Historic Christmas Tours at New York’s Most Beautiful Mansions

Christmas mansion tours New York

Searching for Christmas mansion tours New York or wondering where to see historic holiday decorations NY? The holiday season transforms New York State’s magnificent Gilded Age mansions and historic estates into winter wonderlands with brightly lit trees, elegant wreaths, glittering ornaments, and festive garland. Whether you’re looking for Victorian Christmas tours, historic home holidays New York, or candlelight mansion tours, these enchanting destinations offer magical experiences. From Long Island Gold Coast estates to Hudson Valley historic sites, discover holiday house tours NY where history meets Christmas splendor. Experience historic Christmas celebrations featuring cookies, cider, caroling, and period decorations that transport you to holidays past.

Long Island Historic Christmas Tours

Christmas at Westbury House

📍 Old Westbury Gardens, Old Westbury | 🗓️ December 6-7, 13-14, 20-21

Find Gold Coast Christmas tours Long Island! Old Westbury Gardens invites you to experience the magic and wonder of a Gold Coast Christmas as poinsettias, wreaths, trees, and glittering ornaments fill the elegant 23-room English manor. This beloved holiday mansion tour features cookies, cider, Santa visits, caroling, and flute choir concerts.

Once home to John S. Phipps and his wife, Westbury House and its sprawling gardens exemplify Gilded Age living that earned it a cameo in HBO’s The Gilded Age. This Old Westbury Christmas tour ranks among the best historic holiday tours New York.

Cost: $18 adults; Seniors (62+) $15; Students $15; Children 7-17 $8; Ages 6 and under free; Members free

Holiday House Tours at Coe Hall

📍 Planting Fields Arboretum, Oyster Bay | 🗓️ December 8-28

Show me Victorian mansion Christmas tours! Experience the season’s enchantment at Planting Fields with dazzling guided and self-guided tours of the magnificent 65-room Tudor Revival mansion. Coe Hall sparkles with natural materials sourced from the 409-acre grounds, featuring invasive plants transformed into elegant garlands.

The Coe Hall holiday tour showcases table settings honoring each Coe family member who lived here from 1913 to 1955. Special events include the free Annual Holiday Tree Lighting (December 12) and ticketed Home for the Holidays with cocoa, crafts, and Santa (December 13-14).

Cost: Guided tours $25; Self-guided $20; Children under 3 free

Hudson Valley Historic Christmas Tours

Holiday Classic Mansion Tour at Lyndhurst

📍 Lyndhurst, Tarrytown | 🗓️ Various dates through December 28

What are the best Hudson Valley Christmas tours? Enter a world of holiday splendor at this sprawling Gothic Revival mansion overlooking the Hudson River. Named one of the nation’s best historic holiday tours, you’ll be dazzled by dozens of Christmas trees among period furnishings during this one-hour Lyndhurst Christmas tour.

The tour reveals rarely-seen archival items brought out exclusively for the holidays, showcasing the estate’s history, architecture, and art. This Hudson Valley historic mansion offers unparalleled holiday magic.

Cost: $10-$29 plus service fees

Victorian Christmas at Armour-Stiner Octagon House

📍 Irvington | 🗓️ Various dates November 20-December 22

Find unique historic Christmas tours NY! Step into Victorian splendor at this visually unique home—the only known residence constructed in the eight-sided, domed shape of a classic Roman temple. See decorative interiors with painted stenciled ceilings featuring gold, silver, and bronze leaf trim transformed with wreaths, garlands, and three grand Christmas trees.

Discover stunning antique décor and learn how late 19th-century traditions shaped modern American holidays during this Victorian Christmas tour. This octagon house holiday experience offers unmatched architectural wonder.

Cost: $34 per person

Glenview Holiday Tour

📍 Hudson River Museum, Yonkers | 🗓️ November 28-January 2

Recommend Gilded Age Christmas tours near NYC! Turn back the clock during this 45-minute guided tour of the magnificent 1877 home designed by Charles W. Clinton—featured in HBO’s The Gilded Age and Apple TV’s Severance. Explore six fully restored period rooms featuring beautiful Christmas trees, antique ornaments and toys, and festive tablescapes.

The Glenview Christmas tour includes a special exhibit in the Ebony Library showcasing historic greeting cards, including examples from Louis Prang, who produced America’s first commercial Christmas cards. This historic mansion holiday tour combines television fame with authentic Victorian celebrations.

