The Pavilion Visitor Center at Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site
GENERAL INFORMATION
The visitor center at Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site is located in the Pavilion, the only surviving guest house from the Vanderbilt era. The mansion took four years to plan and build, but Frederick and Louise Vanderbilt wanted access to their property as soon as possible, so they had the Pavilion constructed for use as their temporary home. Work began in September 1895 and was completed in just two months at a cost of $50,000. The Vanderbilts lived (seasonally, spring and fall) in the Pavilion until April 1899, at which time they moved into their newly completed mansion. The Pavilion consists of a large entrance hall with fireplace, a living room, kitchen, seven bedrooms (three for servants), and bathrooms with showers. Today all of these rooms other than the hall are used as National Park Service offices.
Buildings such as the Pavilion were called playhouses and were often decorated with male guests in mind, serving as a sporting or bachelor lodge where the men would go to play cards, drink, and socialize. Once the mansion was completed, the Pavilion became a guest house, and guests who stayed here were often male friends of Frederick’s who came to Hyde Park for fishing and boating (he did not allow hunting on the property). The Vanderbilts themselves stayed at the Pavilion whenever they came up for a winter weekend or at Christmas to enjoy sleighing and other winter sports. The mansion was closed in the off seasons (winter and summer).
Fireplace inside the Pavilion Visitor Center at Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site
OPERATING HOURS
The Pavilion Visitor Center is open daily from 9 AM to 5 PM, except when closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Keep in mind that times can always change, so be sure to get the latest schedule on the National Park Service’s official Operating Hours and Seasons web page for Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site.
AMENITIES
- Ranger-staffed information desk where visitors can get a park brochure and trail map
- Purchase tickets for tours of the Vanderbilt Mansion
- Restrooms
Interior of the Pavilion Visitor Center at Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site
EXHIBITS
The only exhibit inside the Pavilion Visitor Center is one that covers the Vanderbilt Family tree and a short biography of Frederick and Louise Vanderbilt. Frederick, who was born in 1856, was the grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, the first American-born multi-millionaire.
Exhibit on the Vanderbilt Family inside the Pavilion Visitor Center at Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site
SCHEDULING YOUR TIME
Fifteen minutes should be enough time to purchase tickets for the mansion tour, talk with a Ranger about what there is to see and do at the park, and read the information on the one exhibit in the entrance hall.
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Last updated on June 17, 2025
