Kykuit, the Rockefeller Estate — Attraction in Town of Mount Pleasant

Honestly the review would be much lower if the gentleman tour guide wasn’t so kind. I took my daughter, her bridesmaids and my friend to Sleepy Hollow to celebrate her upcoming wedding. She likes spooky things and Salem was a little far for us. We had numerous tours booked. We went to Sunnyside that morning (which was so nice), grabbed lunch and headed to the tour. We went to 2 addresses and still no luck. We called and they said you park one place and get shuttled up. We are not from this area and have no idea where things are located. No problem, we said it looks like we are 4 minutes away which puts us at 1:04. Our tour was at one so we wanted them to know. We get there jump out and run the gift shop to check in. It is now 1:05. “Oh, here is our late group”, was announced so all could here. I said, we were at 2 other addresses and didn’t know the set up. She then proceeded to yell at me that I should have got an email. 😳umm I printed the tickets out and didn’t see an email. Ok, at this point it’s 1:10.We were next told that our purses may be too big to take due to hitting the art, keep in mind these are regular sized purses, I’ve been to Kensington and Buckingham Castle and didn’t experience this! There is now another couple that missed the 1:00 shuttle. Finally at 1:15 they directed us to go to the shuttle. We go to stand in line and the lady who is now with the 1:15 tour guide are giving us the stink eye. He announces, “My 1:15 group may board the shuttle”. Which was like 8 people. There was 7 in my group. They made us stand there like criminals even the other couple. He finally let us on after saying another rude comment. To say he was a jerk is an understatement! He proceeded to talk to his group and at one point said, “Oh, I don’t care where you guys are from”. Once we arrived he shouted the late 1pm group can go. At this point I just wanted to leave!! I can’t believe you would treat paying customers like this! We again aren’t from here and we’re 5 minutes late (which you knew because we called). We committed no crime. The term mountain out of a mole hill applies! When we got off we were greeted by a wonderful gentleman that caught us up to our tour, which had more people in it than the 1:15 group! Hmmm, funny! You could have just put us with the 1:15 group, but you to busy making an example of us. I think these two very unkind people need to remember this the next time they are on vacation. I hope they both have a run in with someone as...

Four stars, because the house itself is absolutely stunning—and I managed to make it out without being mistaken for an international art thief.

Yesterday’s destination was Kykuit—a Gilded Age estate perched dramatically above the Hudson, built for oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller. It’s the kind of place that feels like a dream carved in stone: elegant, enormous, but somehow still inviting. Unlike most mansions of the era that scream “please don’t touch anything,” this one—lived in until the 1960s—actually feels like someone might still be home… in a silk robe, sipping brandy. (Although, obviously, you still couldn’t touch anything. Let’s not get crazy.)

Photos inside were strictly forbidden—which was unfortunate and a little off-putting, especially since so many historic homes are moving toward encouraging it. The interiors are exquisite, but you’ll just have to take my word for it.

The grounds, though? Unreal. Sculptures tucked into quiet corners, grand fountains, flawless lawns, and sweeping views of the Hudson and Palisades—which, by the way, Rockefeller casually purchased and preserved like a true billionaire environmentalist.

Now, here’s the reason for the missing star: the security vibe. I was in a very small group—maybe 7 or 8 people—and we were being headcounted constantly, like someone might vanish into the hedges with a Tiffany lamp. There was a bag check at the front door. And at one point, I accidentally wandered into what looked like just another part of the garden (maybe 25 feet from my group) after being told to “explore” and suddenly several guides descended with walkie-talkies like I’d breached the Queen’s panic room. One of them actually said, “He’s off the tour,” which is how I found out 25 feet was “off the tour”.

I totally understand the need to protect the estate, but the whole thing felt a bit like touring the Capitol from The Hunger Games—all elegance on the surface, but with an unsettling sense that security was one misstep away from swooping in with a net. Beautiful? Undeniably. Memorable? Of course. But it’s hard to fully enjoy when you feel like you’re being watched by invisible drones.

Okay yes, I’m being a little dramatic—but only because I’ve never felt this on edge at a historic estate. Even Chatsworth, home to the actual Duke and Duchess of Devonshire and basically the Beyoncé of British country houses, was warm, welcoming, and didn’t make me pass through Checkpoint Charlie just to glimpse...

Sunday, 7/6, was with family and friends on an excursion, if you can call it a stay in this place. We paid $79 per person for a 3 hour tour. After the Saturday tour in Nymurs, we were looking forward to the same pleasure. But no. It was just a mockery for our money. Two days before the tour, we received a reminder that the tour would take place. When approaching the place itself, the signal turned off, the navigator took us a little detour, which is why we were 5 minutes late. We were very quickly pushed into the bus, saying that they would be waiting for us there. And there we were in for a surprise with the lack of electricity in the house, which resulted in the lack of air conditioning. And also the impossibility of seeing everything that was included in our $79 excursion. And we were also met by an amazing tour guide, reminiscent of a prison warden: one step to the right, one step to the left - execution. My niece and her husband, who had just gotten married, were with us. Of course they wanted more beautiful photos, but the guide was constantly shouting and did not allow either of us to take a single full-fledged photo. Two hours of bullying in a stuffy room and under the scorching sun. I was taken to the toilet under escort, almost without being told "hands behind your back". When I tried to protest, we were insistently offered to leave the excursion, which we did with pleasure. It was a waste of time with bullying. Not only did my cousin and I have high blood pressure from the stuffiness and scorching sun, but my young niece also felt ill. I will summarize our excursion: disgusting service, we were not warned about the lack of electricity due to which we did not see half of what was stated; the guide is rude, ill-mannered boor. When I turned to the administration for support, I was gently sent away. It would have been better if I had paid the minimum fee and gone ourselves. I really hope to get a full refund for the ruined...