Adventures for Anyone: If There's One Thing You Never See All of In New England, It's Lighthouses!

I've lived in New England a long time, and there are so many beautiful places to visit that I can't count them all. We have hundreds of amazing waterfalls, hundreds of state parks, hundreds of historical sites, bridges of flowers, peaks to rise to, dunes, islands, and even a national park. The northeast is jammed with beauty, and there are several less inhabited areas, just in case the people who think it's all one big city need to hear it.

One of the greatest things about the northeast, meaning New York and all of New England, is that whatever you're into, someone will take you on a tour of it. You'll find boat tours, train tours, guided tours, walking tours, self guided tours, bus tours, and maps for the independent thinker. If you get online and look for a map of lighthouses of the Northeast, what you find might be overwhelming. The number of lighthouses out here is staggering. I've been looking at them for years, and I still haven't seen them all. That's a lot of lighthouses, because I travel a lot.

Lighthouses for a lot of us are those items that we decorate our bathrooms with. Some people decorate the whole house with shore themes. But, lighthouses are still used. They are historic, some dating back to the times of George Washington. Many were homes to the operators back in the day. Many sat on their own rock in a channel or other subsidiary body of water. Many were found on islands.

In the case of New England and the Northeast, there are thousands of islands. Not every island has a lighthouse, but the islands made the lights necessary. Boothbay Harbor, Maine has over three hundred islands. That's a lot of islands for one bay.

If you're a photographer like me, whether for pay or amateur, you'll love lighthouses. I promise. They're photogenic and a lot of fun to go and see. Tours are a great way to go with several of the Eastern lighthouses. A lot of them require a boat.

There are several tours that you can sign up for where a boat takes you to an island to see a lighthouse. There are several such tours along the coast and throughout Long Island Sound. Most of these tours run about $30 and you get a two or three hour tour of the lighthouse and island, as well as a nice boat ride. There are other tours that will take you on a long boat ride to view several lighthouses for close to the same price. Both styles are relaxing and fun. I've done a lot of these tours.

Then there's the drive by, as I call it. We have ferries in our area that go from Connecticut to Long Island. There are other such ferries throughout the northeast. These are transportation ferries that just happen to go by some of the more remote lighthouses. Many times the ferry captain will announce such lighthouses as you pass them, so you don't miss the sight.

Then, there's the lighthouses that aren't what they seem to be. In Saybrook Point, CT, the lighthouse is a hotel room. In Provincetown, MA, the tower was once used as a lighthouse centuries past, but is now a local museum and landmark. As we all know, The Statue of Liberty welcomes all to New York Harbor and the mouth of the Hudson River. A lighthouse? You can bet ships use it as a marker.

But, the bottom line is that the Northeast has a ton of lighthouses because of the rocky shores of both islands and land masses. Sometimes, there's just a shoal that's nothing but a pile of rocks that ships need to be aware of. The shore in the Northeast is dangerous, and ships, boats, and ferries need alerts for their safety.

Lighthouses are everywhere in the Northeast. There's one in the middle of the East River on Roosevelt Island. People still call them home, like Nubble Lighthouse in York, Maine. No matter how old they get, a lot of them are still in use.

One thing that you'll find is that a lot of them are an outdoor visit. The most notable Northeastern lighthouse that you can still go inside of is Montauk Point, Long Island. They still have hours of visitation. There are some others. Sheffield is open, but you have to take a boat there. Pilgrim Tower is open, but hasn't been a lighthouse for many years. And so on. So, if you decide to spend the day looking at lighthouses; realize that you'll probably be spending your day outside.

Be aware that the tour you choose will be on a boat. That's standard practice for a lighthouse tour. There are some great ones out of Gloucester, MA, Boothbay and Portland, Maine, and New London, Connecticut. You will see multiple lighthouses and hear the most amazing stories.

The Dumpling Light just off the shore of New London at the east end of Long Island Sound, close to Fisher Island is one of my favorites. Supposedly, the designer of the Segway bought the island, built a replica of Stonehenge on it, got annoyed with the local officials, and declared the island its own country. I guess he minted some money and everything. Love the stories. The one thing they didn't tell us was whether or not it was still an operating lighthouse.

Some lighthouses, while still important, particularly to ferries that still traverse Long Island Sound, are private residences. The Orient Point Light has a disco ball hanging from the upper deck. There are also some lighthouses throughout New England that you can stay the night in. They're listed on Air B&B.

While the lighthouses, whether they're on Mount Desert Island in Acadia National Park in Maine, or a cliff along Cape Cod, or an island in Boston Harbor, are beautiful; they mostly still provide a service. The ones that you can visit, either inside or out, have hours. Many private owners allow people to come onto their property to see the beautiful historic buildings, so please respect that property. How would you like it if someone came along and trashed your yard?

All I can say is that if you like lighthouses, the Northeast has them. They're everywhere that there's water. We have rocks, islands, shoals, and harbors that can and will become dangerous if there's no warning for the boats and ships. It's still a hazard to this very day. So while the lighthouses are plentiful and beautiful; they are necessary.

The best part of going around to see them and photograph them is that it gives that road trip focus. Sometimes you need focus to guide you in your travels. I used to go and hike to waterfalls, but I think I saw most of them. It took me decades, but I did it. Now, I've turned to the majestic lighthouses to guide my road trips, even in these times of unrealistic gas prices. I enjoy the drive, the view, and the boat and ferry rides that take me there. It's a win win.

In a world where we're still trying to avoid crowds a bit due to Covid, making open air sights a great thing, take a tour and see some of the Northeast's greatest treasures. Visit some of the most majestic, historic, still operating buildings along the rocky shores of New England. Learn the stories, have an adventure and enjoy!

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