Guide to Touring

To begin your visit

Our upper parking lot for visitors is located at 456 Route 103A, Newbury, NH 03255. To start your visit, check in at the Kiosk for information. We encourage you to walk down the 1/4 mile driveway to the Main House, but we do also have a lower parking lot available next to the Pavilion.

House tours

  • Docent-led guided tours are conducted at 11am and 2pm when the House is open.

    • These are first-come, first-served. You will need to check in with the Greeter at the veranda entrance to the House.

    • No reservations are required if your group is ten or fewer.

    • The tour may last up to an hour and the House has two floors.

  • Self-guided tours are available from 10am-4pm. Reservations are not required for the self-guided tour.

    • Watch a 15-minute video, learn about Hay family history, the architecture and building phases of the Main House, and discover what it was like to live on Lake Sunapee in the late 20th century.

    • Wander the House at your leisure and on your own schedule. Learn about the Hay family and John Milton Hay’s incredible contributions to American history through interpretive signage throughout the House.

Virtual tours of the house are now available. Simply click on the link below.

Private Group Tours

Group Tours for ten or more guests can be arranged by contacting The John Hay Estate at The Fells at 603-763-4789 x 107 or education@thefells.org.

Garden Tours

Forty-minute guided tours of the gardens are offered seasonally on days when the Main House is open. Garden tours are included in the cost of admission. Tours begin on the Veranda (on the grassy side of the Main House) at 12:30pm and are conducted by a member of the John Hay Estate at the Fells landscape staff.