Castle Gould

One of my favorites on LI. Have been coming here for over a decade... Always wonderful. Love that dogs are allowed. Lots of beautiful trails both paved and not, beach access and plenty of parking. A wonderful playground for kids makes it fun for all.

I went there to work on some photography. The Museums were closed being it was Labor Day, but the grounds were open. And they are beautiful! Need to get there after a few days of rain. I'm sure it's spectacular at the turn of the fall season!

We had a great experience with our Girl Scout Troop! Tracy was phenomenal leading our girls through an outdoor art maker badge activity which started with a scavenger hunt and ended with art that each girl made in nature. While, we ultimately didn't have time to go to the beach, we realized the grounds are huge so worth coming back!

Castle Gould was built as a replica of Ireland’s Kilkenny Castle but didn’t prove to be convenient for day to day living, so smaller Hempstead House was built to accommodate Howard Gould’s family. The castle was used for stables and servants’ living quarters. Preserve’s restrooms are located here (clean and comfortable), but besides them and gift shop there is nothing opened for visitors…

We stopped by on a sunny day to explore the beach when we came across the castle. The castle is only accessible on the first floor - there is a museum shop on one end and a museum/ restaurant on the other.
I appreciate the small train (Sands Point Preserve Express) carrying children rolling around the castle.
The tours for the stables/ mansion were not available yet, so we couldn't get those tickets yet