I visited a historic 54-room Gilded Age mansion that belonged to one of America's richest families — take a look inside

Talia LakritzFeb 3, 2023, 23:45 IST

Inside the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, New York.Talia Lakritz/Insider

The Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, New York, was built by Frederick Vanderbilt in the 1890s.
The 45,000-square-foot Gilded Age mansion is located on 153 acres of land in the Hudson Valley.

The Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, New York, was home to one of America's wealthiest families during the Gilded Age.

The Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, New York.Talia Lakritz/Insider

Today, the Vanderbilt Mansion is owned and operated by the National Park Service.

The mansion is owned and operated by the National Park Service.Talia Lakritz/Insider

I bought my ticket for a tour at the Pavilion Visitor Center, which once served as a guest house.

The welcome center.Talia Lakritz/Insider

The visitor center featured a Vanderbilt family tree and information about their other homes across the US.

The Vanderbilt family tree.Talia Lakritz/Insider

The tour began outside the Vanderbilt Mansion, where our park-ranger guide told us about the construction of the 45,000-square-foot home.

The Vanderbilt mansion.Talia Lakritz/Insider

We then walked through the front door into an opulent entrance hall.

The ground floor in the Vanderbilt mansion.Talia Lakritz/Insider

The space was full of decorative tapestries, sculptures, and other artifacts.

The entrance hall in the Vanderbilt mansion.Talia Lakritz/Insider

Frederick used his office to manage the affairs of the Hyde Park estate.

Frederick Vanderbilt's office.Talia Lakritz/Insider

Frederick's den functioned as his private leisure space.

A study in the Vanderbilt mansion.Talia Lakritz/Insider

The dining room sat 18 people, which is believed to be the largest gathering the Vanderbilts hosted at Hyde Park.

The dining room in the Vanderbilt mansion.Talia Lakritz/Insider

It also features a 400-year-old Persian carpet, one of the largest known Islamic carpets in the world.

The dining room in the Vanderbilt mansion.Talia Lakritz/Insider

After dinner parties, guests would enjoy coffee and games of charades in the formal living room.

A parlor in the Vanderbilt mansion.Talia Lakritz/Insider

The ground floor also included an 18th-century-style French salon where Louise would occasionally have tea with guests or spend time alone.

A French salon in the Vanderbilt mansion.Talia Lakritz/Insider

A grand staircase led to the second floor.

The grand staircase in the Vanderbilt mansion.Talia Lakritz/Insider

An octagon-shaped balcony overlooked the entrance hall, with a similarly shaped skylight above.

The second floor of the Vanderbilt mansion.Talia Lakritz/Insider

In the winter months, when the Vanderbilts spent time in their New York City townhouse, the home's furniture was covered with linens.

A guest room in the Vanderbilt mansion.Talia Lakritz/Insider

Louise's bed was surrounded by a railing, as was often the case in royal bedchambers in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Louise Vanderbilt's bedroom.Talia Lakritz/Insider

We concluded the tour in the basement, where servants would prepare the Vanderbilts' meals in the kitchen.

The kitchen in the Vanderbilt mansion.Talia Lakritz/Insider

Stepping out onto the grounds of the mansion, I could see why the Vanderbilts relished their seasonal country home.

The view from the grounds of the Vanderbilt mansion in Hyde Park, New York.Talia Lakritz/Insider

I spent 2 nights at a 2-story, 100-square-foot tiny home in Germany that was smaller than any I've seen in the US. Take a look inside.

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I visited a historic 54-room Gilded Age mansion that belonged to one of America's richest families &mdash; take a look inside