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The Star Island Experience

Spend a Day, Stay a Week, Remember for a Lifetime

Cast your gaze over the pristine seas of the New Hampshire coast…and on a clear day, catch the glimmer of buildings dotting the islands a few miles off shore. These are the Isles of Shoals, and this is the rugged and rustic Star Island, owned and operated since 1915 by the Star Island Corporation to provide religious and educational retreat for those attending weekly conferences.

Hop on a boat from Rye Harbor, Portsmouth or Newburyport for a day trip and you’ll soon find yourself in Gosport Harbor, where the Isles of Shoals offer a glimpse of life as it was in the nineteenth century. Here you can leave 21st century technology and demands behind as time stands still.

Caught the island spirit? Consider a week-long summer conference. Mid-June through Labor Day, there’s something for everyone—from arts and natural history to world affairs, science and spirituality.

Short on time? Try a weekend or mid-week conference in early September when the weather is beautiful, or a personal retreat at any point throughout the season.

Star Island becomes a lifelong tradition for many folks who come back, year after year, to experience the island magic with their families, generation to generation. Once you’ve come, you’ll remember Star for a lifetime. The cry of the gulls, the pristine beauty, the history, will stay with you long after you return home.

"...The spirit of the Shoals absorbs what we consider highest, noblest, and even most heroic in the human spirit. We have become a community of the spirit reaching together toward our ideas and encouraging one another in the process. Star Island, simply, asks of us a certain height. Our island has been asking this of us ever since we first came here. We have all responded by stretching a bit and feeling a bit taller. We expect it of other Star Islanders. They expect it of us. We feel we must not let one another down."—Fred McGill

Take the Virtual Tour

Our mission since 1916 is to hold and administer Star Island and other properties we own for educational, religious, and kindred purposes.