Island Activities
Star Island is many things to many people: A source of spiritual renewal, home to enriching experiences, filled with educational programming — and a great place for some good ol’ summer fun.
Make the most of your island experience, whether as a week-long guest or just stopping by for the day, with fun activities for the whole family. Rent a rowboat and paddle to a neighboring island or around the harbor, then come back ashore for an exciting game of tennis or boccie ball. Take a refreshing plunge off the float and follow it up with a relaxing massage.
There’s lots to do on Star Island. Just ask the friendly folks at the front desk of the Oceanic for information and reservations.
- Row boats — $5/hr. Reserve at front desk.
- Massage therapy — $80/hr. Reservations at front desk.
- Sports/outdoor activities – Sporting equipment available for use: tennis, softball, Frisbee, bocce ball.
- Swimming — Between float and beach next to pier.
- Rutledge Marine Laboratory — A favorite of children, the salt-water tanks and terrariums here allow visitors to observe island flora and fauna. Open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays through Friday.
- Vaughn-Thaxter Memorial Cottage — Houses a library, a collection of art and artifacts related to Isles of Shoals poet and artist Celia Thaxter, and early records of Gosport Village history. Open 1 to 3 p.m.; library open dawn to dusk.
- Business Center — Time-based fee for computer use. See front desk for rates.
- Lobster nights — Usually Wednesday nights during the regular summer season. Lobster tickets available for purchase at front desk.
Rutledge Marine Laboratory
The Rutledge Marine Laboratory provides a home for a portly spider crab (Libinia emarginata), yellow sea slug (Cadlina laevis), and a school of Mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus). There are also the usual visitors, of course, including blue mussels (Mytilus edulis), green crabs (Carcinus maenas), frilled sea anenomes (Metridium senile), rock crabs (Cancer irroratus), jonah’s crabs (Cancer borealis), northern sea stars (Asterias spp.), hermit crabs (Pagurus spp.) and plenty of barnacles (Semibalanus balanoides) and periwinikles (Littorina spp.).
The lab will work closely with the Blue Ocean Society, the Seacoast Science Center and the Shoals Marine Laboratory on Appledore Island to enlarge its collection and explore educational opportunities for the summer. In particular, in 2012 the lab will recreate several traditional marine science experiments including testing the photosensitivity and behavior of hermit crabs, examining the composition of the benthic community at the Isles of Shoals utilizing fouling plates, and implementing several transect surveys to measure the diversity of intertidal zone ecosystems on Star Island.
Already students who visit can examine owl pellets, learn to tie sailing knots, dissect a sea star or simply learn about geology or lobstering. As always, the lab offers science education experiences for all ages from the unique perspective of an island community that looks reflectively and critically at our culture and the future it is choosing. As a part of this mission and in line with the Star Island Corporation’s sustainability initiative, the lab will host several discussions on sustainable living both on and off the island during the summer.
Open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays through Friday.
Massage therapy
Guests attending conferences can enjoy a massage from a professional massage therapist during their stay on Star. Interested guests may request a 1-hour session through the front desk. The massage fee can be added to individual room & board bills.
A large portion of the massage program proceeds go directly to Star Island.
If you are a licensed New Hampshire massage therapist and would like to participate in the program, please email Kate Leigh at email hidden; JavaScript is required.
$80/hr. Reservations at front desk.