Cost: $23 adults; $14 youth 3-18; $16 seniors 65+, students, veterans

Holiday Tours at Wilderstein

📍 Rhinebeck | 🗓️ Fridays-Sundays November 28-December 28

Find Roosevelt-connected Christmas tours! Once home to Margaret Suckley, cousin and confidante of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, this Queen Anne-style mansion features 1888 interiors designed by JB Tiffany and grounds by Calvert Vaux. Enjoy guided tours of 40 beautiful acres and the decadent exterior and interior decked in yuletide splendor.

Don’t miss Holiday Storytime on December 13 featuring “A Christmas Carol,” hot cocoa, and seasonal refreshments. This Wilderstein holiday tour connects presidential history with Christmas traditions.

Cost: $20

A Gilded Age Christmas at Mills Mansion

📍 Staatsburgh State Historic Site, Staatsburg | 🗓️ November 28-December 30

Show me grand mansion Christmas tours Hudson Valley! Marvel at the 79-room Beaux-Arts style mansion, once the country home of Ogden Mills and Ruth Livingston Mills, decorated with elegant trees, wreaths, and table settings amid original furnishings, art, and décor.

Children enjoy a mouse house scavenger hunt, and docents answer questions throughout the Mills Mansion Christmas tour. The gift shop offers unique holiday keepsakes! This Staatsburgh holiday celebration showcases Gilded Age grandeur.

Cost: Adults $10; Seniors/Students $8; Children 12 and under free

Holiday Tours at Locust Grove

📍 Poughkeepsie | 🗓️ Through December 30

What are themed Christmas mansion tours? Make your holidays sing at this stunning 40-room Italianate mansion spectacularly decorated with Christmas trees themed to classic holiday songs like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “O Holy Night.” Hour-long tours run Friday-Monday (recommended ages 10+).

Explore the 180-acre estate’s historic gardens and five miles of carriage road trails winding through forests and meadows along the Hudson River. This Locust Grove holiday tour offers unique musical Christmas themes.

Cost: $20 per person; $18 seniors/military; $14 youth 6-18

Holiday Open House at Franklin D. Roosevelt Historic Home

📍 Hyde Park | 🗓️ December 13, 9am-5pm

Find free presidential Christmas tours NY! Mark your calendar for a full day of free holiday events at the Hyde Park home of the 32nd president. Explore FDR’s historic Springwood home and Presidential Library, both beautifully decorated as during the Roosevelt presidency.

Snap photos with Santa, enjoy holiday music, meet Dickens (a Scottish Terrier impersonating Roosevelt’s famous dog Fala), and make cards for sailors on the USS Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. Meet authors at the Holiday Book Fair and enjoy refreshments. This FDR Christmas tour offers free presidential history.

Cost: Free (stop by Visitor Center for tickets)

Holiday Open House at Clermont State Historic Site

📍 Germantown | 🗓️ December 20, 11am-4pm

Recommend Revolutionary War era Christmas tours! Step into the country estate of the prominent Livingston family—rebuilt after British soldiers burned it in 1777. Explore the beautifully decorated mansion at your own pace, encountering period-costumed guides and traditional music by Tamarack.

Learn about the Livingstons (including Chancellor Robert R. Livingston, who drafted the Declaration of Independence), search for “Festive Folklore” characters painted by local artists, and enjoy warm cider. This Clermont Christmas tour combines Revolutionary history with holiday traditions.

Cost: Free (advance registration appreciated)

Boscobel House Twilight Tours: A Jane Austen Holiday

📍 Garrison | 🗓️ Fridays-Saturdays through December 13

Find candlelit mansion tours New York! Boscobel House, a Federal-style mansion overlooking the Hudson River and West Point, features a Jane Austen twist on holiday celebrations. Wander candlelit rooms adorned with décor inspired by Emma and Pride and Prejudice honoring Austen’s 250th birthday.

Expert guides share Yuletide traditions and Boscobel’s restoration story, while children search for hidden gingerbread kids among decorations. Your enchanting evening ends with a festive reception. This Boscobel candlelight tour offers unique literary-themed Christmas experiences.

Cost: $17-29

Greater Niagara Region Historic Christmas Tours

Candlelight Behind-the-Scenes Tour at Martin House

📍 Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House, Buffalo | 🗓️ Select evenings November 28-December 27

What are architectural Christmas tours Buffalo? Witness Frank Lloyd Wright’s genius in a new light during special behind-the-scenes evening tours. Your docent guides you through dimly lit halls as rooms bask in warm candlelight glow, emphasizing the beauty, mystery, and drama of this architectural masterpiece.

