The Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum lights its holiday tree on Saturday, December 5, at 5:00 p.m. in the Mansion Courtyard of the Centerport estate, and the evening is free. Doors open at 4:30. There is no charge, but the museum asks everyone to register in advance on its website.

The lighting comes with a holiday craft table, a visit from Frosty the Snowman, and a food trailer handing out complimentary hot pretzels, cookies and cups of hot chocolate.

Two holiday shows in the planetarium

The museum's Reichert Planetarium is running two holiday programs the same day, timed around the lighting so families can catch one before or after the ceremony. These are ticketed separately from the free courtyard event.

  • Laser Holidays, at 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. A mix of holiday music, from classical to modern, set to laser light and digital artwork across the dome. The museum rates it appropriate for all ages.
  • Season of Light, at 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. A look at the rituals people have built around the darkest time of year, from Christian and Jewish traditions to Celtic, Nordic, Roman, Irish, Mexican and Hopi ones, and at the astronomical meanings behind seasonal traditions.

The 4:00 p.m. Laser Holidays show ends in time to walk out to the courtyard before the 5:00 lighting, and the 6:00 p.m. show starts after it.

About the estate

The museum is Eagle's Nest, the summer estate William K. Vanderbilt II built in stages between 1910 and 1936 above Northport Bay. Its Spanish Revival mansion, with a pantile roof, stucco facades and Samuel Yellin ironwork, is built around the central courtyard where the tree goes up. Vanderbilt left the estate to Suffolk County along with a $2 million fund for its upkeep, and the county runs it as a museum with a planetarium and an observatory on the grounds. This fall it has also been running programs tied to the nation's 250th anniversary, including a lecture series and exhibits on Long Island's past.

Before you go

  • Date and time: Saturday, December 5. Doors at 4:30 p.m., tree lighting at 5:00 p.m.
  • Cost: Free, with registration required. Planetarium shows are ticketed.
  • Where: Mansion Courtyard, Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport.
  • Questions: 631-854-5579.

Registration for the lighting and tickets for both planetarium shows are on the museum's holiday event page. The lighting is held outdoors.

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