My oldest granddaughter Mary Beth (age 26) was getting married in East Haven on Saturday August 2nd. We picked up a rental car (a Ford Focus) because we figured the rental fee would be partly paid for in the gas savings because our regular vehicle is a diesel and besides that every time we go anywhere in it something breaks.

By the time we got started it was about 9:30. Bob resisted taking the Tappen Zee Bridge, so we went over the George Washington bridge. We got there at 3, and didn't get to West Haven on I-95 until 6 pm. Which was too late to go to the dinner that the groom's family was hosting in Orange. Oh well. I never did meet them.

We checked into the hotel, and made contact with such children as were there already. Our son Rob drove up from SC and picked his daughter Bree Ann up from our house and got to the hotel about 4:30, and our third daughter Beth flew in from Dallas to Boston and drove down.

Saturday the wedding was not until 6 pm, so I figured that I'd go see some things in the New Haven area. So Beth and Amelia our granddaughter (age 7) hopped into our car, and the first place I picked was Lighthouse Park. We got onto I-95 but got lost in downtown New Haven first.

Finally got to Lighthouse Park, but the fee to get in is $10.00 in the summer and Bob wouldn't pay it just to take pictures of a lighthouse. Took this sitting in line - one of the signs says "All Sales Final - no Refunds"



OK - Plan B. I saw the Nathan Hale park on the map and we went there. As we drove in and parked we could actually see (dimly) the Southwest Ledge Light





After I walked out on the fishing pier, I found that I could also see Five Mile Point Light





The guys on the fishing pier told me that there was another part of the park around the corner, so we went there too and walked around Nathan Hale Park. Then we went back to the hotel (Quality Inn which I can NOT recommend), and walked over to Chili's for lunch. While we were there, it poured rain in buckets. This was a worry as the wedding was to be outdoors at a place called Anthony's Oceanview on the beach.

This is a picture of Anthony's from Nathan Hale park


But it cleared up and the sun came out



and the wedding went on as scheduled. This is Mary Beth and Joe and her mom Debbie seated in front of us on the left.

We had a really good time at the wedding. The next morning Deb and Rob both had to get back home, but Beth and my other daughter Barb weren't going back until Monday, and neither were we. I thought it would be stupid to go all that distance and not see something of the area.

I had planned to go and see Stonington Lighthouse and then go to Mystic Seaport, and then go by Avery Point. But we got lost (I had failed to get the AAA maps because I didn't think of it in time for them to be mailed to me and there's nowhere near here that I can pick them up). We ended up at Mystic (Bob thought the tickets for there were too expensive too). We met up with Barb and her family. We walked around Mystic Seaport with them, and I took some pictures of the lighthouse (even though I knew it was a transplanted one)





Bob went in but he said you couldn't climb - only see a video tape about it.


I persuaded him to take the water taxi from one end of the Seaport to the other


but I started to have a problem with my camera battery so I only got this one good one from the water and unfortunately it is on the shady side.



The water taxi is run with an electric motor.

When we stopped at the Mystic Village to get the tickets, I got directions to Stonington, so we set out for there in earnest.



We found a parking place at the end of the road and walked up to the lighthouse



And went in



The tower entrance was right inside the door, but neither one of us climbed.



We did go into the museum. This is the lighthouse well which is under the stairs which were built for visitors.



There was a similar presentation of the cistern. Upstairs,



there was an interactive map where when you pushed a button, the map would light up where the lighthouse was located.



This is a not very good picture of the fresnel lens.

They also had a really nice old dollhouse which had a toilet with a tank above it like we used to have


By now, it was after 1 p.m. and we were hungry. So we skipped the Captain Palmer House and went looking for something to eat and to get gas from the car. But Bob turned right instead of left (I was sure it was left, but he's usually better about directions than I am) and we ended up going toward RI. The only place we could find to eat was Subway. Gas in CT was way more expensive than at home in MD or NJ but we did find it for only $4.09/gal.

We got back on I-95 and headed for exit 87 for Avery Point. The lighthouse looked so 'new' that I thought it was a replica or some kind of memorial or sculpture.



I did take a picture of it anyway.

I had not realized that I could also see the New London Ledge Lighthouse from here

I also realized that I could see the New London Harbor Light, and no one could tell me that I couldn't take pictures of it.







We went back to the motel, but everyone else had gone by now (of our group) and I was too tired to want to swim. So we went out and at dinner at Tolli's Apizza. I had fried ravioli which was on the special menu.

The next day we checked out and this time we did the Tappan Zee detour. I had sort of thought I might go down under the George Washington Bridge but I didn't want to suggest it because it would make the day so much longer.

As we got on the Tappan Zee -- Whoops - there's a lighthouse



I had a chance to take some pictures from the bridge - traffic was pretty slow.


That was an unexpected bonus.

Rosalie,

Your granddaughter certainly had a perfect day to get married near the shore and your pics are super great. Thanks for sharing them and your travels with us.

Tarrytown Light is the unnamed lighthouse seen from the Tappan Zee Bridge.

You would not have been disappointed had you traveled to Rhode Island as there are over 20 lighthouses along its 50 miles of shoreline.

Sandy

P.S. Mystic Seaport is a full-scale replica of the 1901 Brant Point, MA light. Avery Point Tower was refurbished and rededicated in October of 2006.

I thought the Lighthouse Friends website called it the Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse. Maybe that's an alternate name.

We used to live in RI, and if I had gone there I would have wanted to go by our old house which is/was on the CT border up near the northern part. As small as RI is, I didn't want to add additional distance to our trip.

And I must admit that my husband rags on me when I get the directions wrong, so I wanted to have at least once when he got it wrong. Otherwise I would have insisted that he turn around right away. I have NOT said anything to him about it though.

Great photos and narrative, Rosalie !!!

Tarrytown is where the headless horseman roamed, also known as Sleepy Hollow.


There was a horseman from Tarrytown,
Who rode with the wind along the sound,
Creating quite a scare,
Look out, look out, Beware!
Cause Ichabod Crane may be around.

A particular favorite saying of mine is:

When you're wrong, promptly admit it.
When you're right, say "nothing, nothing, nothing!"

Has helped to keep Stan in my life all these 28+ years. . . .

Sandy

Great saying Sandy

I also find this picture which I thought at first glance was the New Haven Ledge light, but which on closer inspection I think it is Race Rock Lighthouse - NY - 8 miles across the sound. More for astonishment value than because it is a good photo

If you went to the other side where New London Harbor is right in front of the driveway is the sign. I dont think they took it down since I was there. Sounds like a great trip.

What sign would that be?

this sign


BTW, I do believe that CF member Ron Foster and his son built and installed the lighthouse map at Stonington.

Nice report, thanks for sharing. Brings back some good memories.

Loved all the pics. Hope to get there some day. I've been along the coast there before but wasn't a "lighthouse bagger" before so didn't focus on lighthouses. Now will be a "bagger" when I get there again. See post from Lighthouse Duo in another thread.

I didn't see the sign because I didn't go to that side of the harbor. I don't know that I would have paid any attention to it if I had.

Interesting about the lighthouse map - thought that was really neat.

None of us pay attention to the sign. :p

Nice trip report. I really need to get back to these lights --- haven't seen most since August, 2003. In fact, a little over exactly 5 years ago. (5-7 Aug.)

Connecticut is a nice little compact lighthousing region. That whole southern New England coast, really.