Side Trips

Beckoning Beacons

Lighthouse lovers can find an adventurous working vacation or a luxurious gourmet experience as they pretend to be the keepers of the flame.

By JANET K. KEELER
Published July 17, 2005

	[Photo: David Vaughn]
	Visitors to Big Sable Point Lighthouse on Lake Michigan can live there for two weeks, if they work.
	[Photo: Tom Buchkoe]
	Whitefish Point Light Station is the oldest operational lighthouse on Lake Superior in Michigan.

For lighthouse lovers, there is nothing more sweet than spending a night or two in one. The thought of fog and sea, and a single beam of light bringing sailors safely home, sets off romantic images of bygone days.

Sigh.

Oh, you can buy plaster replicas of every lighthouse you've visited or wear jackets emblazoned with notable beacons. You can hang tiny Fresnel lens Christmas ornaments from your tree or even swing wee Cape Hatteras earrings from your ears.

But can you really call yourself a lighthouse devotee if you haven't vacationed in one?

There are dozens of lighthouses around the world that offer accommodations for adventurous travelers.

Many accommodations are in refurbished keeper's quarters, where visitors can pretend they'll be the ones to hike to the lookout with oil for the flame. If you really want to play the part, the Big Sable Point Lighthouse on the shores of Lake Michigan in Ludington, Mich., has a two-week live-work volunteer keeper program. Call 231 845-7343 or click on www.bigsablelighthouse.org for more information .

John Grant's Staying at a Lighthouse: America's Romantic and Historic Lighthouse Inns Globe Pequot, $11.95; 2002 highlights some of the nation's most picturesque lighthouse escapes. Among them are the oft-photographed Heceta Head Lighthouse in Oregon (toll-free 1-866-547-3696; www.hecetalighthouse.com) where guests eat seven-course breakfasts and watch whales in season, and Saugerties Lighthouse in New York, (845) 247-0656; www.saugertieslighthouse.com) with its panoramic views of the Hudson River.

Prices vary, but expect to pay at least $150 a night, unless you've signed on to work. Get more information about lighthouses in the United States at www.usparks.about.com/od/lighthouses/

Other promising lighthouse getaways recommended by Grant:

- POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE, Point Arena, Calif.; toll-free 1-877-725-4448; www.mcn.org/1/palight/ Stay in one of four three-bedroom keeper's quarters or a minisuite near the tallest lighthouse on the California coast. The compound is surrounded on three sides by the Pacific Ocean. Rates are $185 to $240 a night.

- KEEPER'S HOUSE INN, Robinson Point Lighthouse Station, Isle au Haut, Maine; 207 460-0257; www.keepershouse.com The tiny island in Acadia National Park is reachable only by mail boat. No phones, but gorgeous views and the promise of gourmet meals. A special occasion splurge at about $350 per couple a night. The inn is open from late May to late October.

- WHITEFISH POINT LIGHT STATION on Lake Superior, Michigan's Upper Peninsula; toll-free 1-888-492-3747; www.shipwreckmuseum.com Stay at the newly remodeled crew's quarters at the oldest operational lighthouse on Lake Superior. Open year-round. Rooms are $150 a night and include admission to the Shipwreck Museum.

- NEW DUNGENESS LIGHTHOUSE, northern coast of Washington state; 360 683-9166; www.newdungenesslighthouse.com A stay here is a combination working vacation and adventure. Transportation to the lighthouse is only by boat at low tide, "which sometimes occurs in the middle of the night." The lighthouse has been staffed 24/7 since 1994 by association members, who pay annual dues. New members welcome.

Information from USA Today was used in this report.

[Last modified July 15, 2005, 09:28:03]