The Sands Point Preserve Conservancy

What a great day I had here with my best friend. We have made it our mission to explore castles/ mansions this summer and we loved.. loved.. and loved...this place. From the moment I drove past the gates I was greeted by a knowledgable sweet staff. Please buy your tour tickets there which cost $10 for the falaise tour. The Hempstead house won't be open until second week of September due to private events such as weddings. Out of all the tours I've done this summer the interior design of Sands point's falaise home was my favorite hands down. The rose garden overseeing the Long Island sound was another high light for me. You can bring your own food and have a picnic there. Otherwise you are stuck eating snacks from the vending machines. I recommend driving to Bosphorus cafe 9 mins away (read my review for that place). Super awesome day spent at Sands point. So much to see and there are a bunch of trails to walk. I will have to return to see the Hempstead house and the falaise pool since they were not available the day I came. Totally come here and relax and take in all the beauty this place has to offer.

Parking car pass is $15, but you can get a free one from your local library!

This is a huge, clean, and quiet park that makes for such a relaxing hour or two. Come for a brisk walk, a picnic, time by the dog park, or an adventure through the castle on a sunny day. I wandered with my mom and brother around the pond, trail 3, trail 5, and the area by the Hempstead House. The air is so clear and the land is so spacious. It's awesome especially if you want some private time with someone. There's also a rose garden, but it's being worked on for some Netflix show. Grab a map and explore!

There are also yoga/meditation sessions, mansion tours, family nature programs, and seasonal celebrations. Look up their calendar and plan a visit with your family for sure.

This gorgeous place is very quiet. The admission was only $15 / per car so it was worth it. This is a nice get away from the city. They have a mini beach and forest trails for people take a walk around the garden / landscape. They have a dog park for dogs owners. Although I wish the castle and Hempstead House was open. I was told it has been closed for two years. I am not sure if it is due to pandemic or renovation processes. But it was still nice to see exterior of the house and castle. Definitely beautiful overall. I love it!

Unique scenic and historical landmark! We came to visit the preserve on a Saturday morning and we had a fun time taking in all that this place has to offer.

Unfortunately the tours were cancelled today (even though I called a couple days prior to make sure they were still scheduled). This we couldn't visit some parts of the preserve including the Mille Fleurs and Falaise mansions.

However, we were still able to enjoy the Gould Castle and the outside of the Hempstead House with the Rose Garden. Took some pretty cool scenic pictures. The welcome center at the castle has bathrooms and air condition. The A/C was crucial on this super hot day lol.

They also allow dogs throughout most of the outside grounds and trails and also have a designated dog run where they can be unleashed.

The gloomy day did not stopped us in coming to this park. While waiting for the dog run event , we toured the manor grounds.

The admission building ( Castle Gould) is instagrammable. There is a fee to tour inside but unfortunately closed during our visit.

The Hempstead house as I heard hosts lots of performances and events. For our day visit, there was nothing on schedule which is a perfect timing to tour the house but was told needs advance booking. Passing by the area, we heard some artists playing their musical instruments - sounded like there was rehearsal going on. We were glad that nobody stopped us from looking around and enjoying its garden. The ocean view is magnificent from the vantage point we were standing. The house looks magnificent with the roses as the foreground. Can't image how beautiful it will looked like during springtime.

It is a good walk between these two buildings. Manicured lawn - perfect for summer picnics. Tables are available as well as benches in the premises.

There is a $15 admission fee and a free shuttle to see and tour the mansion (Falaise house) meters away from the main site. We opted not to go and planned to see it on next visit.

We went for walking trails instead - the trail going down to the beach and going up to get a top view of the Long Island sound are manageable. It was a short walk distance but worth the time. Definitely more enjoyable to enjoy the trees once the cooler temperature hits- cant imagine how beautiful the different colors of the leaves will looked like.

The parking fee of $10 is worthy of what you could do and see on this place .

Beautiful grounds, tons of shaded, well maintained trails to choose from, a short beach, a couple small castles, what's not to like!

