The Vanderbilts and Doctor Who

Today we set off, rather late, to visit the Vanderbilt Mansion and Pandorica, a Doctor Who themed restaurant.  I think vacation is catching up with us! We all slept late. It was another beautiful day. We have been lucky all week because the weather has been as near to perfect as you can get!

First we took a tour of the mansion which was amazing. There is so much detail and so much to see.

entryway

skylight

The men's study...sorry I didn't take one of the women's sitting room. It was boring in my opinion! Good thing I wasn't a rich society woman in the 1920s I guess!

Maddie, Buddy and Baldwin. 

The entryway from the second floor

Louisa Vanderbilt's bedroom based on the Queen of France's bedroom. The rail around the bed is called "The birthing rail" because people would line up there to watch the Queen give birth. Poor woman had no privacy!

After we were done with the tour we made our way back to the visitor center to get the lay of the land since we had arrived right at the start of a tour of the house. We had a really good talk with the ranger about the grounds. The grounds are the oldest continually landscaped grounds in the country. There are trees dating to the 18th century and many of them are unique. He pointed us in the direction of the formal gardens and said it was about a 2 minute walk. Perhaps that is true if you are not a 4H forestry family! We took our time and examined the trees. Lots of fun!

Sugar Maple-looks like 3 trees but is only 1! The branches from the original trunk started to touch the ground. In those spots they grew roots and became new trees! 

Honey Locust tree which is dated to the 1700s

The mansion is having some repair work done. 

Gingko Tree from the 18th century...you can see little Maddie below it for size!

WE have to identify this one I think...or it might be another shot of the honey locust....

Weeping birch

Maddie next to the weeping birch branches

Looking up the trunk of the weeping birch

Maddie said this would be her lunch, school and reading spot if she was lucky enough to live here! 

View from the pulloff just down the road and still on the grounds of the mansion.

The next stop was the Doctor Who restaurant! Maddie will have those pictures on her blog.....