Backstairs Tours 2019

Backstairs Tour Details

If you’ve taken the Classic Mansion Tour, chances are, you’ll be wanting more. This tour looks exclusively at ‘behind-the-scenes’ areas of the mansion. Come discover how during the Gilded Age and beyond, the staffs at Lyndhurst functioned to provide an efficient and seamless lifestyle for the Merritt and Gould Families!

The tour begins with a journey up 79 stairs to the 5th-floor observatory tower. After enjoying the spectacular views of the lower Hudson Valley and Manhattan, you will descend 99 stairs to view the servants’ quarters including the butler’s suite, root cellar, scullery, kitchen, ice closet, and servants’ dining room. The tour will conclude with a visit to the 1911 laundry building.

Please note that this tour does NOT visit the main rooms of the mansion – please purchase Classic Tour Tickets for the traditional tour experience.

Online ticket sales close 8 am on the day of the tour, walk-on availability on a  first-come-first-serve basis.

This tour is approximately one and a half hours and because of its physical demands, it is not recommended for individuals with mobility issues.

Accessibility and Precautions: For a safe and enjoyable experience, due to the number of narrow steps in the tower portion of the tour, please be advised of the following:

• This tour visits portions of the mansion that are not ADA accessible.


• This tour requires ascending 79 steps up to the tower, and 99 stairs down to the basement.


• There are no elevators in the mansion.


• The mansion is not air-conditioned and can reach high temperatures in the summer heat.


• This tour is not recommended for those with a fear of heights.


• The tour is limited to adults and youths 12 or older.


• Youths must be accompanied by an adult who is 18 or older.


• No person (including children and infants) may be lifted or carried throughout the tour.