The cost was $25 per person, parking in the lot near the dock was $4. We didn't need reservations that late in the season but they are recommended during the peak summer months. It was much cooler out on the water than on land, especially on the upper deck, I'd recommend bringing a sweater along with.
The Isles of Shoals are nine rocky isles a few miles off the coast of New Hampshire and Maine. No one lives on them year round but Star Island has the Oceanic Hotel which is used as a religious conference center, there are a few summer houses, and the Shoals Marine Research Laboratory is on Appledore Island.
There's some interesting history on the islands, Smuttynose Island was the sight of a double murder in the 1800s, the book "The Weight of Water" by Anita Shreve is based on that story. Celia Thaxter, a New Hampshire poet was raised on White Island, her father was the lighthouse keeper. She eventually moved to Smuttynose and then Appledore and played host to many famous authors of the day.


