasures. There is just so much to see here that 2 hrs really does not do it justice. But then you CAN go again, eh.
Take the Metro North from CG Stn to Tarrytown, then a 5 min cab outside ($7 for 2) to the parking lot where a shuttle bus takes you to "Ky Kit". Book online for best choice of tours. ps there is a lovely pastoral museum by the parking lot called Phillipse which is well worth a leisurely hour. Plus the cafe is quite good.
The tour guide and the property were really 4.5-5 stars, but I gave it 3 overall because the limited times of the tours and the tiers/types of tours. If you're considering booking a tour I highly recommend doing it online and fast because they were selling out before our eyes the day before we wanted to go on the tour.
We ended up with the Selected Highlights Tour which focused on the mansion and the gardens and sculpture and lasted about 2 1/2 hours. Our tour guide Michael was fabulous. He struck just the right tone and imparted knowledge and answered questions without disrupting your enjoyment of the art and beauty.
Some associates and I recently purchased a guided tour of Kykuit, the estate that John D. Rockefeller built on a massive tract of land in Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow, New York. As beautiful as the estate was, the strictness of the establishment was really off-putting.
As a photographer, I'm impulsed to separate myself from the crowd, only slightly, to take the shots I need. When there's old ladies scolding me for not sticking "tight" within the crowd, it makes for a very stressful visit. As well, there's no photography allowed of the rooms, which made it unpleasant. Such wonderful architecture and I can't take any of it with me in images? F-that. As well, they don't show you the whole estate unless you pay for "the big tour." I paid 23 dollars for a tour and only got to see the first floor and the the immediate grounds around the property. There's four floors and a massive tract of land to see, which they wouldn't let us see. What a rip off.
Anyway, unless it's your life's goal to see the Rockefeller estate, the stress of visiting just isn't worth it. Besides, you can't take any of the experience with you unless you're good at sneak-photography, which thankfully, I am.
-E
Kykuit is only one of many Hudson River estates open to the public. If you like to "bag" estates with your travels, this is worth it for two reasons: the gardens and the art.
Although the interior is pleasant, there are more spectacular spaces further up river. The lower level gallery, added by Governor Nelson Rockefeller, is worth (in my mind) the price of admission. Additionally, the Governor placed sculpture throughout the gardens, creating an outdoor gallery as well. The gardens are beautifully maintained and the views of the lower Hudson are magnificent.
The inability to take pictures in the interior is typical...it would do the site's administrator good to make high quality interior images available on line. The docent we had was perfectly charming and quite knowledgeable.
So, if gardens and art are your thing, Kykuit is worth a visit.
I went this past sunday and it was beautiful. It's a great treasure only about half hour car ride away. There are different tours to choose from, I took the "timesaver tour" and it was enough to get a look at the sculptures in the gardens, and only the first floor of the 6 story mansion which included some interesting pieces of art, the china, a few studies, and a dining area. The tour guide was informative about the history of the family, pieces of art, and how the house was and is being used by the family and staff. It was nice that the staff accomodated for people with canes and wheel chairs. I agree the views of the hudson river over the sprawling greenery were spectacular. I'm glad I went but don't plan on going again.