Maine lighthouses open to the public in September

Any lighthouse fans out there?

On September 15, lighthouses in Maine will be opening their doors to visitors. You can climb the towers of the state's lighthouses situated on the coast, on islands and along rivers.

The fourth annual Maine Open Lighthouse Day will take place rain or shine. (Like the London Olympics?)

The event is the largest of its kind in the country, according to Maine's tourism office, and is meant to increase awareness of the state's maritime heritage.

Lighthouses always have a mystical feel to me. Ocean waves crashing ashore nearby. Thoughts of ships relying on that strong beam to navigate. The sea smell. Rocky coasts.

And sparsely located, at least in my travels, so that any time I come upon one, I want to go see it up close. I can only recall climbing inside one, perhaps on Nantucket Island? Not sure.  

I saw the lighthouse in these photos while on a cross country skiing weekend in Cape Elizabeth two winters ago. I recall that someone was unloading band gear and dressy clothes on hangers, preparing for some kind of nice event with the lighthouse as background scenery. Wedding? Anniversary?

It's hard to imagine during this steamy summer that there was snow on the lighthouse grounds at the time.

Check the Open Lighthouse Day website for details on how to visit keeper's houses and light towers on guided or self-guided tours. Most of the lights will be open to visitors from 9 am to 3 pm.

Several of the lighthouses are only accessible by boat. This gives solo travelers an opportunity to eavesdrop on conversations and possibly meet other people gathered together for the same maritime excursion.

Photos: Ellen Perlman

Portland Head Light, Fort Williams Park, Cape Elizabeth, Maine.

Comments

[www.placeswegopeoplewesee.com]

I've been lucky enough to sleep in the lighthouse keeper's house of the Portland Head Light -- my friends used to live there. Now they're in a house just across the street from the gorgeous Fort Williams Park where the lighthouse is located. Lucky me! (Though foghorns aren't a great thing for a light sleeper ...)

[Ellen]

That is so cool! Lucky you indeed. Hm, how often do foghorns sound?

[Sandy Allain]

I haven’t had a chance to visit a lighthouse yet. Does it have an eerie feel to it? It looks picturesque with the sky and sea as backdrop, but what is it really like from the inside? Does it invite the thoughts of ghosts and apparitions? Those places reek of old history and they must have seen a lot of happenings over the years.

[Ellen]

Good questions, Sandy. I imagine a lot has to do with the lighthouse and the specific atmosphere of the place at the time of the visit.
I imagine a lighthouse out on the rocks on a gray blustery day may have that eerie feeling, whereas the one in the photo here is pretty close in and in a relatively populated location and on a sunny day would likely feel less likely to conjure up ghosts.
But you're so right, if those places could talk, they'd have lots of stories to tell.

[Nomadic Samuel]

Maine is such a gorgeous state. When my parents moved to New Brunswick I got an opportunity to travel through Maine several times and I was blown away by the scenery.