Vanderbilt Mansion, Museum & Planetarium part 3

William Vanderbilt II loved to travel the world and he collected thousands of specimens over the years. He displayed some of these collections at his summer home. They are still there today. YD, her friend and I went to the Vanderbilt Estate recently. You can read about part 1 and part 2. 

One of the things I love about the mansion is that they really focus on preserving the past. They take excellent care of all of the different collections. Something is always being restored to help keep its original beauty. 

 On the main floor of the main house are all bird, butterfly, shell and bug collections. I have lived on Long Island my whole life. I have traveled but not all over the world. Now a days you can see almost everything on the internet to learn about other places.

In the early 1900's you could not. Imagine people's awe when they would see all of these species of creatures that they didn't even know about. Mr Vanderbilt helped educate so many people. He allowed people onto his property to view his collections while he was still alive.

Some artifacts from Mr Vanderbilt's travels are also displayed. 

I always find the surgical kit very interesting.

Animals hang throughout the buildings. Some of the horns are very impressive. 

There is a small room with models of some of the ships he traveled on. There is even one made out of  bones. 

In a different section of the house, there is a water room. It is one of my favorite rooms. It has a fountain in it that they are currently restoring. It also has some beautiful hand painted tile. Everyone is different. They show Mr Vanderbilt's travels and some of the species that he saw.

 Unfortunately cameras are not allowed in many sections of the mansion and other buildings. The Hall of fishes is one such area. It is a 2 story building (recently renovated) that houses hundreds of samples. 

We did see a show in the Planetarium. It was called "The Stars". It is a 45 minute show and we always enjoy them.

As both of my girls love science this is a wonderful place to spend the day.

My son loves history, so there is plenty for him here too. Hubby and I just love everything about it. Especially the price. Thanks to our library is is free to us. When you live on a budget as we do, it is great to still be able to do fun and interesting outings. You just have to know where to look. We try to go several times a year. 

If you ever get to Long Island, NY. Let me know. We can have a picnic on the great lawn.