×
×
homepage logo
LOGIN
SUBSCRIBE

Historic Star Island to reopen in June

By George Pelletier - Milford Bureau Chief | Apr 17, 2021

Star Island hosted an arts community frequented by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Harriet Beecher Stowe.

PORTSMOUTH – Since 1915, Star Island has been an oasis for people to relax and renew.

Located about 10 miles off the coast of New Hampshire and Maine, Star Island is home to one of New England’s landmark grand hotels. And after being closed last year due to the pandemic, the beloved resort will reopen this summer.

Star Island Corporation CEO Joe Watts said that typically the island resort is open from June until September. And the last time Star Island was closed for the season was in World War II.

“Our announcement to open this June means it will have been nearly two years since we have been open to the public,” he said. “It’s kind of a big deal for us and we’re so excited to be able to do that.”

Star Island, the second-largest of the nine Isles of Shoals, is multi-faceted in what it offers guests and visitors throughout the summer months. Watts said this summer will present about 60 programs and conferences to its attendees.

Ladies and children dance around a Maypole at Star Island during the 1920’s.

“Most of the programs and experiences are week-long, and we have shorter ones on weekends in September,” he said. “There’s a range of topics – some are long-standing. Star in a very basic form, is like a summer camp for people of all ages. And so, you look at that model, and throw in some themed weeks like the arts, natural history, international affairs, yoga, meditation and music, and many people return each year for one or more of our conferences.” Star Island offers programs which require registration.

Watts said that there are programs to suit every interest and whim.

“People can participate in as much or as little of the program as they like,” he said. “You can sit in a rocking chair and relax, or go to a workshop and learn something new, or go to a lecture or have your kids go to the youth programs.”

For the Star Island faithful, returning each year to the grand Oceanic Hotel is a rite of the season. Watt said this year, because of the pandemic, capacity will be reduced to 60 percent. Often individuals, families or groups of friends will register for one of the themed programs while relaxing and enjoying this historic isle.

“Once somebody comes to Star Island, they have such a good time that they usually come back, year after year,” he said. “People make friends on the island and some of those friendships are enduring and multi-generational. That’s usually what happens.”

Star Island is one of the Isles of Shoals that straddle the border between New Hampshire and Maine. It is the largest of the four islands that are located in New Hampshire on 38 acres. (Photo by Photo Brett Marshall)

Watts however stressed the importance of health and safety, calling it their top priority.

“As a non-profit, making the decision to close last year was huge,” he said.

“This year, we’re limiting capacity and we’ve been reviewing recommendations and guidelines, state, federal and local and we’ve come up with a plan that limits the number of guests and we’ll be doing things that hopefully people are comfortable with at this point.”

Mask-wearing and social distancing will be observed and for overnight guests and employees, a negative COVID-19 test will be required prior to arrival. Watts added that Star Island is strongly encouraging vaccines for those people able to obtain them.

“At the same time, we’re trying to ensure that people get the experience on Star Island that makes it so special,” he shared. “We’re trying to re-envision the programs- we’ve been working for months with the conference leaders. How can we move them outside or onto the porches? How can we capture what’s good about them and maximize the experiences for our guests?”

At 60 percent for overnight guests, Watts said that translates to 170 guests. That excludes day visitors. Under normal circumstances, the island might facilitate roughly 300 people. Staff might be at 125 employees during a non-pandemic season, but there will be 30 less this summer.

In terms of day visitors to the island, that number, Watts said, is hard to predict.

“In a normal year, we have as many as 15,000 people come out for the day,” he said. “Between the day visitors that come out of Portsmouth and Rye, plus boaters in the harbor, that’s a rough estimate during a good-weather season.” And ordinarily, the island might host 4,000 overnight guests per season.

Watts said that people are looking for fun and safe experiences, and can embrace the sea breezes, boat trips and open air.

“Being out on the island and being able to walk around outside seems like an appealing option to me, if I was thinking about what to do with my family,” he said. “In that sense, there could be more guests, but some people understandably are cautious with COVID. Still, there are things to do outside, it’s warm weather with beautiful sights. And the grille will be open outside. That sounds like a pretty good experience.”

The number of boats this year will be decreased however, since they too are being careful in how they manage the day visitor population.

“This is all about reinventing oneself,” Watts said. “We’re doing that with health and safety at the forefront and at the same time, we’re taking the things that we know are special and re-envisioning them.”

For more information, or to register for one of Star Island’s many programs, visit starisland.org.

Newsletter

Join thousands already receiving our daily newsletter.

Interests
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *