Take a look inside a historic 54-room Gilded Age mansion that belonged to one of America's richest families

The Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, New York, was home to one of America's wealthiest families during the Gilded Age.

We then walked through the front door into an opulent entrance hall., The space was full of decorative tapestries, sculptures, and other artifacts., Frederick's den functioned as his private leisure space., A grand staircase led to the second floor.

In total, Frederick and Louise Vanderbilt spent $660,000 to build the home (more than $23 million in today's money) and $1.5 million (around $53 million today) to furnish it.

I bought my tour ticket at the Pavilion Visitor Center, which once served as a guest house.

We then walked through the front door into an opulent entrance hall., The space was full of decorative tapestries, sculptures, and other artifacts., Frederick's den functioned as his private leisure space., A grand staircase led to the second floor.

The only way to see inside the mansion is through a guided tour with a park ranger.

Between January and May, the hourlong tours are offered daily at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. A new summer tour schedule is posted before each season.

There are no reservations — $15 tickets are sold at the visitor center on a first-come, first-serve basis.

We then walked through the front door into an opulent entrance hall.

We then walked through the front door into an opulent entrance hall., The space was full of decorative tapestries, sculptures, and other artifacts., Frederick's den functioned as his private leisure space., A grand staircase led to the second floor.

The oval-shaped entrance hall was furnished with green marble imported from Italy.

The space was full of decorative tapestries, sculptures, and other artifacts.

We then walked through the front door into an opulent entrance hall., The space was full of decorative tapestries, sculptures, and other artifacts., Frederick's den functioned as his private leisure space., A grand staircase led to the second floor.

Unlike most residences at the time, the mansion had running water and electricity.

Frederick used his office to manage the affairs of the Hyde Park estate.

We then walked through the front door into an opulent entrance hall., The space was full of decorative tapestries, sculptures, and other artifacts., Frederick's den functioned as his private leisure space., A grand staircase led to the second floor.

The office contained a private bathroom that led into his den.

Frederick's den functioned as his private leisure space.

We then walked through the front door into an opulent entrance hall., The space was full of decorative tapestries, sculptures, and other artifacts., Frederick's den functioned as his private leisure space., A grand staircase led to the second floor.

The den included a small library of books and a moose head mounted to the wall.

The dining room sat 18 people, which is believed to be the largest gathering the Vanderbilts hosted at Hyde Park.

We then walked through the front door into an opulent entrance hall., The space was full of decorative tapestries, sculptures, and other artifacts., Frederick's den functioned as his private leisure space., A grand staircase led to the second floor.

The Vanderbilts hosted their first housewarming dinner party in May 1899, and only entertained about once per season.

It also features a 400-year-old Persian carpet, one of the largest known Islamic carpets in the world.

We then walked through the front door into an opulent entrance hall., The space was full of decorative tapestries, sculptures, and other artifacts., Frederick's den functioned as his private leisure space., A grand staircase led to the second floor.

The carpet measures about 20 by 40 feet.

After dinner parties, guests would enjoy coffee and games of charades in the formal living room.

We then walked through the front door into an opulent entrance hall., The space was full of decorative tapestries, sculptures, and other artifacts., Frederick's den functioned as his private leisure space., A grand staircase led to the second floor.

Decorated with antique Renaissance furniture, the living room featured Circassian walnut panels on the walls.

A grand staircase led to the second floor.

We then walked through the front door into an opulent entrance hall., The space was full of decorative tapestries, sculptures, and other artifacts., Frederick's den functioned as his private leisure space., A grand staircase led to the second floor.

The railing of the staircase was coated in velvet to make even climbing the stairs a comfortable, luxurious experience.

An octagon-shaped balcony overlooked the entrance hall, with a similarly shaped skylight above.

We then walked through the front door into an opulent entrance hall., The space was full of decorative tapestries, sculptures, and other artifacts., Frederick's den functioned as his private leisure space., A grand staircase led to the second floor.

The second floor housed Frederick and Louise's bedrooms, as well as her dressing room and several guest rooms.

In the winter months, when the Vanderbilts spent time in their New York City townhouse, the home's furniture was covered with linens.

We then walked through the front door into an opulent entrance hall., The space was full of decorative tapestries, sculptures, and other artifacts., Frederick's den functioned as his private leisure space., A grand staircase led to the second floor.

When I visited in January, the guest bedrooms were staged to appear the way they would have at that time of year. It took servants weeks to cover and uncover every item in the home with custom-made sheets.

Louise's bed was surrounded by a railing, as was often the case in royal bedchambers in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries.

We then walked through the front door into an opulent entrance hall., The space was full of decorative tapestries, sculptures, and other artifacts., Frederick's den functioned as his private leisure space., A grand staircase led to the second floor.

In European palaces, railings around royal beds were utilized during daily ceremonies when a monarch woke up or during royal births. In Louise's bedroom, the railing was merely a decorative homage to the French architecture she loved.

Her room connected to Frederick's through an adjoining door. Frederick's room was closed for restoration when I visited.

We concluded the tour in the basement, where servants would prepare the Vanderbilts' meals in the kitchen.

We then walked through the front door into an opulent entrance hall., The space was full of decorative tapestries, sculptures, and other artifacts., Frederick's den functioned as his private leisure space., A grand staircase led to the second floor.

The basement is also where servants stored the estate's wine and spirits, did laundry, and brought food up to the ground floor through a dumbwaiter.

The mansion employed 18 servants total.

Stepping out onto the grounds of the mansion, I could see why the Vanderbilts relished their seasonal country home.

We then walked through the front door into an opulent entrance hall., The space was full of decorative tapestries, sculptures, and other artifacts., Frederick's den functioned as his private leisure space., A grand staircase led to the second floor.

The mansion is situated on 153 acres of land in the scenic Hudson Valley.

As our tour guide put it, "It's like they get to live in a beautiful landscape painting whenever they wish."

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