Singer Castle
Singer Castle
4.5
Points of Interest & LandmarksCastles
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
A part of American history and local folklore meet at Singer Castle on Dark Island, located on the St. Lawrence River. Singer Castle is the only remaining/existing castle on our river to be completed, fully furnished and lived in during the heyday of the great builders and industrialists in New York. The castle is open for tours from mid-May - early October. It is also available for overnight stays in the Royal Suite and weddings and special events.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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  • Elizabeth J
    Boston, Massachusetts18 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Must Do in the 1000 Islands
    Our group of 5 adults and 2 teens visited Singer Castle on a rainy day yesterday. Our tour guide, Marion, was welcoming and cheerful despite the inclement weather. She provided a wealth of information on the castle and the ownership history and answered all of our questions about the rooms and their original contents. While we weren’t able to walk the grounds due to the weather, the many windows in the castle provide ample views of all important sites on Dark Island. Highly recommend as a Must Do when visiting the 1000 Islands.
    Visited August 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written August 9, 2024
  • eemskr
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania57 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Very interesting to learn about the history of this castle!
    First time visitor to Singer Castle. Anne, the tour guide, was very knowledgeable about the history of it. The tour was well organized and kept moving, even with all the questions from the group. Definitely worth the visit. We got there on Uncle Sam’s tour boat. I would highly recommend them. The price was reasonable and the Captain of the tour boat was entertaining and knew all about the St Lawrence River! We then stopped at Boldt Castle on the way back. Don’t miss doing that tour also. Total cost for the boat and 2 castles was $52 for person!
    Visited August 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written August 20, 2024
  • ralzie
    Rindge, New Hampshire165 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Well worth the visit
    The visited Singer Castle using Uncle Sal Boat Tours, and had a guided tour. The castle looks much like it would have years ago, and you can even stay there overnight! (for a price). Weddings are also held there. The castle is charming. Wear good walking shoes.
    Visited September 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written September 18, 2024
  • 250lilyp
    Levittown, Pennsylvania28 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Medieval Castle Feel
    Really cool castle with armor, dungeon and secret passage ways. Came for a day tour but would like to stay the night some time. The island is small and it might be kind of scary being alone at night here. (But if you came with a few other couples it would be really great.) You can see old Singer sewing machines in a few of the rooms, which is an homage to the original owner, Frederick Bourne, the 5th President of the Singer Sewing Machine Company. There are also several old phones and other items, which I enjoyed seeing. It's a mix of medieval architecture and early 1900s items used by the residents. The only thing I didn't like about the tour is that they put several items in the rooms that weren't in keeping with the natural decor. Like they put modern touristy swag all throughout- like a hot pink pillow and snow globes with their logo. It really ruined whatever authenticity was left.
    Visited August 2024
    Traveled with friends
    Written September 21, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles200 reviews
Excellent
113
Very good
55
Average
21
Poor
10
Terrible
1

CiaoBella112
Highland, NY74 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021
Our transportation and admission to Singer Castle was through a boat tour that we took with Uncle Sam’s Boat Tours. We had read about the history of the castle and its connection to Frederick Bourne, President of Singer Sewing Machine. There was a 45-minute narrated tour of the home and property by a very knowledgeable guide. The flow of visitors was well controlled and paced.

We knew that the property had fallen into disrepair and had been taken over by a group of foreign investors. Because of this, we expected the property to be in better shape, but we were frankly underwhelmed by what we saw. The renovations were not particularly extensive and some of the furnishings were downright dowdy and drab. What surprised us even more was when we learned that this property was a big wedding venue and romantic getaway spot. Perhaps the investments went into rooms and wings we did not see. Regardless, it’s not a place we would consider staying overnight based on what we did see.
Written September 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

pamstergazelle
11 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022 • Couples
Lots of neat secret passageways, beautiful interior finishes and architecture but……

It was very difficult to hear the tour guide outdoors because the group was so large. He was walking and talking and if you were at the end of the line, you missed the entire outdoor tour.

My advice would be for the tour guide to gather in a group, talk about the history/buildings etc and then move to the next location and repeat. It was easier to hear inside.

The facility itself isn’t really well maintained and all of the windows are dirty and loaded with spiderwebs and spiders. Ick. The beautiful views were hampered by this.

