The Holderness Inn

The present Holderness Inn was built in 1895 after the original (built in 1874) burned down. It provided food and lodging for hundreds of summer visitors until it was purchased by a citizen’s group in 1967 to become part of what is now Squam Lakes Natural Science Center. For the next 14 years, the Inn provided the Science Center’s first classrooms, offices, workshop, and animal care facility. When a new education facility was built, in 1982, the Inn was closed.

Today the Holderness Inn is home to Samyn D'Elia Architects.

Clean Up Day 1973 in front of the Holderness Inn

Mike Shank, 09/17/23
This is an amazing place for all ages. It's beautifully laid out and has a wide variety of NH animals. The natural setting of the enclosures are so well designed. The walk through is a great day out in and of itself. We were all fascinated by the educational pieces here. The variety of ways they provide such fascinating information while entertaining all ages, the animal meet and greets, daily special programs, hands on learning are almost a PhD edutainment. So incredibly well done. The people were fabulous, the grounds peaceful and the day glorious. Highly recommended! Thanks for such an excellent day out for all ages and interests in our big, diverse family group.
Ghost 77, 03/03/22
Absolutely amazing place to visit, especially for children. I visit most often during the summer in the late morning to early afternoon. There is little to no wait time for entry. Great to get some outside time and lots of walking, with fun and educational exhibits for the kids. Growing up, we'd go here on field trips fairly often between 1st and 5th grade, and everyone always thought it was a lot of fun.
Janet McMahon, 08/02/23
What a great place!! Lots to see and learn. The kids loved the opposum, owls and much more. The trail was easy and we'll marked with so much to view. Great day out!!
Steven Flint, 08/11/24
What a great zoo. Bedsides the beautiful animals this zoo is clean and extremely interactive for all ages. There is tons of information around the zoo providing facts about all the animals and their habitats, communities, and ecosystems. The animals are diverse ranging from aquatic to semi aquatic to terrestrial. What an awesome place! I highly recommend!
Jollster, 10/07/24
Squam lakes was a great experience. It was very expensive to get in so I recommend checking your library to see if they have discount passes. At every exhibit there is an activity for your child to do such as puzzles or matching and etc. There is a great picnic area as well as nice playground for the kids. The animatronic dinosaurs were great for my son. They also had a cool spot where there are slides inside and tunnels. We didn't mind spending the money since all the money goes towards the native animals that are there either from being rescued or orphaned. My family spent 3 hrs here. We would go again but with passes. For a family of four it was $92. That's with two kids. Very interactive here.

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