Lighthouses are some of the world's most beloved and adored pieces of architecture. I grew up with the wonderful lighthouses on the Great Lakes of Michigan, Huron and Erie. When I moved to New England, I started investigating the many mountain ranges and numerous waterfalls of the region and neglected to do much in the way of investigating the shore. In the last couple of years, I have spent more time in State Parks and along the shores of New England than I ever have before. This last summer I spent some significant time tooling around Long Island. It's close by; only a ferry ride away, but I never went there. I thought it was time, and I was right. I saw my first lighthouse on my first ferry ride across Long Island Sound. At that time, I didn't realize that there were over 25 of them in the area. I had a lot to do.
Throughout the summer and early fall this year, I visited several lighthouses in a few different ways. I passed one while on the ferry every time I went. I went to the one on Sheffield Island on a tour from Norwalk, CT. They are literally all over. Some are beautiful like the one on Sheffield Island. Some are old and in ruins, but there are so many to see. Some are very hard to get to like the one on Shelter Island. Some you can only see from shore like the one off of Orient Point, NY. I tried to pick the ones that would allow me to see a lot of the area without missing other things along the way. It's a tough balance, but I think we did pretty well.
Most of the lighthouses that I visited had amazing views both of them and from them. I visited three that had guided tours. I learned a lot of history while I was there. Some of the lighthouses in the area were commissioned by George Washington. Some were used by spies during the Revolutionary War. They are amazing. Many of them are still in use today. The most famous ones, like Fire Island and Shelter Island are a little tricky to get to. Shelter Island requires an expensive ferry. Fire Island can also be reached by ferry or a tricky causeway. Some, like Sheffield Island require a guided tour and a boat to get a pretty long way to reach it. Montauk point is a tedious drive during the summer. But, the payoff is amazing. The lighthouses are beautiful.
Montauk Point Lighthouse was commissioned by George Washington, and is one of the most beautiful lighthouses around. The drive is difficult, but it's worth it. Montauk, the lighthouse, and the views are all worth it. Just remember, it's at the end of a very tough neighborhood. It's just past the Hamptons, which is a neighborhood that I don't care to visit much. I love the little bed and breakfasts, but the residents are a bit much and don't seem too fond of tourists. You can see the beaches if you can find an unrestricted place to park. Good luck with that. Make the drive to Montauk. You'll love it out there on The End.
Now, the north fork of Long Island was a little different. Orient Point, and the State Parks which are the beaches on that side largely, were amazing. We saw beaches, watched the ferries come in and out and saw lighthouses. The view was amazing and the people were friendly and a lot more down to Earth. Sorry, south fork, but you guys are kind of outer limits. By the way, Long Island Terminology calls them the north and south forks.
The north fork is where we found Horton Point Lighthouse. This was another gem with a lot of history, great views, and an amazing beach below it with a whole lot of steps. The people there were getting ready to go home for the day when we arrived, but took time out of their afternoon to give us a tour anyway. Great people on the north fork. We learned more about George Washington and his impact on the area and saw a lot of great sights.
I did not investigate western Long Island. I went across on the Port Jefferson/Bridgeport ferry many times this summer. I purposely investigated only eastern Long Island. While I was out East, I discovered that there are nearly 30 vineyards and wineries on the north fork. They are literally everywhere. What we realized was that we were in someone else's land of Oz. I don't drink wine, but I wanted to partake in the festivities, so we went Cider Tasting at Woodside Orchards. There were a lot of travelers there trying out the different hard ciders and we joined in. The crowd was fun, the owners were fun and the cider was good. It was a really good time. So even though we aren't wine people, we had a great afternoon.
So, what to do after looking at lighthouses, laying on the rocky beach and tasting wine and cider? You go and hang out in Port Jefferson and wait for the ferry. Port Jefferson is that place that you could spend the day hanging out in and never see another part of Long Island. It comes with amazing shopping, beaches, old and unusual hotels, more sweets than I've ever seen in one place and seaside dining. The whole downtown is accessible on foot and you can get a map of it at the visitor's center right next to the ferry terminal. It's that cheap way to get away for the day. You don't have to pay the extra to take your car on the ferry. It's great.
The one thing that I found that you need to watch out for while traveling to and from the mainland to Long Island is the weather. You have to make your reservations in advance when you take your car in the summer in particular. You can go on standby, but that's sketchy at best. The weather in New England can be temperamental as it was this last summer. We learned how to have a good time in bad weather. There are lots of outlet stores and movies to tide you over while the weather rages on. I can say that no matter how bad the weather was, we managed to have a good time. That says a lot.
So, I spent some significant time on Long Island on the East Half. I shopped, I hiked, I tasted, I tried Sushi for the first time, I toured, I ate, I slept in a great bed and breakfast, and I had a really good time. There are many ways to get there. You can drive around the sound, which I thought was a long and tedious method. You can take the ferries, which is my method of choice. If you come from the city, you can take the Long Island Railroad, which is the most popular mode of transit for people from New York City. Many ways, for many tastes. Will I got back? Probably. I just have to find the time. Enjoy!
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