A love story built this place, literally.
In 1901, a Yale-educated heir to the Carnegie Steel fortune named John Shaffer “Jay” Phipps proposed to Margarita “Dita” Grace at a Scottish castle during a summer of deer stalking, then promised her something even bigger: a home in America that felt just like the one she grew up in back in England.
That promise became Old Westbury Gardens, a 200-acre English-style estate tucked into Long Island that somehow still feels like a secret, despite sitting in the richest zip code in the entire state.
16 September 2026 10:00 + more dates
Only about 20 miles from Manhattan, it might be the closest thing to teleporting to the English countryside without ever getting on a plane.
And right now is actually the perfect time to visit, here’s why.
The English manor built out of a promise
Dita grew up at Battle Abbey, a historic estate in East Sussex where William the Conqueror is said to have built his abbey after the Battle of Hastings. When Jay proposed to her at Beaufort Castle in the Scottish Highlands, he knew exactly what kind of home he needed to build her, according to Old Westbury Gardens’ own account of its history.
He hired British designer George A. Crawley, who had been a guest at that same Highland castle the summer of the proposal, to design a Charles II-style manor on 175 acres he’d purchased in Westbury.
Construction began in 1903, and the family moved into the finished Westbury House in 1907, according to Wikipedia. Dita herself took the lead on shaping the grounds, and her handwritten seed orders, planting diagrams, and garden notes still survive in the estate’s archives today.
The Phipps family lived in the house for over 50 years before it opened to the public in 1959.
Today, Westbury House still holds the original English antiques and artwork the family collected over five decades, including a portrait of Mrs. Henry Phipps and her grandson Winston that remains one of the collection’s centerpieces.
A town built entirely by fortune
Old Westbury didn’t become one of the richest places in America by accident. In the late 1890s, wealthy New York families discovered that the area’s flat, wooded terrain was ideal for raising horses and playing polo, and the Phipps, Whitney, Vanderbilt, Grace, Bacon, and Hitchcock families all built sprawling estates here during what’s now remembered as the region’s “Estate Era,” according to historical records on the village’s founding.
That legacy never really faded.
Old Westbury’s 11568 zip code is currently New York State’s single richest zip code, with an average household income of $559,134, according to 2026 Census-based income data.
Old Westbury Gardens itself has earned its own outsized reputation too, once ranked among the three best public gardens in the world by Four Seasons Hotels magazine, according to Newsday.
What you’re actually walking into
Photos genuinely don’t do this place justice, and it’s the kind of property that’s been used as a filming location for more than 25 movies and dozens of TV shows over the years.
The formal Walled Garden blooms in tightly manicured color through spring and summer. The Lilac Walk turns into a tunnel of purple every May. There’s a demonstration garden, several ponds, a boxwood-lined rose garden, and miles of quiet wooded paths that make the whole 200 acres feel less like a museum and more like wandering into someone else’s very, very good dream.
Don’t skip the Thatched Cottage, originally built as a playhouse for the Phipps children, which looks like it was airlifted straight out of a Cotswolds village.
The best reason to go before summer ends
Fall is arguably the best time to catch this place, and there’s more reason than usual to make the trip this year.
The gardens are included on I Love NY’s official list of top fall foliage destinations, thanks to color that holds strong well into October across the lake trail and rose garden.
Here’s what’s actually happening on the calendar before the season wraps:
- Sean Kenney’s Nature Connects®, a LEGO-built sculpture exhibit scattered throughout the grounds, runs through September 7
- Afternoon Tea & Tour returns for eight dates this fall, September 9, 10, 16, and 17, then October 7, 8, 14, and 15, pairing a full tea service with a guided seasonal garden tour, according to the estate’s own event listings
- Fall “Dog Days” Weekend hits October 24 and 25, one of the only stretches all year when leashed dogs are welcome on the grounds alongside the fall color
The gardens are only open April through October, so anyone waiting for a “someday” visit is already on the clock.
Getting there from NYC
Old Westbury Gardens sits at 71 Old Westbury Road, between the Long Island Expressway and Jericho Turnpike, about 20 miles east of Manhattan. Driving out takes roughly 45 minutes without traffic, with on-site parking available.
Skipping the car is just as doable. The Long Island Rail Road runs to the Westbury station, a short taxi ride from the estate entrance, making this one of the easier “no car required” day trips out of the city.
The property is open daily except Tuesdays, from 10 am to 6 pm, with final admission at 4 pm for non-members. Tickets must be purchased in advance online, and children under 6 get in free!
🌳 For more information about Old Westbury House and Gardens and to buy tickets, head here