They lost a star because we wanted a tour of the Hempstead house; we're aware it's not always open so we called no less than three times during business hours and never got an answer. We took a chance and went anyway..... it was closed for tours. Womp womp.

But, we paid the $10 a head for the 4 of us to take the tour of the Falaise. Judy, our tour guide was excellent. She was enthusiastic and knowledgeable. The kids were bored but, hey, everything can't be Disney World.

We were surprised (happily) by the amount of pups on the property, as they are allowed on the trails. Didn't see one pile of poo. Keep up the good work, classy dog owners.

We'd like to return when the Hempstead House is open and maybe bring a picnic to enjoy on the grounds. Worth the entry fee.

I had a fabulous time at sands point preserve! This is a wonderful place to take your family or spend a day with loved ones! There are three properties to see: Hempstead House, Castle Gould & Falaise.

On the day I visited with my awesome best friend, we hoped to tour Hempstead House however it was closed due to a private event. Bummer :(. Instead we walked the beautiful grounds and toured Falaise which is the Guggenheim estate just around the corner.

Don't let the outside of Falaise fool you, the inside is a wonderful sight to see. I loved the medieval architecture and the elaborate design of the mansion. Our tour guide Tim was awesome! He was patient and very knowledgable about the property. He didn't miss a beat when explaining the art and architecture inside!

Tips:

-Bring money (Tours are $10 and they have vending machines located inside the visitors center in Castle Gould)

-Purchase tour tickets at the first gate when you pull in with your car, because otherwise NOT A SINGLE SOUL is around to help you, I kid you not lol

-Be prepared to pay $10 to park

Sands Point Preserve - Sands Point NY X36 LIE Port Washington- Thursday June 6, 2019 http://sandspointpreserveconservancy.org/
I and a friend went early to see the Art exhibit in Gould Hall. "May we all grow up to be children" based on a book called "The boy who would be King".
It was in the Carriage room where there was a yoga class being given around 11 AM. We asked if we might sit in on the class with of course teacher's permission, as my friend is an expert in Yoga. Seems the rules have changed. You must be a member and you must pay 15.00 at the front gate. So, no, we did not take or sit in on the class. When we left the room from that brief simple encounter to wait. The (tiny area) gift shop woman came and locked the door on us and said we could not enter until they were done, no there was no courtesy or consideration in her actions to us. Oh wait, too bad if we don't like it. After all she was doing her job, just following rules.
Ok, no biggie, we thought we'd take a walk. Did see the Rose Garden, though no fountains were running, in the red white and blue display with multiple "knock out roses" of red. Still, it was nice. We then went to the gated Sustainable Garden area (of which other visitors were unaware existed). This was developed with help from C.C.E./Nassau and is a nice place to visit when; as with us-it is not too early in the season and there is nothing to speak of planted there. We looked for a way to go down to the beach area but found the fences closed off. Somewhere we saw a small sign saying something about a town ordinance (sadly) closing the area and not open to visitors.
We continued to the Hempstead House. With a quick look in the window we saw a few people walking through there. Yet all the doors were ominously locked. Apparently, there are bused over tours at an additional fee, though we saw no bus or other people to ask about it, at the location.
Back at the Castle we finally were able to view the Art exhibit of some pictures based on a book. The pictures and sayings were nice enough. (see pix) For each person viewing, perhaps, one or two stood out with meaningful words for them, beneath the framed art. The thing is, all in all the exhibit itself was brief and took maybe an hour of slow review.
While in the area we went to the Manorhaven Preserve. It is a small nature preserve area lesser known with many native pollinator plants and rain wetland trees recently planted along with signage (see pix) for visitors to review what they are looking at-once in bloom.
A walk through the older quaint Port Washington town with a stop at the little Starbucks and Florist with cute signs and lovely flowers for purchase, was also a nice addition.

Just to be clear, I've spent time at the Sands Point Preserve in the past and remember it being wonderful (I'll throw in some more detail towards the end). What I'm specifically reviewing here is the Hempstead House and it's new and not-so-well-known Halloween attraction. I experienced this house of horrors with my girlfriend and sister this past Sunday night, and boy was it some spooky fun.

