Sands Point Preserve

Spectacular property on Long Island's fabled Gold Coast, once owned by Daniel and Florence Guggenheim. Daniel was the brother of Solomon R. Guggenheim, founder of the Guggenheim Museum. The Preserve includes Castle Gould and Hempstead House, the latter designed by Hunt & Hunt and completed in 1912. The grounds include great hiking trails with wonderful views of the Long Island Sound, some of which reminded me of paintings by Caspar David Friedrich, such as his famous "Chalk Cliffs on Ruegen" from 1818.

I highly recommend this location to my photography clients. We have the opportunity to use the inside and outside depending on the weather. My favorite time of day to photograph there is Golden hour.

The Sands Point Preserve is a beautiful preserve in Port Washington, New York and a must visit destination of Long Island, New York.

The Sands Point Preserve was once the private estate of Howard Gould, an American financier, and then later owned by Daniel Guggenheim, an American mining magnate and prominent member of the Guggenheim family.

Today, the preserve is owned by Nassau County and is open to the public to visit all year round.

Over the years, I have brought and treated my wife and myself to preserve on multiple occasions and we very much enjoyed each of our visits there.

What my wife and I love most about the Sands Point Preserve are the amazing luxurious castles that are located on the estate. We’ve had the great fortune on visiting and taking pictures of Castle Gould and have participated in wonderful guided tours of the Falaise Museum and Hempstead House.

In addition to the spectacular castles, my wife and I loved strolling through the gorgeous gardens, the wooded paths of the estate and enjoyed magnificent views of the Long Island Sound!!!

When visiting Long Island, we urge everyone to stop by and visit the Sands Point Preserve!!!

Sands Point Preserve is the place for easy hiking trails. One can easily enjoy nature for 2 to 3 hours in the most friendly environment. Very easy access to Long Island sound and two castles provides amazing photo opportunities. They charge $15 per vehicle. I would visit again in spring to explore the entire area. Restrooms are clean and dog park along with children playground is a bonus.

Very easy walking trails with great views of the water. I would highly recommend going on a 60-65° day with a light sweater.

Plenty of people were walking around with their dogs. You are able to get down to the water but also will have views from the hiking trails above.

Kid friendly, for sure!