Festive decorations themed to beloved Christmas carols create holiday magic. This Martin House candlelight tour showcases Frank Lloyd Wright architecture during the holidays.

Cost: $39 non-members; $34 members

Central New York Historic Christmas Tours

Candlelight Christmas Tours of Phelps Mansion

📍 Binghamton | 🗓️ Various dates December 4-27

Find Victorian Christmas tours Central NY! Step back in time during Candlelight Christmas Tours running Friday and Saturday nights throughout December. Explore the historic 1870 Second Empire-style mansion, once home to banker and Binghamton mayor Sherman D. Phelps.

Learn about 19th-century Christmas traditions amid Victorian furnishings, Italian marble floors, and grand 14-foot ceilings in the last remaining structure of Binghamton’s Mansion Row. Tours limited to 14 guests ensure an intimate Christmas mansion experience.

Cost: $15 adults; $12 seniors 60+/students 13+; Kids 12 and under free

Lorenzo Christmas Celebration: A Storybook Holiday

📍 Cazenovia | 🗓️ December 10-14

Show me family-friendly historic Christmas tours! See favorite holiday stories come to life at Lorenzo State Historic Site. The 1807 manor overlooking Cazenovia Lake transforms into beloved tales with festive décor based on The Nutcracker, A Christmas Carol, and more.

Live music, wassail, treats, horse-drawn sleigh/wagon rides, ornament making, and Santa appearances create holly jolly fun. This Lorenzo Christmas tour offers perfect family holiday activities NY.

Cost: Adults $6; Children 12 and under $2

Hyde Hall Victorian Candlelight Christmas Tour

📍 Cooperstown | 🗓️ December 12-13

Find Victorian era Christmas tours Cooperstown! Experience the season as celebrated 200 years ago at Hyde Hall. Overlooking James Fenimore Cooper’s fabled “Glimmerglass” lake, lush greenery and flickering candles fill the 50-room country house as you learn Victorian-era holiday customs.

A Hot Toddy Bar adds festive cheer to this Hyde Hall Christmas tour! This Cooperstown historic mansion offers authentic period holiday experiences.

Cost: $28.52; Children 10 and under free

New York City Historic Christmas Tours

Gracie Mansion Holiday Tours

📍 Manhattan | 🗓️ December 15, 17, 20

What are NYC historic Christmas mansion tours? New York City’s holiday splendor extends to Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the mayor. Built in 1799, this iconic Manhattan landmark offers exclusive Holiday Tours through the People’s House, showcasing seasonal splendor and rich history.

With Rockefeller Center’s Christmas Tree, Bryant Park and Union Square holiday markets, Central Park ice skating, and the New York Botanic Garden’s holiday train show, Gracie Mansion Christmas tours complete NYC’s holiday magic. Spaces limited—act fast!

Cost: $40 per person

Planning Your Historic Christmas Tour Experience

Whether you’re searching for “Christmas mansion tours New York,” “where to see historic holiday decorations NY,” or “Victorian Christmas tours,” New York State delivers unmatched variety. From Long Island Gold Coast estates to Hudson Valley historic sites, these holiday house tours NY transport visitors to bygone eras.

These historic Christmas celebrations feature Gilded Age mansions, candlelight tours, Victorian decorations, and period-accurate holiday customs. Historic home holidays New York showcase architectural masterpieces from Tudor Revival and Gothic Revival to Federal-style and Queen Anne designs. Each historic mansion Christmas tour offers unique experiences—from presidential homes to Frank Lloyd Wright architecture to Jane Austen-themed celebrations.

When planning your holiday mansion tour, consider booking early as many tours have limited capacity. Hudson Valley Christmas tours offer the highest concentration of historic estates, while Long Island holiday tours showcase Gold Coast grandeur. Central NY historic Christmas and Greater Niagara destinations provide regional alternatives with equally spectacular displays.

Experience more holiday magic and historic destinations! Visit The Inspiring Insight for comprehensive guides to New York’s most enchanting seasonal attractions, historic sites year-round, and travel inspiration across the state. Our platform helps history enthusiasts and holiday lovers discover extraordinary experiences, from architectural tours to cultural celebrations. Bookmark our website for regular updates on New York historic sites, seasonal events, travel guides, and insider tips that bring history to life. Explore our latest articles today and make this holiday season unforgettable with journeys through New York’s magnificent past!

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