Nothing is quite as longingly lonely as a lighthouse – and Rhode Island is loaded with them.
Many are off-limits to tourists, able to be glimpsed only from a distance. Others are welcoming, ready to warp you in warm embrace. We’re taking a look at both kinds:
- The Rose Island Light House is a gem. Built back in 1859, miles into Narragansett Bay, it’s a working lighthouse open to all. Each room of this living museum is restored as if the keepers still lived and worked there. Wind power generates electricity and rain provides the water. If you’re as taken by all this as we are, rent a room for the night. After the museum closes at 4 p.m. the two bedrooms on the first floor become available. The fully furnished enclaves are fitted with pots, pans, dishes and utensils. You’ve got to make your own bed. But that’s a small price top pay for the utter seclusion of a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
- If it’s insight into third-oldest lighthouse in North America you’re after head to Jamestown, Rhode Island, site of the legendary Beavertail Lighthouse. The museum will school you in lighthouse lore and legend. Make it a morning. Pack a picnic lunch and explore adjacent Beavertail State Park. There’s been a light sited at Beavertail since 1749, decades before the Revolutionary War
There is a slew of lovely lighthouses that define this slice of New England. Lime Rock Light is visible from passing harbor cruise boats bound out of Newport. Hog Island Shoal Light is a lonely sentinel, accessible only by eye from the Prudence Island ferry out of Bristol.
(Images: archer 10 (Dennis), Rose Island Light House)
