Guide to Lighthouse Boat Tours
in New Hampshire
Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse
Below is a list of boat tours and cruises that offer specific lighthouse cruises along Portsmouth Harbor, out to the Isles of Shoals, and inland around Lake Sunapee for three lighthouses out there. You may find while some may offer specific lighthouse cruises, some will pass by specific lighthouses as part of charters, narrated wildlife and historic tours, ferrying passengers, whale watching, fishing tours and other types of excursions. Contact info is provided to help you plan your special trips to New Hampshire's shorelines. Enjoy!
New Hampshire Seacoast
and Isles of Shoals
Lighthouse Cruises
Isles of Shoals Steamship Co.
Portsmouth Harbor and Isles of Shoals tours. Dinner and nightlife cruises. Frequent lighthouse tours along Portsmouth Harbor, and out to the Isles of Shoals where you can walk around Star Island and get views of White Island Light.
315 Market Street,
P.O. Box 311
Portsmouth, NH 03801
(603) 431-5500
(800) 441-4620
Lighthouses: Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse (NH), White Island Light (NH), and Whaleback Lighthouse (ME)
Portsmouth Harbor Cruises
Portsmouth Harbor and Isles of Shoals tours
64 Ceres Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801
(603) 436-8084
(800) 776-0915
phc@portsmouthharbor.com
Lighthouses: Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse (NH), White Island Light (NH), Whaleback Lighthouse (ME)
Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses
Besides offering weekly tours of the tower of Portsmouth Harbor light in the summertime, including haunted lighthouse tours, they also organize special narrated sunset lighthouse cruises that pass by Portsmouth Harbor light, Whaleback light, and White Island (Isles of Shoals) light.
P.O. Box 8232
Portsmouth, NH 03802-5092
Phone: (603) 534-0537
E-mail: info@portsmouthharborlighthouse.org
Lighthouses: Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse (NH), White Island Light (NH), and Whaleback Lighthouse (ME)
The Gundalow Company
For those who prefer a slower more quiet pace, take a sailing tour aboard the Piscataqua. She is a traditional reproduction of the flat-bottom gundalow barges that were used along local waterways to carry supplies. They have 2-hour afternoon, concert, sunset sails, and a Tuesday Speaker Series sail, along with offering special events sails, and youth educational sails. They provide a narrated history of Portsmouth Harbor, nature tours, and pass by Portland Harbor Lighthouse. You may also get a distant view of Whaleback Lighthouse.
60 Marcy Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801
Phone: (603) 433-9505
Lighthouses: Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse (NH) and Whaleback Lighthouse (ME)
Sail NH
Sailboat charters to the Isles of Shoals and Portsmouth from Rye Harbor.
Contact: Captain Rick Philbrick
Malagar Group LLC
188 Bunker Hill Ave
Stratham NH 03885
Rye, NH
(603) 778-1372
Email boatcents@comcast.net
Lighthouses: Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse (NH), White Island Light (NH), and Whaleback Lighthouse (ME)
Island Cruises
Various tours to the islands along the Isles of Shoals. Stop over to eat at the Oceanic Hotel and explore Star Island.
Rye Harbor State Marina
Rte 1-A Ocean Blvd
P.O. Box 66
Rye, NH 03870
(603) 964-6446
Lighthouses: White Island Light (Isles of Shoals)
Granite State Whale Watch
Besides daily whale watching tours, they offer trips to the Isles of Shoals that provide close up views of White Island Lighthouse.
1870 Ocean Blvd
Rye, NH 03870
(603) 964-5545
Lighthouses: White Island Light (Isles of Shoals)
Cove Runner Coastline Cruises
Private intimate trips (up to 6 passengers) along the southern coast of Maine to destinations of your choice, in a smooth riding 23’ power catamaran, while enjoying seal sightings and other wildlife. Departs out of scenic Perkins Cove in Ogunquit, Maine.
