🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Gold Coast Estate — 409-acre Gilded Age estate on Long Island’s Gold Coast — one of the finest arboretums in the Northeast with 65-room Tudor Revival mansion
Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park is a 409-acre Gilded Age estate on Long Island’s legendary Gold Coast — once home to insurance magnate William Robertson Coe. The 65-room Coe Hall (1921, Tudor Revival) is surrounded by one of the finest arboretums in the eastern United States — including a world-class collection of camellias, rhododendrons, and azaleas. The Gold Coast of Long Island’s North Shore was home to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s fictional Jay Gatsby — the area inspired “The Great Gatsby” (1925). Over 600 mansions were built here during the Gilded Age; fewer than 200 survive.
Visitor Information
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Location | Oyster Bay, Long Island, NY |
| Entry Fee | $8 per vehicle |
| Size | 409 acres — 65-room mansion! |
| Gatsby | Gold Coast — inspired “Great Gatsby”! |
About Planting Fields
Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park in Oyster Bay (Long Island) preserves the 409-acre Gold Coast estate of insurance magnate William Robertson Coe. The Tudor Revival mansion “Coe Hall” (65 rooms) and surrounding arboretum feature one of the finest collections of camellias, rhododendrons, and azaleas in the Northeast. The estate represents the peak of Gilded Age wealth on Long Island’s “Gold Coast” — the inspiration for F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
Things to Do
Touring 65-room Coe Hall, exploring the greenhouse collections (camellias bloom January-March), walking the arboretum trails through specimen trees from around the world, attending concerts and exhibits, and experiencing Great Gatsby-era opulence.
Insider Tips
Gold Coast estate: Planting Fields was the 409-acre estate of William Robertson Coe — a Gold Coast mansion with one of the finest arboretum collections on Long Island. Pro tip: Long Island’s “Gold Coast” (North Shore) inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” — the mansions of East Egg were modeled on estates like this. Coe Hall: The 65-room Tudor Revival mansion is one of the last intact Gold Coast mansions.
Best Time to Visit
Spring: Rhododendron and azalea bloom. Summer: Full garden displays. Fall: Arboretum foliage. Winter: Greenhouse collections.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Gold Coast?
Long Island’s North Shore was nicknamed the “Gold Coast” from the 1890s-1930s — hundreds of enormous estates were built by America’s wealthiest families (Vanderbilts, Whitneys, Morgans, Phippses). F. Scott Fitzgerald set “The Great Gatsby” here — the mansions, parties, and social rivalry he described were real. Most estates were demolished or subdivided after WWII. Survivors like Planting Fields preserve the era’s extraordinary architecture and landscapes.
More parks nearby: Cold Spring Harbor State Park is a short drive away, while Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve lies a short drive away.
🏛️ Visit Planting Fields Arboretum
409-acre Gold Coast estate — Gatsby’s real-life world!
Wildlife & Nature
Planting Fields Arboretum — 409 acres on Long Island’s Gold Coast — preserves the Coe Estate with Coe Hall (a 65-room Tudor Revival mansion, 1921). The arboretum’s greenhouses, formal gardens, and specimen trees include rhododendrons, camellias, and rare conifers from around the world. Red-tailed hawks nest in the mature trees. Great horned owls roost in the conifers.
Nearby Attractions
Oyster Bay — adjacent — has Sagamore Hill NHS (Teddy Roosevelt’s home). Cold Spring Harbor — 5 miles east — has the Whaling Museum. Huntington — 5 miles east. Glen Cove — adjacent.
