During our October East Coast trip, we toured the Boston area for five days, drove up through New Hampshire to the Canadian border, spent a day in the walled city of Old Quebec, drove back down into Maine, stopped at several lighthouses along the Maine Coast, and flew out of Boston’s Logan International airport. It was a busy trip with lots of stops, but we had a blast. The day we spent doing our Maine lighthouse tour along the coastal road was the most relaxing day of the entire trip. All we had to do was make it to Boston by night, so we were able to enjoy the lighthouses at a leisurely pace. It was chilly (high 40sF/9C) but beautifully sunny. Maine is home to more than 50 active lighthouses, and we visited some of the best. The most beautiful lighthouse, Portland Head Light, is highlighted at the end of this post.
Fort Point Lighthouse, located beside Fort Point State Park in Stockton Springs, is a private residence. If you wish to go onto the property, you must pay a small fee. (There were other lighthouses that we really wanted to see, so we just took a photo from the road and continued on our way.) The current lighthouse has been in service since 1857, but there was another lighthouse in that location for 20 years prior.
Curtis Lighthouse in Camden, Maine, sits on Curtis Island, which is public land but can only be accessed by boat. The current building has been in use since the late 1800s, but the former structure was lit in 1835. Someday I would love to return and visit the island!
Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse is located in the most interesting location out of all the lighthouses we visited. It sits at the end of what’s called a breakwater, which is essential a narrow, man-made, one-mile walkway that juts out from shore. The breakwater is made of granite blocks and apparently took 18 years to construct. Its purpose is to provide shelter for the harbor. We didn’t walk out to the lighthouse because the wind was blowing fiercely and there were no bathrooms out there (I was six months pregnant at the time). The current lighthouse, which isn’t very impressive compared to the others we saw, was lit in 1902 and replaced a 70-year-old lighthouse that sat on shore. If you double-click to expand this photo, you can get an idea of just how long the breakwater is.
Did any of my American readers collect the state quarters that came out in the early 2000s? The Maine quarter features Pemaquid Point Lighthouse in Bristol, Maine. The current structure was lit in 1857, but the former lighthouse was commissioned by President John Quincy Adams in 1827. Pemaquid has a small fee to enter the park, but we thought it was well worth the money.
Behind the lighthouse is the Bell House. It was built in 1897 to house the fog bell, used to alert ships during foggy conditions.
Mr. Handsome was a big fan of this lighthouse because there is a small fisherman’s museum inside part of the lighthouse keeper’s house. He was intrigued by all the old fishing equipment but was especially interested in something very peculiar that was hanging on the wall…the shell of a 28-pound lobster caught in Rhode Island about 60 years ago. It’s estimated to be 75-80 years old! Mr. Handsome really wanted to take my photo with it, so I obliged, even though I was a bit freaked out.
At this lighthouse, we were able to climb up the narrow, winding staircase to the light. The view was great!
The last lighthouse we visited was Portland Head Light, located in, you guessed it, Portland.
A plaque at the park explains that the lighthouse is Maine’s oldest and was commissioned by President George Washington in 1790. It was controlled by a lighthouse keeper until 1989, when it became automated. Interestingly, it was the first lighthouse built after the United States gained independence from Britain. Portland Head Light was rededicated in 1982 by Vice President George H.W. Bush, in celebration of Greater Portland’s 350th anniversary.
The cliffs around the lighthouse provide a beautiful setting. You’ll notice one of the rocks has an inscription: “Annie C. Maguire Shipwrecked Here Christmas Eve 1886.” On Christmas Eve 1886, lighthouse keeper Joshua Strout, along with his family and their holiday guests, rescued all 18 passengers from a ship (the Annie C. Maguire) that wrecked near the lighthouse. The ship had departed from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and was on its way to Quebec, carrying the captain, his crew, and his family. During the 19th and 20th centuries, Portland Head Light was kept by multiple members of the Strout family. Legend has it that the Strouts’ pet parrot was intelligent enough to warn the keepers of impending storms.
