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Planning Trip to Chesapeake Bay area #67842 05/30/00 02:38 AM
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LADYBUG Offline OP
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Al and I are planning a trip to the Chesapeake Bay area in September. Want to visit as many lighthouses as possible. Plan on being in area for about two weeks. Flying in and out of Washington, D.C. and renting a car. Any suggestions on routes, places to stay, etc. would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Darlene

Re: Planning Trip to Chesapeake Bay area #67843 05/30/00 09:28 PM
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Hi Darlene,

I can help you with the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake. If you are flying into Washington you would probably want to start by going to the Calvert Maratime Museum in Solomons. It is pretty close to DC. Drum Point Light is at the museum. It was moved there from it's original location, about 1 mile away, in the 1960's. It is beautifully restored and maintained. Threre are a lot of interesting exibits at the museum also. Solomons is a quaint little fishing town and there are a couple of motels there. I think one is a Comfort Inn.

Cove Point Lighthouse is just north of Solomons along the bay. It is an active Coast Guard Station. You can see the lighthouse thru the fence but the grounds are not accessable.

There are quite a few lighthouses south of Solomons on the western shore of the Chesapeake but I can' give you much info on them.

Annapolis is about 2 hours north of Solomons.
Thomas Point light is offshore from Annapolis. I am not aware of a good vantage point from shore. You may want to check on a tour boat.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is just north of Annapolis. Sandy Point and Baltimore Lights are a little north of the Bridge. You can get a good view of Sandy Point as you cross the northernmost span (coming from the Eastern Shore). You can also see it from Sandy Point State Park on the western end of the bridge. You can also see Baltimore Light from there but is quite a ways north. You can get a better look at it from some of the bayfront residential areas.

From there head north to the Inner Harbor of Baltimore. Seve Foot Knoll Lighthouse was moved from the Bay to the Inner Harbor about 10 years ago. Allow an extra day or two to see all of the other attractions in and around the Inner Harbour. There are several other lesser known lighthouses on the western shore of the bay just north of Baltimore. They are visible from shore but you have to be very famaliar with the area to find them. A better bet is to visit them by boat but none of the tour boats go up to that area.

From Baltimore head north about 40 miles to Havre de Grace, Md. It is at the very northern tip of the Bay and the Susquehanna River empties into the Bay there. You can visit Concord Point while there. You can drive right up to it. Be sure to visit the Decoy Museum while in town.

From there cross the Susquehanna River on US Rte 40 and go about 10 mile to the town of North East. Take Rte 272 thru town to Elk Neck State Park. Turkey Point Lighthouse is there. I believe you have to walk about a mile to get to it. It sits high on a bluff. The view is spectacular. You can look back across to Havre de Grace, South down the bay or up the Elk River to the C&D canal which connects the Chesapeake Bay to the Delaware Bay.

From there go to Elkton and take Rte 213 south to Rt 301. Take Rte 301 south to Rte 50 East to Easton. Bear right in Easton on Rte 33 to St Micheals. At the Chesapeake Bay Maratime Museum you will find Hoopers Straight Lighthouse. It is a screwpile lighthouse, every bit as beautiful as Thomas Point but with a green roof, that was relocated there from the bay quite a while back. The museum there is also quite interseting. Spend some time in St Micheals. It is a very intriguing little town. If you care for some liquid refreshments be sure to stop at the Carpenter Street Saloon. From St Micheals continue east on Rt 33 to Tilghmans Island. Cross the drawbridge and drive as far south on the Island as possibe. From there you will be as close to Sharps Island Light as you can probably get by car. If you want a great Chesapeake Bay Meal stop at Harrisons Chesapeake House on the island. I would recommend the fried chicken and crab cake platter or a pile of steamed crabs and a few cold beers. If you like to fish you can arrange a fishing trip from there. They have quite a few boats that fish out of there.

That is about all I can help you with. There are quite a few others in the Virginia portion of the bay. I have seen some but can't offer much as far as local information.

PS- If you have a couple of extra days you may want to consider some of the coastal lighthouse. You really will not be very far from Fenwick and Assateague. If you go 60 miles south from Assateague and cross the 17 mile long Chesapeake Bay Bridge -Tunnel you are just a couple of miles from the twin lights at Cape Henry. Two hours south from Cape Henry are the beginning of the Outer Banks Lighthouses.............???????????

