The Classic Tour lasts 2 1/4 hours and costs $25 weekday, $28 Fri-Sun. It includes the main floor of the house; the subterranean art galleries; the Inner Garden and West Terrace, with views of the Hudson River and the outdoor sculpture collection; and the Coach Barn with its collection of antique carriages and classic automobiles.
The Grand Tour is $40 regardless of day of tour, lasts 3 hours and includes a visit to the second floor balcony of the house.
There are also Selected Highlights Tours and Timesaver Tours, but unless you're really an art aficionado or are pressed for time, you should choose either the Classic or Grand Tour.
We purchased our tickets 2 weeks in advance and it was a good thing that we did. The tours were sold out when we arrived. Apparently, October is a prime time to tour, especially when it's a beautiful weekend.
We took the Classic Tour at 3:15 pm on a Sunday.
The parking lot was full so we were directed to the alternate lot next to Phillipsburg Manor. Phillipsburg Manor was a farming, milling, and trading center owned by the Philipses, who rented land to tenant farmers. Today, you can visit it and step back to life in 1750.
It took us 10 minutes to walk to the Kykuit ticket office and gift shop. We turned in our confirmation and picked up our tickets. We then boarded buses that took us to the hilltop estate. Our tour guide was a retired school teacher, very knowledgable but refused tips.
The grand entrance leading to the Rockefeller home.
The home is a 6-story Classical Revival Georgian, completed in 1913. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976 and tours began in 1994. The basement contains a private art gallery with works by Picasso, Chagall and Warhol. It has the most complete collection of Picasso tapestries in the world.
Oceanus Fountain, modeled after Giambologna's "Oceanus and the Three Rivers" in the Boboli Gardens in Florence, as viewed from the home.
The Rockefeller estate is situated on the Hudson River.
On the grounds are numerous 20th century sculptures by artists such as Picasso, Moore & Calder.
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