Star Island is one of nine islands that make up the Isles of Shoals. These historical islands are a perfect summer day trip from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I made this trip as a girls day on a hot July Saturday.
We bought tickets for Star Island in advance through the Isles of Shoals Steamship Company, which I highly recommend as some days and times were sold out. You can park at the Steamship Company, but you are not able to leave your car there and walk around. We parked in the Hanover Garage as we wanted to walk around Market Square before and after the boat ride.
The boat was fairly big with three levels, a Tiki Bar and a Snack Shack. We were able to sit on the bow and get great views of the Piscataqua River. It was so much fun watching the various boats, going by the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, looking at the homes along the river and going by an abandoned navy and marine prison.
After the journey down the river we headed out onto the Atlantic Ocean towards the Isles of Shoals and Star Island. .
It took between 45 minutes to an hour to get to Star Island. During the boat ride we had a staff member providing landmark information and history along the way. Once we docked we had the option to join a walking tour or to go off on our own. We chose to go off on our own.
We were not allowed inside the majority of the buildings due to COVID Protocol. If you did go in the couple that were open you had to wear a mask. They did provide masks for you.
From the dock we went left following a dirt road. Our first stop was at the Marine Lab that had a small touch tank and other information about marine life. There was a staff member to answer any questions you may have.
Next we walked the dirt road around the edge of the island. Where we saw a couple kettle ponds.
Then walked the cliffs for beautiful views of the Atlantic. We also saw baby seagulls along the cliffs.
After enjoying the cliffs we continued around the island to some beautiful stone cottages.
As we were walking back around to the hotel we found a small, but beautiful beach. There was no swimming allowed, but it was a perfect place to get your feet wet. The sand was made up mostly of crushed shells. I wish we could have gotten an accurate picture of how blue/turquoise the water was. My friend and I could have spent all day here if we had a chair, a book and a drink. .
We walked back around to the front of the hotel. We were not allowed inside the hotel, but got to enjoy the view from the porch. There is a small gift shop you can visit within the hotel with access from the porch.
The only option for food was a small hot dog cart. If you want to picnic or a snack, make sure you bring it with you. We bought waters from the cart and they were only $1 each. Restrooms were a little difficult to find, we ended up using the ones on the boat. There is also a small swimming area near the dock that is maned by a life guard. We only had an hour on the island and we could have used another hour wandering around more, sitting on the porch enjoying the or going swimming. Overall, we were both very happy with the boat ride and visiting the island. I would absolutely go back.
We had about an hour ride back. We lucked out because it was very calm so I did not feel seasick.
After returning to Portsmouth we had some yummy Mexican food at La Caretta. Then we drove down the coastline and stopped at Wallis Sands State Park to take a dip in the ocean.
