Question: What is "The Fells"?

Answer: Discover The Fells 83.5 acres of beauty and tranquility; learn the legacy of diplomat and statesman John Milton Hay; tour the 22-room Colonial Revival home; explore the forests, walk the woodland trails, and enjoy the renowned gardens. The Fells is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a preservation project of The Garden Conservancy.

Question: Who was John Hay?

Answer: Born in 1838, son of a rural Illinois doctor, Hay graduated from Brown University and at age twenty-two was chosen as private secretary to Abraham Lincoln. He went on to serve as ambassador to Great Britain and served as Secretary of State under presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt.

Question: How long have the Fells been around? What was it like originally, and what is it like today?

Answer: The Fells, named after Hay's ancestral Scotland, is situated on a hillside in Newbury, NH, and overlooks scenic Lake Sunapee. It was on these shores that John and his wife, Clara Louise Stone, sought refuge from public life, and in 1888, Hay quietly began acquiring abandoned farms that would eventually total nearly 1,000 acres.

Clarence and Alice Hay had two children, John and Adele. John Hay, grandson of the first John Hay, became one of America’s best-known contemporary natural history writers. In 1960, Clarence and Alice Hay donated 675 acres, including Sunset Hill, to the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. After Clarence’s death, Alice continued to summer at The Fells until her death in 1987. Alice left the remaining 164-acre estate to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. After maintaining and managing the site for over a decade, The Fells, a nonprofit organization, acquired 84 acres of the property in 2008, including all the buildings and gardens.

Question: What can visitors experience at the Fells?

Question: When is the Fells open for visitors?

Answer: The gardens and surrounding land are open all year, from dawn to dusk. Please see below for our Main House schedule.

Spring: We open for our 2023 season on Memorial Day Weekend, Saturday, May 27. During the spring, we are open on Weekends and Monday holidays.

Question: How much does it cost to visit?

When our Main House closed: Adults: $8; seniors and students, $6; children, $3; families of 2 adults and 2 or more children ages 6 or above, $15.

Winter admission: December through March is $5 per household, payable at our self-serve Welcome Kiosk.

Active Military and Veterans: We hold the men and women who have and are serving in our armed forces in the highest regard; for your service and sacrifice, we thank and salute you. We are honored to host you and your immediate family as our guests free of charge for site admission.

Question: Where is it located?

Answer:

456 Route 103A
PO Box 276
Newbury, NH 03255

On the shore of Lake Sunapee

Question: Do you offer any special events or classes?

Answer: Upon arrival, we can give you a copy of our Events Brochure. We do concerts, Fairy Festival, Hay Day, a painting camp, a photography camp and a nature explorers camp, Artists weekend with plein air painting and a wet paint sale and reception, Christmas at The Fells…a holiday decorators showhouse, a history speaker series, yoga and writing workshops.

Question: How can people get involved to learn more about the John Hay Estate at the Fells?

Answer: Visit our website at www.thefells.org!