Captain Bob Spencer
(207) 216-2844
Email: coverunner.me@gmail.com
Lighthouses: Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse (NH), White Island Light (NH), Whaleback Lighthouse (ME), Boon Island Lighthouse (ME), Nubble Lighthouse (ME)
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Directions to NH Seacoast Marinas
Directions to Rye Harbor Marina
From Rte 95 South:
- Take Exit 3B. Right onto Rte 33 East.
- Go 1.4 miles to 4th light; right onto Peverly Hill Rd. (becomes Elwyn Rd.)
- Go 2 miles to Rte 1A; south 6 miles to Rye Harbor State Marina.
- Take Exit 2 onto Rte 101 West. Follow 1 mile.
- Take exit 12. Right onto Rte 111 East.
- Follow 6.4 miles to Rte 1-A.
- Left onto Rte 1-A North. 3 miles to Rye Harbor State Marina.
From Rte 95 North:
Directions to Portsmouth Docks
From Route I-95:
- From Route I-95 North take Exit 5 to the Portsmouth Traffic Circle. From I-95 South, take NH Exit 7, then LEFT at lights.
- At the traffic circle, take your second right on to the Route 1 Bypass North (Towards Maine)
- Take the 2nd exit on to Maplewood Avenue and make a right at the end of the ramp.
- Proceed to first set of lights and take a left onto Deer Street.
- Follow Deer Street to the end, take a left at the stop sign and the Isles of Shoals Steamship Company dock is located on the right just after the salt pile across from the Sheraton Harborside.
- For Portsmouth Harbor Cruises, just past the Sheraton Hotel on your right, you will see a small alley on your left marked "Private Way and the "Olde Harbour District". This is Ceres Street where you’ll find the dock.
Directions to Hampton State Pier
From the North:
- Take I-95 South to the Hampton toll booth.
- Take Exit 2 and Route 101 East until you reach the beach.
- Turn right. Drive about 1 mile until just before the Hampton-Seabrook bridge.
- Exit on the right.
From the South: - Take I-95 North to just over the New Hampshire state line.
- Take Exit 60.
- At the second set of lights, take a left onto Route 286.
- Follow all the way to the beach.
- Turn left. Go about 1.5 miles.
- Just past the Hampton River Bridge on the left.
Boat Tour: Lighthouses on Lake Sunapee, NH
Herrick Cove Lighthouse
on Lake Sunapee
Not as well known as the two famous lighthouses on New Hamshire's coast, are three inland lighthouses on Lake Sunapee: Burkehaven Lighthouse, Loon Island lighthouse, and Herrck Cove Light. There is one boat that will take you around, and you can enjoy the restful area this large lake is situated in.
The The M.V. MT Sunapee II tour boat provides lighthouse tours on Lake Sunapee. The M.V. Kearsarge, which includes dinner cruises, runs various tours that go past the lighthouses. The M.V. Mt Sunapee runs a lighthouse and nature tour every day in the summer.
Sunapee Harbor, Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire 03782
Phone (603) 763-4030
Email: tours@sunapeecruises.com
Lighthouses: Burkehaven Lighthouse, Loon Island lighthouse, Herrck Cove Light
Directions to Sunapee Harbor
From this public boat launch you'll find the MV Mt. Sunapee II and the MV Kearsarge at the Town Dock in Sunapee Harbor.
- From US Highway I-91 in Vermont:
Take Exit 7 in Springfield, VT or take Exit 8 in Ascutney, VT
Follow Route 11 into Sunapee
Follow signs to Sunapee Harbor - from Rte. 11 take a right onto Main Street at the blinking light.
- From US Highway I-89 in New Hampshire:
Take Exit 12 from the south, or, Exit 12A from the north
Follow Route 11 into Sunapee
Follow signs to Sunapee Harbor - from Rte. 11 take a right onto Main Street at the blinking light.
My 300-page book, Lighthouses and Coastal Attractions of Northern New England: New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont, provides human interest stories from each of the 76 lighthouses, along with the coastal attractions and tours near each beacon, and contact info to plan your special trips. You'll find over 360 images inside as well. Look inside! |
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