Castle in the Clouds celebrates milestone season on NH Heritage Museum Trail

MOULTONBOROUGH — Castle Preservation Society, a member of the New Hampshire Heritage Museum Trail, is celebrating its 20th anniversary, building on the momentum of the Lucknow Estate's 2025 designation as a National Historic Landmark.

To mark the occasion, the Castle in the Clouds has unveiled a new exhibition exploring the estate's history after Thomas and Olive Plant, inviting visitors to discover the lesser-known chapters of Lucknow's story. The mansion itself remains the centerpiece of the visitor experience, with daily tours and a newly repaved historic driveway that sets the stage from the moment guests arrive.

Beyond the mansion, the property comes alive each June with more than 200 public programs scheduled across the 2026 season. Families can follow the newly installed Story Walk, which officially debuted June 13 with a grand opening celebration at the Picnic Pavilion in partnership with Altrusa. Mondays feature story time and crafts led by the Moultonborough Public Library.

Stargazers and sun-watchers alike can also find their place at Castle in the Clouds, with Sunday solar gazing sessions with the New Hampshire Astronomical Society and an evening of constellation viewing on Thursday, June 18.

“From our mountaintop vantage point, the skies above Lucknow have inspired wonder for more than a century," Executive Director Charles Clark said. “Programs like these connect visitors to the same sense of awe that drew Thomas and Olive Plant here in the first place.”

The estate's natural beauty takes center stage through guided and volunteer-led hikes, garden tours of the historic Lucknow Gardens, and a Garden Photography Workshop presented with ArtWorks.

For those drawn to hands-on experiences, June offers everything from beekeeping sessions with Bewitched Acres to a watercolor workshop, the annual Community Arts Festival on June 27, and weekly yoga on the lawns beginning June 29. For a full schedule of programs and to register, visit castleintheclouds.org

“Our 20th anniversary is a moment to celebrate not just what we've preserved, but what we've built — a place where history, nature, and community come together," Clark added. It's also part of something bigger. As members across the NH Heritage Museum Trail are telling the story of New Hampshire in ways that invite everyone to be part of it."

To learn more about the NH Heritage Museum Trail, featuring nearly two-dozen members in the Seacoast, Lakes Region, White Mountains, Dartmouth-Sunapee Region, and Merrimack Valley, visit nhmuseumtrail.org.