If you only have time for one castle, skip this one and go to Boldt. It is beautiful, well maintained, and ADA compliant.
Written August 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

eemskr
Philadelphia, PA57 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2024 • Couples
First time visitor to Singer Castle. Anne, the tour guide, was very knowledgeable about the history of it. The tour was well organized and kept moving, even with all the questions from the group. Definitely worth the visit. We got there on Uncle Sam’s tour boat. I would highly recommend them. The price was reasonable and the Captain of the tour boat was entertaining and knew all about the St Lawrence River! We then stopped at Boldt Castle on the way back. Don’t miss doing that tour also. Total cost for the boat and 2 castles was $52 for person!
Written August 20, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

CaribbeanCruiser86
Buffalo, NY180 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021
This was my first time coming to Singer Castle and it was a great tour. Our tour guide (forgot his name) was a beyond fantastic! He was only 16 or 17 years old and man did he know his stuff, very knowledgeable! He had humor too which was nice. The home itself was beautiful, very well maintained too. I was not expecting to have a guided tour but it was nice as I know I would have rushed through the house not gaining any information as I did with the tour. If you visit 1000 islands, make sure to take a boat trip out to this one you won't regret it.
Written August 25, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

250lilyp
Levittown, PA28 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2024 • Friends
Really cool castle with armor, dungeon and secret passage ways. Came for a day tour but would like to stay the night some time. The island is small and it might be kind of scary being alone at night here. (But if you came with a few other couples it would be really great.)
You can see old Singer sewing machines in a few of the rooms, which is an homage to the original owner, Frederick Bourne, the 5th President of the Singer Sewing Machine Company. There are also several old phones and other items, which I enjoyed seeing. It's a mix of medieval architecture and early 1900s items used by the residents.
The only thing I didn't like about the tour is that they put several items in the rooms that weren't in keeping with the natural decor. Like they put modern touristy swag all throughout- like a hot pink pillow and snow globes with their logo. It really ruined whatever authenticity was left.
Written September 21, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Shawn H
Washington DC, DC408 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021
We came here on an Uncle Sam Boat Tour and really enjoyed on our time at the castle. We were greeted shortly after the boat by an excellent tour guide, with tours well organized so you can all see the island and house. The story of the construction of this home, full of secret passages, trap doors, odd turn of the century technologies (light bath!), and luxury living from another era make this a worthwhile adventure. The place has a small gift/snack shop on the dock in an old boat house as well while you wait for the return trip. I would love to go back to spend a night at the property and have the site to ourselves to explore.
Written September 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Elizabeth J
Boston, MA18 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2024 • Family
Our group of 5 adults and 2 teens visited Singer Castle on a rainy day yesterday. Our tour guide, Marion, was welcoming and cheerful despite the inclement weather. She provided a wealth of information on the castle and the ownership history and answered all of our questions about the rooms and their original contents. While we weren’t able to walk the grounds due to the weather, the many windows in the castle provide ample views of all important sites on Dark Island. Highly recommend as a Must Do when visiting the 1000 Islands.
Written August 9, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

rrohr1
Philadelphia, PA47 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022
It takes an hour to reach the castle by boat, with a lot of interesting sights along the way. No food or drink is allowed on the island. Once there, you will be assigned to a tour guide. The house has been fully restored and provides an excellent view of how the upper class lived. There is a long climb from the boat dock to the castle, and three flights of stairs once inside, so this is not a trip for the frail.
Written July 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Barb121212
Fort Myers, FL17 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021
If you have the opportunity it is well worth spending the night. Once tourists are gone for the day the caretaker takes you to your room for you to get settled. When ready, you meet back up with him for a grand tour. Again, you go and relax or walk the grounds - whatever you wish to do till dinner is served. The caretaker also serves the dinner which is just delicious. After dinner, you are on your own to do as you please throughout the castle. It is an experience that my husband and I will always remember. Again so worth the cost of the stay. Actually went in 6/2019 but wasn't a choice for when did you go. Never wrote a review back then as I never thought of it.
Written June 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

DisneyDarwin
Spring, TX1,155 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023 • Couples
We came with Uncle Sam’s Boat Tours and had a guided 1 hour tour. The castle is very interesting and quite beautiful, including a squash court, therapy room, rose garden, armory room and secret passages. Much better than the norm.
Written May 26, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Singer Castle - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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