Planting Fields Foundation has posted its holiday season for the Gold Coast estate in Oyster Bay, and the cheapest tickets are on sale only through Sunday, Nov. 1. The Main House, formerly known as Coe Hall, will be decorated in red, green and gold for Holiday House Tours from Dec. 9 to Dec. 30, with arrangements built from amaranthus, cypress, pine and hydrangea.

Holiday House Tours, Dec. 9 to 30

Self-guided tours of the decorated first floor run daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with last entry at 3:30 p.m. On opening day, Dec. 9, tours end at 1 p.m. Guided tours run Fridays through Sundays from Dec. 12 to Dec. 20 at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon, and add the second-floor bedrooms, which are shown but not decorated.

Prices through Nov. 1 are $15 for self-guided adults and $20 for guided adults. After that they rise to $20 and $25. Tickets for ages 6 to 17 are $10 either way, and children under 6 are free. Children under 18 must be with an adult. All sales are final, and museum library passes are not accepted for this event. The park is closed on Christmas Day.

Home for the Holidays with Santa, Dec. 19 and 20

The family festival returns Saturday, Dec. 19, and Sunday, Dec. 20, in two sessions each day, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1 to 4 p.m. Santa Claus visits throughout the day for wishes and photos, the Main House is open with decorations made from natural materials gathered on the grounds, and crafts run first come, first served while supplies last. Early bird tickets through Nov. 1 are $20 for adults and $10 for children 4 to 12; from Nov. 2 they are $25 and $15. Children 3 and under are free.

Check-in is at the Main House front doors under the name on the reservation, so there is nothing to print. Doors open exactly at 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., and the foundation asks visitors to arrive no more than 15 minutes early. Strollers, backpacks and oversized bags stay in the car, and outside food and drink are not allowed in the house. The festival runs rain or shine.

Concerts and morning walks

  • First Fridays: Holiday Magic at the Main House, Friday, Dec. 4, 10 to 11 a.m., $25: a walk through the grounds with the education team, then a look at how the house is decorated for the season.
  • Notes in Nature: Fireside Melodies, Friday, Dec. 18, and Saturday, Dec. 19, 7 to 8:30 p.m., $45: harp and violin, holiday classics and hot chocolate.
  • Deck the Halls, Saturday, Dec. 5, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., $350: the foundation's holiday benefit, with cocktails, a silent auction and a raffle in the Main House.

Before the decorations go up

November has its own calendar. The self-guided and Behind the Velvet Ropes tours of the Main House continue through the month, and on Friday, Nov. 6, from 10 to 11 a.m., a one-day First Fridays tour looks at the American artist Everett Shinn and his work at the estate.

How to go

Planting Fields, 1395 Planting Fields Road, Oyster Bay. The park is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Tickets for every event are sold through each event's page on the Planting Fields site; early bird pricing for the house tours and the Santa festival ends Nov. 1.

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