By Brian Wygand

Looking for a family friendly, fun filled setting for a summer day on Long Island? Here’s a suggestion: the beautiful Old Westbury Gardens located in Nassau County! Generation X Wire was invited to the Gardens on June 27 to explore the spacious grounds and see what they had scheduled for the summer.

Visitors enter the estate through the 71 Old Westbury Road entrance in Old Westbury, New York. After checking in at the Admissions Booth, guests park in the main field and follow a winding path up to the historic Westbury House.

The Westbury House transports those lucky enough to be in attendance back a century, to 1906, the exact year construction was completed. The mansion is reminiscent of historic British estates like Highclere Castle, the filming location for Downton Abbey. Coincidentally, the house was designed by English artist George A. Crawley, who shared a surname with the fictional family at the center of the beloved period drama.

One of this season’s major attractions at the Gardens is Sean Kenney’s Nature Connects: Made with LEGO Bricks. This exhibit showcases the nature inspired LEGO creations of professional LEGO artist, Sean Kenney. The Gardens has 17 LEGO builds throughout the property, only one of which is a Moth Orchid located inside Westbury House.

A sundial is the first LEGO sculpture to greet patrons. This piece was carefully placed in the grass near a placard detailing the specifics of the LEGO build and historical significance of sundials. Incredibly, the sculpture took the artist 27,869 bricks and 140 hours to build.

The Gardens offer a majestic setting for not only the Nature Connects exhibit but for Mother Nature as well. According to Old Westbury Gardens, their mission is to “inspire appreciation of the early 20th Century American country estate through faithful preservation and interpretation of its landscape, gardens, architecture, and collections.” The 200 acres of property are beautifully landscaped and populated with flowers, plants, and trees throughout and there are fountains, lakes, and ponds to take leisurely strolls around. The walkways encourage people to stay on the path as they give you front row views of the natural and handmade beauty that fill the area.

Guests at the Gardens can also enjoy different activities at their own pace. On this night, live musicians played classical music, children built with LEGO in the Thatched Cottage, visitors customized their own Flower Crowns ($10 per crown), couples enjoyed food and beverages on picnics, and others played board games on blankets, as photography and nature enthusiasts photographed the majestic surroundings.

The Old Westbury Gardens have organized Family Nights throughout the summer. The next Family Night will be held on July 18. The theme for this event is “Magic in the Making” and the cost of admission includes Sean Kenney’s Nature Connects exhibit, an ILUGNY Brick Building Challenge Zone, My Own Creation Build Contest, Craft Stations, Spell-Bound Sports, and more, while frequenters are invited to dress as their favorite wizard, witch, or whimsical character. Pre-registration is required.

Let the natural beauty of Old Westbury Gardens take your breath away when you decide to visit!

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For more information on Sean Kenney’s Nature Connects: Made with LEGO Bricks (on view through September 7), click here.