Hempstead House — Attraction in Town of North Hempstead

The Hempstead House, also known as Gould Guggenheim Estate is an unbelievably gorgeous mansion located at the Sands Point Preserve in Long Island, New York.

Prior to becoming a historic house museum, the Hempstead House once served as the private residence of Howard Gould, financier and son of Jay Gould, a successful 19th Century railroad tycoon and Katherine Clemmons, the wife of Howard Gould. In 1917, the Goulds sold Hempstead House to mining magnate and philanthropist, Daniel Guggenheim and his wife Florence.

In January of 2023, I brought and treated my wife and myself for a guided tour of the Hempstead House and we thoroughly enjoyed our tour experience.

Both my wife and I were deeply impressed with Hempstead House’s granite and limestone exterior and it’s massive size. According to our tour guide, the Hempstead House is 225 feet long, 135 feet wide and possessed 40 rooms.

In addition to Hempstead’s exterior, my wife and I loved the estate’s beautiful landscaped gardens, and the superb views of the Long Island Sound that visitors are fortunate to see from the mansion.

Our tour guide did a great job on explaining the history and financial success of both the Gould’s, and Guggenheims, showcased and discussed the mansion’s various rooms such as the Guggenheim bedrooms, the breakfast room and the room that features the sunken Palm Court.

Due to the castle’s amazing architectural details, its picturesque settings, and position near the Long Island Sound, the Hempstead House has been featured in many prominent films ranging from Scent of a Woman, Malcolm X, and Great Expectations.

When visiting Long Island, definitely make sure to visit and explore Hempstead House at the Sands...

The most poorly organized place in New York to do a Gilded Age Mansion tour. You can’t purchase tickets online, but have to go in-person the day of their scheduled tour. They have the most peculiar dates and times for tours as well and there is a $15 parking fee. I drove from New Jersey for a 2pm showing on a Saturday. I arrived at 12:30pm to find out that tickets were sold out for the 2pm showing, which the representative said their tours are small with only ten spots. They didn’t offer a refund for parking. Scam artists. I had fairer experiences when I visited the Vanderbilt Museum, Old Westbury Gardens, Planting Fields Arboretum, and Oheka Castle, where parking was free and tickets can be purchased online to guarantee you will get a tour and won’t waste your time and money. Avoid this place at all costs. Terrible staff who are not...

The manor grounds are simply breathtaking. I came here for a royal 18 th themed century wedding. Yes you heard right this 36 bedroom 150+ acre castle can be the venue of your fairytale wedding. I highly recommend paying the extra dollar for the tour of the falaise castle right on the beach with all the antique original furniture inside. It smells like mold in the basement but its still cool to see the original photos and beds and libraries of the rich and famous back then. The rose garden is beautiful. The gould guggeinheim castle is empty inside but has some nice rooms. Check their website for events like concerts and nature things. You can picnic here no bbqs though. Parking is $10 and that counts as admission and castle guided one hour tour includes shuttle to falaise is $15. So worth the trip. Im def getting...