The Not-So-Lonely Lighthouse

More Lighthouse Inns
From gourmet dinners to volunteer vacations, there are many ways to enjoy a lighthouse experience. For a complete list of lighthouse accommodations from the Midwest to Mexico, visit lighthouse.cc/links/overnight.html.

• Big Bay Point Lighthouse B & B in Big Bay, Michigan, is a 108-year-old red and white inn with several rooms and a spa. There’s even a massage hut in the woods near the lighthouse. Rates from $115. 906-345-9957
  
  
• East Brother Light Station is only twenty miles from San Francisco. Guests travel by boat to this 130-year-old functioning island lighthouse for romantic serenity and gourmet meals. Rates from $270. Point Richmond, California, 510-233-2385
  
  
• Grand Traverse Lighthouse lets volunteer keepers stay for one-week periods to greet visitors, learn history, and maintain the grounds of the 146-year-old lighthouse. Rates $195 per person per week. Northport, Michigan, 231-386-7195
  
  
• Heceta Head Lighthouse B & B in Yachats, Oregon, is 111 years old and perched on a high cliff above the Pacific. Guests stay in the Queen Anne-style Keepers’ House. Rates from $133. 866-547-369
  
  
• The Keeper’s House Inn at the Robinson Point Lighthouse Station in Isle Au Haut, Maine, is reachable by mail boat from Acadia National Park and is truly for those who want to get away from it all. Rates from $300. 207-460-0257
  
  
• Lighthouse Valleyview B & B Inn is a landlocked lighthouse tower—in Dubuque, Iowa—where guests can view forty-eight miles of land! Rates from $75. 800-407-7023
  
  
• Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel in Pescadero, California, is an affordable hostel with dorm-style lodging for the adventurous who want to experience living at a 132-year-old lighthouse. Rates from $19. 650-879-0633
  
  
• Saugerties Lighthouse is a 136-year-old brick structure along the Hudson River about 100 miles from New York City. Lacking modern conveniences, a visit here is designed to be a trip back in time. Rates from $168. Saugerties, New York, 845-247-0656

Getting There
The Lighthouse B & B is open year-round. Summer rates are $125 to $136 a night. If you only want to walk through it, take a $2 self-guided tour (daily May–October). 888-832-5606, 218-834-4814

Where to Eat
It’s essential to stop at least once at Betty’s Pies, just northeast of town, for a fresh slice of you know what (1633 Hwy. 61 E., 218-834-3367). In Two Harbors, Judy’s Café is a somewhat smoky hot spot for inexpensive small town specialties. 623 7th Ave., 218-834-4802

When to Go
Summer is peak season, but it’s best to book well in advance for any weekend. Warm weather is best for exploring the area, but winter storms make for an exciting stay.

Learning More
Moon Handbooks’ Minnesota includes great details on the North Shore. Even more complete is Nina’s North Shore Guide (third edition, University of Minnesota Press). For information about activities around Gooseberry Falls and Split Rock Lighthouse and Shore trails, call 218-834-2700 or visit northshoreinfo.com.