Guided & Self-Guided Tours

Step inside the breathtaking home of one of the most prolific inventors of the 20th century, John Hays Hammond, Jr.

Hammond Castle Museum is a dynamic STEAM museum, blending its historical significance as both a historic house museum and a lapidarium. Inside, you’ll not only discover ancient, medieval, and Renaissance architectural elements and artifacts, including stone archways, sarcophagi, grave markers, and an extraordinary collection of stone and marble works, but you’ll also find a vibrant museum offering fresh educational and cultural arts programming. Visitors can explore items from the archival collection that have not been publicly seen in generations, along with newly curated content and the most up-to-date information on the provenance of many pieces in our collection.

This season, Curatorial Director John Leysath will present two primary, temporary exhibits in the Natalie Hays Hammond Temporary Exhibit Room:

 “Inside the Faraday Cage: The Science of Things that Aren’t so” will be on display. (May 2nd through September 7th.) Beginning September 17th and running through the end of the 2026 season on January 3rd, Leysath will showcase “Brave-Too-Much”: The Legend of John Coffee Hays.”

Additionally, the Inventions Exhibit Room will offer two new features: A Tale of Two Pianos in the spring and summer, and in the fall and winter, Magnet Mania: The Magnetic Inventions of John Hays Hammond Jr.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and a repeated Reader’s Choice Best of North Shore winner by Northshore Magazine and a TripAdvisor Traveler’s Choice award recipient for the last three consecutive years, you can trust that your visit will be an unforgettable experience.

Accessibility Note: Please be aware that, at nearly a century old, the Hammond Castle Museum is not handicapped accessible due to many difficult and winding stairs on the campus and within the Museum.