Valentine Dinner At The Vanderbilt Mansion

By Patrick Keeffe (Photo by Maryann Zakshevsky)

Imagine having a Valentine’s Day dinner where Hollywood stars and European royalty dined with members of one of America’s richest and most famous families. You can do that at a spectacular American estate in one of the most glamorous and romantic settings on Long Island — the historic, early twentieth-century mansion of William K. Vanderbilt II, overlooking Northport Bay.

On Saturday, February 8, the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum will hold its annual Valentine’s Day dinner in the mansion, with seatings at 6:00 and 8:00 p.m.

Lance Reinheimer, the museum’s executive director, said, “Many people have used the storybook atmosphere of the Vanderbilt Mansion as a romantic backdrop for first dates. Several people tell us they proposed marriage here. And each year many couples come to the Vanderbilt for their wedding ceremonies. This is a perfect place for a romantic dinner.”

As a guest, your evening will begin with hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer in the Memorial Wing of the mansion, amid Mr. Vanderbilt’s exotic collections of ethnographic artifacts from Africa, Asia and South America. After a brief tour through his private living quarters, you will be seated for a leisurely dinner in the Dining Room and Northport Porch.

The menu includes a selection of beef, chicken, fish and vegetarian entrées. Dessert follows in the Lancaster Room, with a side trip to the Vanderbilt Library and the Moroccan Court.

The evening is a special opportunity to enjoy an intimate dining experience with a spouse, partner or special friend and to celebrate in Gold Coast style. Seating at this exclusive event is very limited and sells out quickly. Tickets are $100 per person, by reservation only. To make reservations, please call the Vanderbilt at 631-854-5579.