Star Island: Day tripping to one of New Hampshire's islands

Earlier this summer, I made a list of my summer “must-dos”—places I wanted to visit, campgrounds where I wanted to stay, things I wanted to do. Returning to Star Island, a small island just off the coast, was at the top of the list. I had first visited more than 15 years ago, and I’ve wanted to go back ever since.

Star Island is one of nine islands that make up the Isles of Shoals, located just a few miles off the coast of New Hampshire and Maine. Four of the islands (Lunging, Seavey, Star, and White) fall within New Hampshire’s borders; the others fall within Maine’s (Appledore, Cedar, Duck, Malaga, and Smuttynose). Some are pretty well-known to New Englanders—Smuttynose Island, for example, was the site of Blackbeard’s honeymoon and later was the site of murders made (more) famous by Anita Shreve’s novel The Weight of Water. And, of course, one of the seacoast’s craft beers takes its name from that island. Appledore Island, the largest, is now home to the Shoals Marine Laboratory, cooperatively run by the University of New Hampshire and Cornell University. Appledore, once an artist’s colony, is also home to author Celia Thaxter’s gardens. A few of the islands are privately owned, while the public can visit both Appledore Island and Star Island. While I haven’t visited Appledore (yet!), it was Star Island to which I longed to return.

Star Island, which is owned and operated by the nonprofit Star Island Corporation, can be accessed by the public via the Isles of Shoals Steamship Company in downtown Portsmouth. Tours vary in length, and we opted to go for the extended day visit ($44/pp) to give us five hours on the island to explore. Did we need five hours? Perhaps not, but I didn’t want to feel rushed, and I was looking forward to a day of exploring with my camera (and, of course, with G).

On the M/V Challenger, passing under the Memorial Bridge—just as the M/V Thomas Laighton heads back into Portsmouth.

The boat ride out and back is an hour each way; we departed on the smaller vessel, the M/V Challenger and returned on the larger M/V Thomas Laighton (named after one of the lighthouse keepers at White Island Light). The captain of the Challenger offered an awesome and informative audio tour as we made our way under the Memorial Bridge on the Piscataqua River out to the island, pointing out the sights as we passed—the Portsmouth Naval Prison, which is actually located in Kittery, Maine. The prison, which has stood empty since 1974, has been dubbed “The Alcatraz of the East.” We passed five forts (McClary, Constitution, Foster, Stark, and Dearborn), a few lighthouses (Whaleback, White Island), and the Wood Island Life Saving Station. Soon, we arrived at Star Island, with its once-grand and ever-charming Oceanic House, overlooking the dock. Like so many of the small islands dotting the coast of New England, Star Island, with its Oceanic House, has a similar feel to, say, Monhegan Island and its Island Inn.

As we made our way off the boat and onto the island, the memories of that first visit 15+ years ago came rushing back. After all, not much has really changed. I was excited to walk the trails and snap pics along the way. Everything on the island seems photo-worthy—the weathered siding, the stone church and houses, the clothesline (which, unfortunately, didn’t have any clothes hanging from it on this particular day), and, of course, the rocky shoreline.

The Oceanic Hotel is really quite charming; it dates to 1875 and at one time included as its guest the writers Nathaniel Hawthorne and Celia Thaxter and artist Childe Hassam. Adjacent to the hotel is Caswell Cemetery, where several members of the Caswell family, one of the island’s original fishing village families in the 1700s, are buried.

G and I enjoyed a quick lunch at the Gosport Grill, an outdoor grill featuring a limited menu of grilled offerings. On the day we visited, I believe only burgers and veggie burgers were available; however, hot dogs and lobster rolls are among the other menu items. As we left our table to pick up our order, a seagull took off with one of our small bags of chips, which came with the burgers. The folks at the grill were kind enough to give us another. Those seagulls are pretty brazen (and plump)! After lunch, G and I separated for a bit so we could each wander at our own pace, stop to take photos of whatever caught our fancy, and linger and rest wherever we wished. I made my way to Gosport Church, one of most stunning buildings on the island.

Gosport Church is surely one of the most photographed buildings on the island. According to the sign that hangs inside, Gosport Church was “originally constructed of the timbers of a Spanish Ship, A.D. 1685” and was “rebuilt in 1720 and burned by the Islanders in 1790. This building of stone was erected A.D. 1800.”From whatever angle, Gosport Church is an absolute beauty. And the view doesn’t hurt, either!

I meandered along the paths, marveling at the cute stone buildings, a few of which were open to visit and wander inside. However, I was drawn more to the architecture of the outside of the buildings: the way the brown and gray of the stones contrasted with the blue skies and clouds. The way the white siding popped against the red roofs. The way the buildings were reflected in the thick paned glass windows. Perfection.

After getting my fill of buildings, I wandered out to the rocky shoreline, heading out to the Smith Monument, commemorating Capt. John Smith’s discovery of the Isles of Shoals in 1614. Resting for a bit among the rocks, I took it all in—feeling so far away from shore and from home, yet only mere miles away.

From there, I made my way across more of the rocky coastline, passing the Art Barn, which was closed the day we visited, and marveled at the clouds rolling in, making for even more dramatic skies. As the temperatures dropped, I was SO glad I wore my convertible pants and brought extra layers!

With just about an hour left before we needed to catch the ferry back, we decided to relax on the covered verandah and then, as the winds picked up and rain started—a bit on the island and more so off-shore—inside the Oceanic Hotel. Sitting in the rocking chairs, we relaxed, and enjoyed the non-alcoholic lime and mango rickeys we ordered from the cafe at the back of the dining room. G, of course, had to indulge his sweet tooth with ice cream as well!

And, just like that, our day trip to the Star Island came to a close. We boarded the M/V Thomas Laighton and headed back across the Piscataqua, back to the Saturday evening bustle of Portsmouth and then home. As for Star Island, we’ll most certainly be back…if for no other reason than to embrace that island escape just a few miles away…