Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium, Centerport, NY

The Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium in Centerport, New York is also considered the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum. It offers a combination of marine, natural history, a mansion, and park. The museum is dedicated to education through preservation and conservation. The museum is on William K. Vanderbilt II's 43 acres of land. It is called the Gold Coast Estate, which was purchased in 1947 to make a museum. The estate was opened in 1950 for the first visitors. The planetarium was added in 1970 to add to the impressive museum and mansion. William collected a number of specimens of the natural history variety, as well as ethnographic artifacts, fine art, and decorative pieces.

Mansion tours take place in the Courtyard of the Mansion before going inside to see most of the 24 rooms. The guide begins the tour with a history of the Vanderbilt's and the owner of the mansion. The tour guide then explains the antique furnishings, artifacts, and art in the room. As the tour continues one is brought to the 1930's wing with the kitchen where most of the kitchenware and utensils were used by Vanderbilt. There is a living history tour with individuals who dress up in the period clothing to help bring the era alive.

The planetarium has a projector that can show 11,369 stars in the 60 foot sky theater. They have a GOTO projector which shows the moon, sun, stars, and planets. There are 238 seats within the theater for those interested in Astronomy to learn and enjoy.

The museum has a number of exhibits as well that were collected between 1910 and 1936. For example there is a marine museum, natural history habitats, curator's cottage, seaplane hanger, boathouse, and other features to enjoy. The collections include 1369 pieces of fine and decorative arts like furnishings, textiles, and paintings. There are also some ironworks as part of this section. Another exhibit offers 489 ethnographic artifacts like firearms, swords, models, and artifacts from Asia, Africa, and Europe. 15,968 marine science and natural history specimens will make up another of the collections on site. One of the highlights in this area is the 3000 year old mummy in a case that was purchased in Cairo in 1931. It is a unique specimen and has been very important to education.

Lastly in the collections are the 13,013 archived materials such as Vanderbilt's books, photographs, and log books. These archived materials tell of Vanderbilt's life and his travels. It also gives a good accounting of the artifacts he collected.

The museum hours are Monday 11am to 5pm, Tuesday 12pm to 5pm, Saturday 11am to 5pm, and Sunday 12pm to 5pm. These hours will vary as the summer season comes into play. Often the museum, mansion, and planetarium are available seven days a week in summer. Admission fees are $7 for adults, $6 for seniors, and $3 for children who are under 12. The mansion tour is $5 additional as is the planetarium, making the entire site $17 for adults.