Old Bethpage, Round Swamp Road (Exit 48 of the Long Island Expressway; )
516-572-8400

Open: Following the Candlelight Evenings program ending on December 30, 2008, the village closed for the winter season. It is scheduled to reopen on March 1, 2009.

Admission: $10, adults; $7, children 5 - 12 (under 5 are free); and $7, seniors, volunteer firefighters.

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Civil War re-enactments are a regular attraction at Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Old Bethpage Village Restoration provides visitors with a unique and wonderful opportunity to step back in time and experience life in a recreated mid-19th-century American village. The 209-acre village includes an assortment of homes, farms and businesses. Each September, the village hosts the Long Island Fair, a traditional county agricultural fair that draws tens of thousands of visitors, and through most of the year has a steady series of family-friendly events and exhibits, including old-time baseball tournaments.

Old Bethpage Village Restoration came into existence in 1963, when Nassau County acquired the Powell property, a 165-acre farm located on the Nassau-Suffolk border. The acquisition of the land and the plan to develop a historic restoration were timely, as development on Long Island had taken its toll on the area's landmarks.

In 1963, Plainview's historic Manetto Hill Methodist Church was the first structure to be saved and moved to the Powell property. Today, there are 51 historic buildings and seven reconstructions and the site encompasses 209 acres. Buildings are selected based on their architectural detail and historic significance. The goal is to establish a representative sampling of historic structures. Among them is the Schenck House, built around 1765 and one of the oldest Dutch farmhouses remaining in the U.S. The house displays typical massive Dutch framing, particularly on the first floor ceiling joists, which span 32 feet. Other notable features include a side gabled roof with flared eaves, round butt shingles, heavy window sash, and a massive stone jambless fireplace.

After buildings were moved to the village, they were carefully restored to a specific point in their history, and the lives of the former occupants thoroughly researched. Each structure has been scrutinized for clues to its role in community life, and authentic hardware, shingles and glass sought - with the help of wills, deeds, and inventory lists - so the structures could be authentically furnished (in some cases with pieces original to the building).

But the roots of Old Bethpage Village date back even further than the 19th century to the Dutch and English settlement of Long Island. During the 1640s, the colonial settlers in this area founded town "spots" that functioned as commercial and social centers where taverns, general stores and meeting houses were built. In addition to a centrally located town lot, each townsman received outlying fields to use for grazing livestock, growing crops, or harvesting firewood.

By 1700, when the English had gained control of Long Island, townships controlled whatever land had not already been distributed, and the economy had expanded to include trades dependent on the sea as well as the land. Life remained quiet, unhurried and closely tied to nature. These patterns, evident well well into the 19th century, can be seen at Old Bethpage Restoration.

Sunday, September 14

Old Bethpage Brass Band Concerts

Thursday - Sunday, September 25 - 28

Long Island Fair

Saturday - Monday , October 11 - 13

Old Bethpage Brass Band Concerts

OBVR is open Columbus Day & closed on Wednesday, October 15

Sunday, October 12

Traditional Contra-Dancing

Sunday, October 19

Brass Sextet Concerts

Saturday - Sunday, October 25 - 26

1880 Long Island Haunted Halloween (see information below)

Saturday - Sunday, November 22 - 23 & 29 - 30

1863 Long Island Thanksgiving & Holiday Preparations (see information below)

OBVR is closed Thursday - Friday, November 27 - 28 for Thanksgiving

Saturday - Sunday, December 20 - 21; Friday - Tuesday, December 26 - 30

Candlelight Evenings (open 5 - 9:30 pm) (see information below)

OBVR closes for the winter season beginning December 31 and is scheduled to reopen March 1, 2009

Old Bethpage Village Restoration Celebrates "1863 Thanksgiving" Over Two Weekends

Cooking the turkey 19th-century style.

Old Bethpage Village Restoration (OBVR) will celebrate an “1863 Thanksgiving” over two successive weekends November 22 - 23 and November 29 - 30 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., announced Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi.

Visitors to the recreated 19th-century village will be able to enjoy the sights and smells of an old-fashioned Thanksgiving, as wood-burning stoves, beehive stoves, beehive ovens and hearths are used to prepare foods and baked goods made from 19th-century recipes.

The culinary exhibits include the “spitting” and roasting of turkey in a tin reflector oven beside the Williams House hearth and preparation of pies at the Powell House. OBVR will also display 19th-century methods of food preservation employed for late fall crops.

In addition, each afternoon, historical period music will be played and at the Noon Inn, children’s stories will be read several times each day.

“This program, which is itself a tradition at Old Bethpage Village, is a wonderful way for Long Islanders to connect with 19th-century American culture during one of our most significant national holidays,” says Jim McKenna, OBVR site director and curator.

Old Bethpage Village Presents "Candlelight Evenings" During Winter Holidays

A brass quartet entertains visitors during the Candlelight Evenings program.

One of Long Island’s most nostalgic and popular family holiday traditions, “Candlelight Evenings” at Old Bethpage Village Restoration (OBVR), will take place December 20 - 21 and 26 - 30 from 5 to 9:30 p.m., announced Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi.

Candlelight Evenings offers a Hallmark card setting of flickering candles inside historic homes along with 19th-century holiday decorations and entertainment, all set within the confines of the darkened village.

Among the forms of entertainment represented will be the “Magic Lantern” show, the predecessor of the contemporary slide show, with displays of hand-colored glass slides of famous persons, places and events.

There will also be musical entertainment, including traditional American dancers and a brass quartet playing popular seasonal tunes, as well as readings of classic holiday children’s stories in the Manetto Hill Church.

In addition, visitors can warm up around the bonfire in the village’s crossroads and enjoy hot, mulled cider and ginger cookies at the Noon Inn, for a small fee. For the second year, the event includes a local crafts fair on December 20 - 21.

“Candlelight Evenings provides families with a truly unforgettable and unique holiday experience,” says OBVR Site Director and Curator Jim McKenna. “We encourage visitors to bring their own safe lighting devices, though no open-flame candles or propane devices are allowed.”