The main house, along with its multiple greenhouses and gardens, is open to the public.
In the village of Upper Brookville on Long Island, New York, you can step back 100 years. All you need to do is enter the Planting Fields Arboretum, a 409-acre state park that houses an expansive mansion, multiple greenhouses, gardens, and a tea house straight out of a fairy tale.
The mansion, Coe Hall, was built by William Robertson Coe, an executive who succeeded in the insurance and railroad businesses, and his wife, Mai Rogers, an heiress to a fortune built on Standard Oil money. In fact, Coe was the president of the company that brokered the insurance for the hull of what was known as an unsinkable ship: the Titanic. He was even booked on the return voyage of the Titanic from New York City to England, per the Long Island Press.
Coe Hall — the second mansion to be built on the property after the original from 1906 burned down in 1918 — looks like it was transplanted from the English countryside and dropped on the Gold Coast, a stretch of Long Island's North Shore that earned its nickname for the opulent estates built by wealthy families around the turn of the 20th century.
That's on purpose, as they wanted to make it seem like the home had been there for decades, making them "old money."
During my tour of the property in spring 2025, a docent told me some architectural touches didn't match at the time of construction, as if to give the appearance that the home had been remodeled over the years.
In addition to the main house, which was designed by the architectural firm Walker & Gillette, the arboretum is home to beautiful landscaping and gardens designed by the famous Olmsted Brothers, who also designed Central Park and Oheka Castle.
Here's what it's like to visit one of the largest Gold Coast mansions left on Long Island.
The Planting Fields Arboretum is a 409-acre state park on Long Island, New York.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
The estate was purchased by William Robertson Coe, an insurance and railroad tycoon, in 1913.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
It's now open for tours. It cost $8 to park there, and another $15 to tour the house.There are many fields at Coe Hall.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
The property was in the Coe family until his death in 1955, when it was given to the state of New York.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
The centerpiece of the park is Coe Hall, a 65-room Tudor mansion built in 1918.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
There are personalized touches all over the house's limestone exterior.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
For example, this ship carved into the house is a nod to Coe's ties to the maritime industry and his love of sailing.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
The building was modeled after English manor homes to evoke "old money" vibes rather than the "new money" that Coe had made.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
You get almost a medieval feel from the moment you walk through the entryway.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
It took three years to complete Coe Hall.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
There are taxidermied animals throughout the house — Coe was an avid hunter and summered in Wyoming.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
One of the first rooms you can view is Coe's den.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
It's covered in dark wood, giving a masculine atmosphere.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
The shelves were filled with priceless books, like this signed copy of Mark Twain's autobiography. Twain was a close friend of the family.A signed copy of a Mark Twain book.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
Photos of Coe and his second wife, Mai Rogers, are on display. They had married in 1900.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
This house was built amid Prohibition. So Coe knew he had to prepare for an alcohol shortage.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
He built his very own hidden speakeasy in his den. A docent told us he spent millions of dollars in today's money to stockpile alcohol.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
The docent said Coe and his wife had opposing style tastes and suggested visiting her salon across the hall.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
He was right. If her husband's taste was English, this parlor was straight out of Versailles.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
On the way to look at the rest of the home, we passed a small side room that displayed a bison head and one of Coe's hunting rifles.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
The art in the living room is original to the home.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
It's certainly not a bad place to spend your weekends.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
This mezzanine was built as a place for the four Coe children to play and store their toys and musical instruments without getting underfoot.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
The Great Hall is at the back of the home. It was perfect for the parties of the Roaring '20s.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
This box on the second floor looks like it was made for people-watching, but it was actually where musicians would play during parties.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
The craftsmanship throughout the house was impossible to miss.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
Every detail was intentional. These flowers are a reference to Rogers' love of plants — the property itself became an arboretum.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
There was another portrait of Coe hanging in the corner.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
On the left is Rogers, and on the right is their youngest child and only daughter, Natalie. She was married in this room in 1934.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
Above the massive fireplace is a portrait of the three Coe boys: William, Robert, and Henry.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
A docent told us it took $1.7 million annually — in 1927 dollars — to maintain Coe Hall. That's around $32 million today.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
There was another reading room set off the great hall. The shelves were filled with antiques and old books.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
The last viewable room on the first floor was this formal dining room.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
The main staircase felt straight out of a castle.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
This hallway led to three guest bedrooms and the Coes' suites; there are nine bedrooms total.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
This was the only guest room open for visitors. Each room has a walk-in closet and its own bathroom.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
At the end of the hall were Coe and Rogers' bedrooms and bathrooms.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
This was Rogers' bedroom. Like her salon downstairs, it is bright and airy.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
And no, that's not wallpaper. This design was hand-painted onto the wall.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
The windows gave her a view of the gardens she painstakingly designed.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
This is her bathroom. Once again, it's very French.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
In addition to a bathtub, she had a needle bath. Jets of water came out from different points on the cage-like contraption.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
Across the hall is her husband's bathroom, where he had his own interesting contraption: an electric light cabinet, similar to an infrared sauna.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
Down the other hallway were the kids' bedrooms. They were all closed, though, because Netflix filmed season three of "The Diplomat" at Coe Hall, and these rooms were used as storage.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
Coming back down the stairs, I got another look at just how intricate and intentional every detail in the house was.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
Now it was time to check out the much-revered grounds.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
Right off the bat, this fountain caught my eye.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
I also enjoyed this courtyard. The landscaping was by the Olmsted Brothers, who also designed Central Park and Oheka Castle.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
Near the house, there's a small pond and a bench off a hidden path. It's the perfect spot for quiet contemplation.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
But the main draws of the backyard are the Blue Pool Garden and the Tea House.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
Before the pool was here, this area was a tennis court. It took 16 workers to dig out 16,000 square yards of soil to build the sunken pool.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
At the end of the garden is the Tea House, which was built in 1906.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
The exterior makes the Tea House look like something out of a fairytale.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
Can't you just hear someone saying, "Once upon a time…"?
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
Rogers entertained her friends in the Tea House on nice days.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
It looks like the inside of a Tiffany's box.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
The other structure in this area of the park is the Playhouse, which was built so Natalie, the Coes' daughter, could have a place to play house.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
As we continued walking around the park, we came to this archway made of pine trees.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
Walking through it felt like walking through a storybook.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
On the other side of the archway is the Main Greenhouse, built in 1914.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
This was originally called the Hibiscus House, but now it's a mixture of tropical plants.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
One corner of the building was anchored by this giant palm tree.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
There were plenty of paths to walk down to get the full experience.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
We then walked the Azalea Walk, one of 13 trails at the Planting Fields.Azalea Walk.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
That led us to the other greenhouse on-site, the Camellia Greenhouse, built in 1917.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
It has the largest collection of camellias under glass in the northeast.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
However, camellia season is in January, so we missed it.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
But there were still plenty of flowers and plants to check out in this greenhouse.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
There are many more gardens to see at Coe Hall, including a rose garden, a hydrangea collection, and a dahlia garden.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider
Walking around Planting Fields and Coe Hall felt like stepping back in time and revealed the remarkable wealth of Gilded Age families. Any history buff should pay it a visit, if they can.