There are plenty of well-publicized "haunted" attractions around the area, but we were looking for something close and something new/different. Searching online we discovered this almost hidden gem. I say almost hidden because Sands Point publicizes it on their website, but there's not much info beyond that. Despite this, we were up for the adventure.

Driving to the Sands Point Preserve in the evening is spooky enough as it's barely lit, especially once entering the grounds. We drove up to the gate and the friendly guard assured us that the haunts laid ahead. We paid for entry ($30 for the attraction) and made our way down to the Hempstead House, one of the several large and ancient buildings located in Sands Point. I will say that driving through the area was a little confusing as there isn't too much signage, but I can't say it didn't set the mood nicely.

Once at the house, we were pleasantly surprised to find almost no one there. It was a tad creepy that we were some of the only people traveling into this haunted castle, but it was amazing to be able to just walk up and go in sans waiting on any line.

Without giving too much away, the fact that it's done inside a castle adds so much ambiance and sets things up for a truly unique experience. Vast, well-decorated rooms with frightening scenes as well as a few spooks thrown in at times that you almost didn't expect. The hauntingly large rooms made these subtle scares that much more unpredictable and eerie. Craziest part was the basement (or dungeon as they say). You're given a tiny glow stick to help you along your way, because once you reach that lower level, you can barely see! And that's when the haunts really start to amp up. The whole thing lasted around 20-25 minutes, but had us on edge, with hearts racing throughout.

As promised, I will mention that this preserve has a lot to offer besides scaring the bejeezus out of you. With several beautiful buildings, plenty of botanics, trails and overlooks of the LI Sound, tours and learning experiences, and plenty of events and celebrations (I previously had come for a medieval festival and to check out an exhibit) there's so much to see and do.

Overall, Sands Point Preserve put together a gloriously spooky and one-of-a-kind experience in creating the Hempstead House of Horrors. Get there this weekend while it's still running before it disappears (ghost joke).

Great spot for some family time or just a solo trip. After spending almost everyday in the library studying and hustling around this place is ideal to unwind from all the stress. Spacious property with many trails for walking, jogging, playground for the kids and dog park for your furry friend (s). There's a $15 fee per car or $4 if you park your car outside of the park. One of those random days parking was free, I am assuming it was because of St. Patrick's Day. Due to the viral pandemic everything was closed except for the dog park and children's playground. But I did enjoy walking around and embracing the calming environment. Gould castle was closed to public but opened for restroom use. Sadly the Hempstead House was closed and was going through some renovations. Parking is abundant throughout the park and waste bags are available to clean up after your dog. During normal business hours tours can be scheduled (find out more information on their website). If you are looking for a place to propose hmm then this might be it. The rose garden is beautiful during spring time. Definitely must check it out!!

It's definitely worth a visit, whether to visit the Hempstead House or Falaise Museum or to walk around the area. My family and I visited on a Saturday to view the Falaise Museum. However, I found the process of planning for and going on the mansion tour to be frustrating.

BEFORE YOU GO to visit the Falaise Museum or Hempstead House, note:
1. Falaise (Harry Guggenheim's summer home) is open Thursdays-Sundays only, May 24-Nov. 18, 2018. Tours run approx 1.5 hrs and they're held at 12, 1, 2, and 3PM. It's $15/person. Guggenheim left the house fully furnished with his Renaissance pieces.
2. Hempstead House (Harry Guggenheim's parents' home) is open all year round. Wed at 2 pm and weekends at 11AM and 2PM. It's $10/person.
3. Parking is an additional $10/car.
4. CALL AHEAD and also the day to see if there are weddings, special events, and last minute cancellations. Especially if you're going on a weekend.
5. BE EARLY to your Falaise tour. Maybe 15 min early? The shuttle leaves whenever and if you miss it, you've missed your tour.
6. Each tour is capped at 10 people, so arrive maybe 30min-1hr early to purchase tickets. One person can buy any number of tickets. And tickets can only be purchased the day of your tour.
7. Falaise CAN'T be photographed from the inside.
8. Lastly, bring a snack and water and comfy shoes because you'll be walking a lot and there aren't any food options in the preserve.