Vanderbilt Mansion ∙ Centerport, NY
We have visited the Vanderbilt mansion in Centerport a few times and each time we go back I find more to like about it. The last time we were there it was mid May, with flowers blooming everywhere and it was pretty warm outside. The harbor was filled with sailboats and the sun was shining. This time, it was fairly cold, there was snow on the ground and the harbor was empty. Visiting in the winter changed the vibe a bit but in a good way, as everything still looked beautiful.
During our guided tour we learned this particular mansion is called the Eagles Nest and it is considered to be one of the more modest Vanderbilt mansions. It may not be the grandest of all the mansions the family has built but it still has a total of 24 rooms and overlooks North Port Harbor. In my opinion, it's still pretty impressive. We were also told that one of the reasons William Vanderbilt II chose this location to build this summer home was due to the fact that North Port harbor was deep enough to sail his yacht. Not too shabby if you ask me.
