I was wondering if any of my fellow Wackos could help me out. I'm trying to select a vacation destination for a lighthouse photo trip somewhere in the New England area. I've never been to the east coast, and I'd love to visit in the fall next year.
I haven't really started looking yet, and I figured who better to point me in the right direction than you all. So, any suggestions you may have, shoot em at me.

Thanks

The coast of Maine would be very nice in the fall of the year. Anywhere in the New England area is great for lighthousing. I would venture to say that from the New York/Connecticut line to the Maine/Canada border there must be 150 - 175 Lights, in not more, that can be seen. Not all in one day mind you, but we have lighthouses.

Bert

What Burt hasn't said, Mike, is TAKE A LOT OF FILM ALONG!!!!

Gary

Mike-

I would STRONGLY suggest doing the run from Cape Neddick/Nubble to Marshall Point.

Along this run there are some of the best lighthouses in America!!!

Among them:

Nubble: One of the most photographed

Portland Head Light: I strongly suggest getting there at dawn. It was one of the most beautiful things I have seen in my life and there will be no one there but you and the fishermen on the shoreline rocks. PH is the grand daddy of all lighthouses! BTW, the are 4 other lighthouses in Portland really close together.

Pemaquid Point: Arguably the most beautiful lighthouse I have seen when considering surrounding. Make absolutley sure you get a really nice day. It will be breath taking. There is a gift shop there. an art gallery, and a restaurant with bay windows so you can really have a prolonged stay. PP is one of those special places that grow in legend in your mind after you visit there. It is some place I would love to get back to someday! You could also hope a ferry nearby and goe to Mohegan Island. Another beautiful lighthouse setting.

Marshall Point: a great light w/ museum in Port Clyde. The Forrest Gump Light!

From there you are also in striking distance to Owl's Head, White Head and Rockland (close to a mile long - bring your sneakers) Breakwater light.

I have some of these lights posted on my web page: http://www.LighthouseRatings.com

Eventually, they all will be, but take a look, you will see what beauty I am talking about.

My Best,

Terry

Mike,

I agree with all of them so far.

I'd concentrate on one state- like Massachucetts or Maine.

There are about 30 lighthouses you can get to in Massachucetts and even more in Maine.

If you do Massachucetts make sure you budget time for Martha's Vineyard. You get 5 Lighthouses there if you do it right. In the Fall you'll miss the really crazy time, but do it early enough in the Fall and the weather will still be very nice.

Make sure you go all the way out the Cape to Provincetown- there's another long walk out to 2 Lighthouses and a third one Race Point is worth the long walk out over the sand.

It's hard to go wrong in New England with Lighthouses- RI has a ton, Connecticut has some nice ones. You can cover New Hampshires fairly quickly, but they are worth the trip also.

I can't speak on Vermont- haven't been to any there yet.

Maine is the Motherlode- there's so many there that you wouldn't want to miss- Portland Head, Cape Neddick, Pemaquid Point, Owl's Head, Rockland Breakwater, and on and on.

I know this doesn't actually help, but so what. I'm trying to say there are so many choices that you can't go wrong.

Do a search on the Forums for some of the narratives about the trips people have taken to NE Lighthouses- you'll enjoy the trips.

Dennis

Hey guys, I'll grant you SOME liberties, but when it comes to the "mother lode" of lighthouses, I live in the state that can most legitimately make that claim with 116 of them! Sorry, but a little local pride has to come out once in a while!

Gary

Thanks to everyone for all the help !!! I'm starting to get pretty excited about this, sounds like it will be a blast. I like the idea of keeping it to one state, I don't want to feel too rushed. And it sounds like Maine would be my first choice at this early stage.

Of course I have to agree with Gary, Michigan is the motherland. I'm glad I live so close to so many great lighthouses and general nautical culture. But it will be great to explore further out.

Thanks again !!!

You are absolutely right, Gary. But you have to take into consideration that it probably takes all six New England states to make one of yours.

Bert

Bert the coastline of all of the New England states together probably doesn't come up to anything close to the total coastline of Michigan, which if memory serves me correctly is somewhere around 3300 miles or so!

Gary

Gary,

I'll agree with you if the term Motherlode was referring to the entire US. Then Michigan gets it hands down.

I was answering a question pertaining to New England and I used that term to describe Maine which I believe correctly uses the term (although Massachucetts is not far behind).

Picky, picky provincial people!

Dennis

Like I said, Dennis, a little local pride has to come out once in a while! LOL

Gary

The Lakeshore frontage with Michigan in respect to the Great Lakes exceeds not only the seashore frontage of the New England states, but also the remainder of the Atlantic Seaboard (from Maine to the tip of Florida). We settled this one day when I still lived in Minnesota after we also determined that Michigan was sitting under more water(% of land under water) than the Land of Lakes. Don't ask, there isn't much that goes on in Albert Lea, MN. :p
JB

I did the same thing just this fall. I flew into Boston (much cheaper than Portland) right after Halloween and worked my way ll the way up to Wset Quoddy. Be sure you get good directions to the lights, some of them can be hard to find. Try http://lighthouse.cc/me.html or http://www.lighthousefriends.com/pull-lights.asp. A lot of Maine's lights can't be seen from the shore or are on off shore islands. But then again, a lot of them a bunched together like Portland Head, Ram Island Ledge, Squirrel Point Ledge and Portland Harbor, all within sight of each other (almost). Accomodations are much cheaper after Labor Day and you can be chooser. I went alone so I spent less on rooms and more on film. Be sure to see Acadia Natio Park if you go that far north. I had some extra time, so I looped the Cape Ann area of Massachusetts which also has a lot of lights. Got lucky too, the keeper at Marblehead was there and let me climb to the lantern room. The weather's usually dry that time of the year but I caught the renants of Hurricane Isidore and had some cloudy or rainy days. The lights were still easy to photograph and, after all, you're supposed to see them in bad weather -that's what they're for!

Have fun,
Bob

How about showing us some of your pictures, Bob. Would love to se what you took of the Maine and Mass lights.

Bert