AFISHA LIFE
Westchester County
Explore
Art, Culture & History
Private Tour of The Armour-Stiner Octagon House in New York

Private Tour of The Armour-Stiner Octagon House in New York

Overview

The Armour-Stiner Octagon House was built in 1860 as a summer home. To this day, the Spring months here in The Hudson Valley are the most delightful time of the year. Victorian Springtime at The Octagon House, a one-hour tour, includes both a guided exploration of the lush 19th-century grounds and an unforgettable interior tour of this marvelously preserved Victorian Summer Home. Guests will see and smell a vibrant array of Victorian flowers inside the fully restored Lord and Burnham greenhouse, listen to an orchestra of songbirds in the Foxglove Garden, and step back in time with a stroll around the 360-degree verandah. In the interior portion of the tour, see many examples of how the natural world heavily influenced Victorian life and design.

City: Westchester County

Mon 19 May

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $29.00

Make a reservation

Mon 19 May

Starting at $29.00

Make a reservation

New York City Tours

Unique Activities (21) Transfers & Transportation (175) Tours, Sightseeing & Cruises (252) Entry Tickets (96) Sporting Events (4) Good for Small Groups (27) Seasonal & Holiday Tours (113) Walking Tours (705) Outdoor Activities (48) Limitied Availability Tours (29) LGBT Friendly Tours (9) Family-friendly Activities (8) Wildlife Activities (6) Solo Travelers' Tours (147) Food & Drinks (96) Travelers recommend (174) Good for Groups (32) Top Activities (75) Guided Audio Tours (10) Art, Culture & History (406) Attractions to explore (43) Sustainable Tours (1) Limousine Transfers (5) Donut Walking Tour (2) Virtual Experiences (1) Additional fees (7) DSA non-compliant (17)

What's Included

All Fees and Taxes

Additional Info

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

What To Expect

The Armour-stiner Octagon House

Tours of this magnificent Victorian home are available by appointment only. Participants learn about the history, architecture and preservation of this home.

Cancellation Policy

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (38)

NWH53

Dec 2023

The Christmas Tour of the Armour-Stiner house was delightful. The house was beautifully decorated and our guide was very knowledgeable about the structure of the house and all of the very interesting furniture and decorations that have been collected. The Victorians certainly had an eye for detail!

730fayt

Nov 2023

The house itself was very lovely, but the tour was quite disappointing bc of the guide, Kelly. She had a cold standoffish way about her, barriers that made it uncomfortable to ask questions or interact with her. On the surface she was smiling, but there was a strong negative undertone which revealed itself more and more as the tour unfolded. At one point I asked a question and was told in front of the tour group that she was going to wait for the entire group to catch up bc she was 'sure that others would also want to hear the answer'. She was condescending and unpleasant about it, like a scolding schoolteacher. It was not clear that more tour participants were supposed to be gathering at that one spot; if she'd told me pleasantly, I would have understood. She also seemed impatient to finish up the tour, telling some stragglers who were still in one of the other rooms that she could not take the rest of the group down to the basement/gift shop unless everyone was done. The next tour was not due for over an hour; there seemed no pragmatic reason for urgency. I understand that groups have to respect the homes they are in, and follow the guide. But she had not instructed us to stay that close to her; she'd often tell us to look around and then meet her at the next gathering point. The tour information was spotty and impossible to fill in as Kelly seemed to limit her responses to questions. I got the impression she was trying to redirect any questions relating to the authenticity of the items in the restoration. There were 3 chairs in the Egyptian room said to have been originals with the Stiner name on them; yet there were 2-3 reproductions of those chairs in the room. It's puzzling as to why and how those exact replica pieces would have been constructed during the original period. I've been on many estate tours such as Kyuit, Irving house, Biltmore state. I feel the Octagon House tour did not provide the same level of history, nor any whimsical narrative to the home legacy that is commonly provided with humor and personal touch on these type of tours. A good guide also provides cohesiveness and ease among the tour participants, leading without making things feel stiff or awkward; this was lacking for this tour. Kelly even scolded one woman who started reaching out to help her open the oven doors; it seemed the woman forgot herself due to a helping instinct, rather than any disregard for the sanctity of the property items. The woman was around age 60, where in my own experience it's not uncommon to lose one's train of thought or sense of surroundings. Kelly announced rather self-righteously in front of the group that this one particular door on the stove would fall off if moved; she could have instead used humor. There were photos in one room of a property in France that is also owned and restored by the owner of Octagon House. I had questions but felt I had to stick to the narrow window of allowed question time. I went home and found the information myself as to the identity of that estate. Once we got to the gift shop, my husband and I quickly left, in no mood to spend any money there. He had made the same observations as I had. Kelly also guides tours at Lyndhurst Mansion, where I had planned to visit during the holidays. I now am cancelling those plans. This area relies on people coming from surrounding areas, including NYC; part of the charm in visiting is being around people who are welcoming, people who retain their humanity as they are not caught up in the hustle and bustle of city life. One unpleasant person can drive away patrons of local businesses. It's not community-minded to behave in such manner. Bottom line, I had entered the home and begun the tour very eager and spending time looking around with a lot of curiosity. But by a certain point in the tour, I felt a bit let down, and that affected my mood and attention span for the remainder of my time there.

Csel

Nov 2023

The Octagon House is definitely worth seeing. Tour guide was very informative about the origins of the house, previous owners, and renovation that restored it to its current glory. Very interesting.