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Vanderbilt Museum & Planetarium
Duration
2 hours
Overview
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COVID-19 UPDATE: The museum is currently open from 11am-6pm, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Portions of the Museum are closed, and social distancing measures are in place throughout the property, as well as new walking trails around the grounds. Guests are required to wear masks on the property. The Planetarium is not open at this time.
William K. Vanderbilt II, one of the richest men in the world, traveled the globe in the 1920s and ‘30s, collecting marine, invertebrate and bird specimens, and cultural artifacts for the museum he built on his Long Island estate in Centerport. Upon his death in 1944, he left his mansion, estate and museum to Suffolk County, New York, “for the use, education and enjoyment” of the public.
The Vanderbilt’s Charles and Helen Reichert Planetarium opened its doors to the public in 1971. The Planetarium enhanced Museum offerings and now offers cutting-edge programming in the most technologically advanced theater of its kind on Long Island.