Good Luck,

Jim Thomas

Re: Planning Trip to Chesapeake Bay area #67844 05/30/00 10:48 PM
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Hi Darlene,

There is one thing that I forgot to tell you.
I would suggest that you buy a book named Bay Beacons by Linda Durbyville. It lists all of the Chesapeake Lights with a detailed history and picture of each one.

I believe I purchased my copy from the Lighthouse Depot catalog.

Jim

Re: Planning Trip to Chesapeake Bay area #67845 05/30/00 11:42 PM
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Jim,

If this is "Forgotten Beacons" by Patrick Hornberger & Linda Turbyville I agree it's a great book. I believe I got mine from Barnes & Nobel.

Re: Planning Trip to Chesapeake Bay area #67846 05/30/00 11:55 PM
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The book that I have is "Bay Beacons - Lighthouses of the Chesapeake Bay". It has a great picture of Thomas Point on the jacket. Linda Turbyville is the only author listed. It was published in Annapolis,MD in 1995. It is a great source of information on all current bay lights with a lot of information on lighthouses that no longer exist.

Jim

Re: Planning Trip to Chesapeake Bay area #67847 05/31/00 01:02 AM
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wheland Offline
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How far do you want to travel? If you use a real elastic definition of the area you can make it to LH's in Delaware, NJ, Maryland, VA. If you let us know how far afield you want to go we can give you more information than you can possibly use. Dennis

Re: Planning Trip to Chesapeake Bay area #67848 05/31/00 05:49 PM
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LADYBUG Offline OP
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Jim
Thanks for the great information and book tip; gives us a great start for planning the Maryland portion of the trip.

Dennis
We hope to see lighthouses in New Jersey, Delaware, and Virginia as well. Not sure if time will permit, but are also considering as far down as Cape Hatteras.

We have checked out the Chesapeake Chapter of the USLHS's web page and have found a wealth of information there as well.

Darlene

Re: Planning Trip to Chesapeake Bay area #67849 05/31/00 10:31 PM
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wheland Offline
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Darlene, If you can get your hands on a copy of America's Atlantic Coast Lighthoused by Kenneth G Kochel. This book is a great source for information on Lh's from Me to FL. and inbetween. It has directions to them and information about the LH's themselves. The edition I have is not the latest and it ic currently being revised. I know it was available at http://www.ultranet.com/~jclaflin/ . The book is worth it, just remember that if you get an older edition to check times, etc with another source. Dennis

[This message has been edited by wheland (edited 05-31-2000).]

Re: Planning Trip to Chesapeake Bay area #67850 06/01/00 12:46 AM
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Here is a great web site. Wish it was around when ever I went Lighthousing at the Chesapeake Bay Area.
http://www.cheslights.org/heritage.htm

Daniel


DANIEL
Re: Planning Trip to Chesapeake Bay area #67851 06/01/00 02:26 AM
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Art Offline
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Darlene,

If you go as far as Hatteras, you *must* take the short ferry over to Ocracoke Island as well.

------------------
-Art


-Art
Re: Planning Trip to Chesapeake Bay area #67852 06/08/00 09:09 PM
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Deb Weissler Offline
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Darlene. If it's Virginia on your itinerary then I highly recommend Assateague Island Light. It stands inside the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and near the Assateague Island National Seashore. In September the crowds thin and the madness of pony penning is past. The island of Chincoteague has nice accommodations and both islands have their own unique charm. You can reach the refuge via US Highway 13 down the eastern shore of Virginia (almost on the VA-MD border). The lighthouse is not open to climb but a first order Fresnel lens is on display near the tower base. If the weather is cool the wild ponies will have come out from the remote beaches and can be seen grazing along the roadsides and in the marshes along some of the hiking trails.
2 1/2 hours south are the twin lights at Cape Henry in Virginia Beach.The older of the two towers is open to the public to climb. 1 1/2 hours south from there and you have all the great lights of the NC Outer Banks!
And there are lots of Wackos in the Virginia Tidewater to meet if you are so inclined!

