Lighthouses

Lighthouses!  I've been sketching an itinerary for our Edges of Florida trip, and it seems that there are lighthouses all along the eastern coast of Florida that have historical importance or are just fun to visit!  Some have museums attached, some you can climb to the top for an aerial view of the area, some you can only look at from afar.  But that's to be expected being on the coast!

We have always enjoyed visiting lighthouses when we are vacationing along the coast.  One of our favorites is the Cape St. George Lighthouse at St. George Island.

(Photo Credit: DH - 12-25-2021)

We have also enjoyed climbing and exploring lighthouses, like this one:  the Harbour Town Lighthouse at Hilton Head, South Carolina.

(Photo Credit: Me - 12-15-2019)

But what I hadn't realized until now is how many lighthouses we can see on our Middle States trip!  We'll be by Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, and Lake Huron (finishing my collection of seeing all five of the Great Lakes), and we'll be along the Mississippi River.  I hadn't really thought about lighthouses being somewhere besides the ocean's edge.

I've learned that lighthouses are often referred to as Light Stations when they are at lakes.  Like this one, Au Sable Light Station at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

(Photo Credit: https://www.nps.gov)

We will be crossing Lake Michigan from Ludington where the Big Sable Point Lighthouse is located at the Ludington State Park.  

We'll be in Escanaba, Michigan, just around the time the Sand Point Lighthouse is celebrating its 156th anniversary.

There are several lighthouses in the Traverse City, Michigan, area including the Grand Traverse Lighthouse in the Leelanau State Park.  Others are mentioned here.

Some lighthouses we will just have to see from afar, like the Round Island Lighthouse (click the link for video on Vimeo) which is on the national register of historical places and located a few miles off Mackinac Island, Michigan, and under the care of the U.S. National Forest Service.  Or the Grand Island East Channel light at Munising (click the link for video on Vimeo).

And in Hannibal, Missouri, there's the Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse.  It's not open to the public to tour inside, but the grounds are part of 10-acre park with views of the city and the Mississippi River.

(Photo Credit: https://www.hannibalparks.org)

Here's a sneak peek at some of the lighthouses that have made it onto our Edges of Florida itinerary already.

• Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse
• St. Johns River Light 
• St. Augustine Lighthouse

So what about you?  Do you have a favorite lighthouse?  Do you like to climb to the top for the scenic view?  If you know of a lighthouse we should make time to see on either our Middle States or Edges of Florida trips, drop us a note in the comments!

Shine on, dear readers, shine on!

~ Cindy D.