Walking tours and events at Gold Coast mansions

A portrait that might have inspired Mr. Monopoly. A dining room that was moved from Fifth Avenue. Original pages from Charles Lindbergh’s autobiography. These are some of the secrets of Long Island’s Gold Coast mansions that are revealed during guided tours led by dedicated docents who know these buildings like the back of their hands.

VANDERBILT MANSION AND PLANETARIUM

180 Little Neck Rd., Centerport

“It never gets stale,” says Ellen Mason, who has spent the past 18 years leading tours of Eagle’s Nest, the Spanish revival mansion built by William Vanderbilt in 1910. One of her favorite things to show visitors is the white upholstered furniture in the Portuguese sitting room, moved there when it was taken from Vanderbilt’s yacht The Alva before it was commissioned by the Navy during World War II. Mason also makes sure visitors see the breakfast gallery with its sweeping views of Long Island Sound and the luxe bathrooms (five kinds of marble, and a tile on the floor that was a hidden scale). Tours (limited to 12) are held throughout the day and can be added upon arrival for $8; additional fee for shows in the planetarium.

INFO $12, $8 ages 2-12. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday, 7-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday (planetarium only); 631-854-5579, vanderbiltmuseum.org

SANDS POINT PRESERVE

127 Middle Neck Rd., Sands Point

Charles Lindbergh wrote part of his autobiography “We” while a guest at Falaise, one of the three mansions on the 216-acre preserve. Original handwritten pages are on display, says executive director Jeremiah Bosgang. Also of note in the mansion, owned by Harry Guggenheim and Newsday founder Alicia Patterson, is the trophy room with memorabilia associated with Guggenheim’s stable of racehorses, including 1953 Kentucky Derby winner Dark Star. Guides also like to remind visitors that the shocking “horse head” sequence in “The Godfather” was shot at Falaise. Tours take place Friday-Sunday, $15 on day of tour only (no children under 12) through Oct. 27.

INFO Grounds entry: $15 per car, $4 individual; 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday; 516-571-7901, sandspointpreserveconservancy.org

OHEKA CASTLE

135 W. Gate Dr., Huntington

The imposing portrait of Otto Kahn, the philanthropist who built Oheka on the highest point on Long Island in 1919, was most likely the inspiration for the image of Mr. Monopoly, says lead docent Vicki Metz. She also likes to point out the elaborate French gardens designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect responsible for Central Park. Many guests, she says, are most intrigued by the castle’s use as a set for TV shows (“Succession,” “Royal Pains”) and Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” music video. Guided tours of the 127-room mansion take place daily at 11 a.m. (other times are occasionally made available).

INFO $30, $12 ages 12 and younger; 631-659-1400, oheka.com

OLD WESTBURY GARDENS

71 Old Westbury Rd., Old Westbury

The formal dining room at Westbury House, the John Phipps mansion at Old Westbury Gardens, started out on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, but was eventually moved and transported to Long Island. So many Gold Coast mansions have rooms inspired by European architecture, says Paul Hunchak, director of visitor services: “This is a piece of American history.” Hunchak also likes to show off the west porch — seen in movies like “Love Story” and “The Age of Innocence” — and the walled garden, which he says “is what we’re known for.” Guided tours of Westbury House take place Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and are included in admission. Or tour the restored service wing (tickets $21, $19 for ages 62 and older, which also include general admission).

INFO $15, $8 ages 7-17 (tickets must be purchased in advance), 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday-Monday through Oct. 31; 516-333-0048, oldwestburygardens.org

COINDRE HALL

101 Browns Rd., Huntington

“It’s a living museum, it’s a home,” says Coindre Hall docent Jimmy Knapp. “When people come, they don’t realize a family lived here,” he said, explaining the grand manor once belonged to pharmaceutical giant George McKesson Brown. Knapp likes to point out the pond where the family got its water. Other notable features of the mansion, now primarily a catering hall, include the red clay tile roof, modeled after a French chateau, and the elephant tree, a unique maple on the front lawn that looks like an elephant with its trunk in the air. The arts organization Splashes of Hope leads free guided tours at 11 a.m. on the last Saturday of the month; call 631-424-8230 to reserve.

INFO 631-854-4410, suffolkcountyny.gov

PLANTING FIELDS ARBORETUM

1395 Planting Fields Rd., Oyster Bay

Visitors delight in discovering the hidden bar behind one of the walls in Coe Hall, says communications manager Kayla Cheshire. (The home was under construction in the 1920s, just as Prohibition became law.) The Tudor-revival-style mansion, built by railroad tycoon William Robinson Coe, also contains an extensive collection of paintings by Robert Winthrop Chanler and Everett Shinn, and intricate carved symbols in the ceilings, walls and wood paneling. A 60-minute guided tour is offered from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday-Sunday through Dec. 30; $10, $5 for ages 7-17.

INFO $8 parking fee weekends and on holidays through Nov. 19, open daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m. except Christmas; 516-922-9210, plantingfields.org