Deb

Re: Planning Trip to Chesapeake Bay area #67853 06/09/00 02:16 AM
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Dave H Offline
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I just received my electronic newsletter from the Chesapeake Chapter of the USLHS with information about Fenwick Island & Assateague:

FENWICK ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE
gates have been installed inside the main entrance to the lighthouse, enabling visitors to partially enter the lighthouse and view the interior of the tower on a daily basis. Starting May 1st (weather permitting) the lighthouse will open daily for this limited entry. For complete interior viewing, the complex will be open on the following dates: June 7 & 21, July 5 & 19, August 2, 16 & 30 and September 6.

- ASSATEAGUE LIGHT TOURS
The Park Service will be opening up the Assateague Light several times this year for tours. The dates are:
June 17, 18
July 8, 9
August 12, 13
Sept. 2, 3, 4
Oct. 14, 15
Nov. 4, 5
Tour times are 9 am - 3 pm.
For more info call 757-336-2872

Dave

Re: Planning Trip to Chesapeake Bay area #67854 06/09/00 08:29 AM
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Brent Offline
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Darlene....I'm not sure whether you are planning to go as far south as the "Tidewater" area of Virginia....but if you are considering it you need to head for Hampton and check out "Old Point Comfort". You can hit two birds with one stone because directly behind OPC is Ft. Monroe...one of the most significant Civil War "Forts" of its time. Then you can get on I-64 (which is next door to the Fort) and in about 15 minutes be at the Cape Henry site...which is located on Ft. Story. If you decide to visit that area there is a couple of other "lights" ("Middle Ground" & "New Point Comfort") which are located in the area, as well as the "Mariner's Museum" in Newport News which has a nice LH section and one of the finest examples of a 5th Order Fresnel Lense in the nation. It also has an "ever-expanding" display of Titanic artifacts, etc. Good Luck in planning your itinerary.


Brent
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Re: Planning Trip to Chesapeake Bay area #67855 06/09/00 09:25 AM
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Nana Offline
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Hi,
Two weeks is a nice amount of time to see a lot of lights and there are lots as you well know in the area you will be in. Several summers ago we began at the SC/NC border and did all the NC lights in 3 days. Quick but rewarding. Recently, we were in VA. Fort Monroe was very interesting. Be sure and take time to walk around and see Old Point Comfort from all sides.

Some have called me Wacko, but I took an airplane ride over a lot of the Baltimore area lights so that I could see more and the cost was not too high.

Have a great trip.

Derith

PS Almost forgot two lights that I really enjoyed in the Washington, DC area. They are Jones Point and Fort Washington. You can get a lot of info from the Chesapeake Lights webpage. Hope you plan to include them both. Both include a walk to the light thru a park. Fort Washington grounds have lots of acres and the buildings and museum are very interesting.

[This message has been edited by Nana (edited 06-09-2000).]

Re: Planning Trip to Chesapeake Bay area #67856 06/10/00 01:43 AM
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Dave H Offline
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You want to see Fresnel lenses, you need to go to the CG Training Center in Yorktown. They have one of every size except for 3 1/2 order. Some beehives, some clamshells. Very nice display.

Previous Fresnel thread


First Order beehive and 2nd order bi-valve


An interesting 4th order lens

Dave

to add the links & pics

[This message has been edited by Dave H (edited 06-10-2000).]

Re: Planning Trip to Chesapeake Bay area #67857 06/22/00 03:57 PM
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LADYBUG Offline OP
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Just a word of thanks to all who have provided information in this thread to help with planning our trip to the Chesapeake Bay area.

We have reserved tickets for the Delaware Bay Lighthouse Tour out of Cape May. Has anyone taken this trip? If so, what is your opinion.

Our plans are now to fly into Baltimore, rent a car and head straight to Sandy Hook where we will begin our adventure. Currently have 40 lighthouses on itinerary and are researching another 18 or so to see if we can include any of them as well. We also plan to visit three lightships, a couple museums and the Coast Guard Training Center in Yorktown. Thanks DAVE for the information. Al is afraid I'll get lost there with all those different types of lens to study and photograph.

Once again thanks everyone for your input.
Al and Darlene


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