Our most popular Discovery Center is open for private experiences!

Learn about what produce was grown here seasonally, try your hand at daily farm chores, look at historic photos of the farm, milk our mechanical cow, and ride our tractor. The building also has an interesting exhibit describing the history of farming on the property.

We offer two 90-minute exploration sessions every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, at 10am and 2pm. Each session is a private experience for your family group of up to 15 people. These experiences are free, but reservations are required.

Please leave your pets at home – only service animals are allowed in our buildings.

John Jay began to inherit his land near Bedford, New York in 1785, three years after his father died. The land here had been part of 5200 acres that had been owned by Jay’s maternal grandfather, Jacobus Van Cortlandt. Jay inherited 287 acres here in 1785, and another 316½ contiguous acres two years later when an aunt died. He began developing the land as an income-producing farm in 1787, strictly as an investment at first. He developed it further in the late 1790s, to become his home in retirement. His descendants lived here all the way into the 1950s, and as you walk around the property, you will see many features developed by the different generations of the Jay family. This guided tour is available Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays through October. A self-guided brochure is available at our Carriage Barn Education & Visitor Center as well. Space for the guided tour is limited; advanced ticket purchase is suggested. Ticket holders will meet their tour guide at the Carriage Barn Education & Visitor Center