Such beautiful pictures. I’ll have to put lighthouse tour on my vacation trip wish list!
Beautiful pictures! We visit a few lighthouses in Maine. My hubby climbed the winding staircase, I stayed on the ground. Yes, we have 6 books of the state quarters… Jane
We used to live up that way and would get huge lobsters from the lobster pound (right on the coast) that were so big that you had to keep them in the bathtub until you wrestled them into a pot. And they were cheap, just a few bucks for a one-person meal size lobster, about a pound and a half. Plus the lobster pound would give you all the free worn-out lobster crates you wanted from the pile out back. They were all wood and beautifully weathered from sun and salt water. We made several sets of bookcases with them. Still have some crates all these years later.
Wow! Mr. H tried lobster for the first time while we were there. I was pregnant, so I ordered chicken. Lol. Our waitress told us about her brothers and dad and their family lobster business. To be a lobster fisherman, you have to get a special lifetime license that can only be obtained when another lobster fisherman passes away. She told us all about the industry.
Ellie
I live about 45 minutes from Portland were you both were.Did you see the light house near York beach?That one is one of my favorite light houses during the Christmas season they have it lit up.
Hi Stacey,
What a beautiful place to live! No I don’t believe we did. Do they light up most of the lighthouses in the area for Christmas, or just that one?
Ellie
Far as I know it’s just that one.its beautiful when they light it up.in the summer time there are a lot of people that come to see it.
great pictures! i’m a huge fan of lighthouses. your trip sounds so wonderful. glad you had such a great time! (and thanks for sharing the pictures)
During our honeymoon in Maine my husband and I walked the breakwater in Rockland to see the lighthouse. It was a much longer walk than we had thought just looking at it from shore! But it was a wonderful experience. It was a lovely day but a bit windy. You truly begin to feel like you are in the middle of the ocean once you are in the middle of the breakwater.
Good for you for walking all the way out there! What else did you do on your Maine honeymoon?
Ellie
We drove from our home in Seacoast NH up to Boothbay Harbor, Maine for a couple nights and north on to Lubec, Maine which is the easternmost point in the USA. Along our travels we visited 11 or 12 lighthouses. My husband knew I love them so he made a point each day of researching the ones that were along our travels and taking me to see them!
Sounds like fun! Did you have a favorite lighthouse?
I would have to say probably the lighthouse in Lubec. It is called West Quoddy Lighthouse and it is located at the easternmost point of the town (and ultimately the country).
I’ve seen pictures of that one. It’s gorgeous! It was under construction when we were in Maine, so we didn’t make the trek over there.
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing. I didn’t realize you went through there only two weeks after the Bates did! Cool.
Your photos are great . Thank you for sharing.
Lighthouses are beautiful all over the world ..
hoping you are all well
Syll
Those are good, interesting pictures. Thank-you for sharing experiences from your vacation. I have never been on a lighthouse tour. I did not realize how little awareness I have of it all.
Ellie, I am planning a graduation trip for my sweet oldest daughter. We love history and are foodies😉 She has always wanted to visit Maine. I wasn’t sure where to start so I googled best places to visit in Maine and also revisited this post because I knew you had visited some lighthouses. Portland looked like a neat place to stay with nearby Cape Elizabeth being a suggested place to visit with several lighthouses. If anyone has any advice on that I’d sure appreciate it! Just needing some guidance on how to best use our time and best place to visit. Portland sounded good because of the close proximity to Cape Elizabeth and some other fun places. We will have an infant in tow so I’d like to stay in one place and take close day trips.
Hi Marina,
That will be a wonderful trip! We didn’t spend much time in Portland, but I have heard that it’s a great city. The only things we did in Maine were the lighthouses along the coast and Acadia National Park. I’m sure some other readers can weigh in on things to do near Portland.
Ellie