Lighthouse lovers abound, so what better way to celebrate their fascination than by casting a beam of light on how to have the extraordinary experience of staying—overnight or longer—in a lighthouse tower’s round rooms with wraparound views, or visiting a lighthouse keeper’s quaint, adjacent cottage? A coastal sojourn may not sound that new, but staying in a lighthouse is.
Today, there is a movement to restore and preserve these global treasures that keep vigil over passing ships and guide mariners safely through dangerous seas and storms.
These legendary beacons, many of them historical landmarks, share a rich history, as well as being powerful and romantic symbols of courage and salvation. The Lighthouse of Alexandria, named one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by Antipater of Sidon, was a tower built in the third century BC on the island of Pharos in Alexandria, Egypt, and is speculated to be the world’s first true lighthouse.
Many famous artists, including painters, poets, and novelists, have been inspired by the mystique of lighthouses. Lighthouses have been depicted by Andrew Wyeth, Edward Hopper, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Virginia Woolf, to name but a few.
Every architectural element of a lighthouse is seductive—from its majestic oceanfront exterior, the imposing phallic structure standing solitary in a vast seascape, to its enchanting interior, a spiral staircase that treks you to the tower top, where the all-important Fresnel lens that fills dark nights with rays of light, and the fog bell that sounds a warning to seafarers on their homeward-bound voyage, are housed.
Here is a resource list of accommodations so that you can take a lighthouse tour from Cape Cod to Croatia.
Lighthouse Lodging Both Near and Afar, USA
- Cape Cod and Massachusetts: Race Point Lighthouse and Wings Neck Lighthouse
- Rhode Island: Rose Island Lighthouse
- New York: Saugerties Lighthouse
- Maine: Little River Lighthouse and Goose Rocks Light
International
- England: Burnham High Lighthouse
- Ireland: Wicklow Head Lighthouse
- Croatia: St. John Lighthouse and Veli Rat Lighthouse
- Patagonia: The Punta Delgada Lighthouse
Originally published on Offbeat Guides
