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Oct 29, 2023

RI lighthouses guide: How to visit, which are open to public, history

Along Rhode Island's 400 miles of coastline, there are 21 lighthouses to explore. Granted, some of them are now private residences and can only be explored by gazing at them from the water, but many

Along Rhode Island's 400 miles of coastline, there are 21 lighthouses to explore.

Granted, some of them are now private residences and can only be explored by gazing at them from the water, but many of them you can go visit. One of them – the Rose Island Lighthouse – you can even make a reservation to spend a night at if you want to feel like a lighthouse keeper.

Others are open as museums, and some aren't open but you can get a view from the grounds. All of them have the coastal charm that draws visitors to lighthouses.

Here's a guide to Rhode Island's lighthouses, with visiting information for each one.

Where: Beavertail State Park, Jamestown

When it was first built: 1749

What to know: The site of the first lighthouse built in Rhode Island – and the third in America – was built to guide merchant vessels to the burgeoning trading port of Newport. The original lighthouse burned down and was replaced by another that fell out of repair in 1851. The new tour, which is the one seen today, was built in 1856. Today, the lighthouse is a museum and event rental space. The museum is open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the summer, with the option to climb to the top of the tower on select days. A $5 donation is recommended for climbing the 49-step spiral staircase and 7-foot ladder. You can also order a Beavertail Lighthouse charity license plate.

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Where: 7 Old Ferry Road, Bristol

When was it first built: 1846

What to know: The first light built at this site had a major design flaw – there was no protection for the flame so it didn't stay lit. Since a lighthouse with an unpredictable light defeats the point of a lighthouse, in 1855 a new lighthouse was built at the site with funding from Congress. That lighthouse still stands to this day. Last year, it was sold as a private residence. It's best viewed from the water.

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Where: 800 Ocean Ave., Newport

When it was first built: 1890

What to know: On the grounds of The Castle Hill Inn, the lighthouse is owned by the Coast Guard, but in 2021 the Inn entered into a 5-year agreement to maintain the stone lighthouse. The first order of business was refreshing the paint. The lighthouse was built right into the cliff-face which gives it a striking aesthetic in photos.

Where: North End of Conanicut Island

When was it first built: 1886

What to know: This lighthouse is now privately owned and no longer active. It's best viewed by boat.

Where: Warwick at the mouth of the Providence River

When was it first built: 1883

What to know: This lighthouse was one of the last to transition from incandescent oil vapor to electricity, not making the switch until 1960. Frederick Mikkelsen, one of the last of the Coast Guard to work inside the lighthouse from 1958 to 1961, described working the lighthouse as like being in the 1800s in a 2022 Providence Journal article. With the help of federal funding, Warwick is working on restoring the lighthouse.

Restoring the light:$775K in federal money to help restore Conimicut Light in Warwick

Where: Jamestown

When was it first built: 1857

What to know: This simple, boxy lighthouse had its share of drama. John Paul Albert Henry Porter was the first lighthouse keeper, living at the lighthouse at first with his wife. But, according to the Dutch Island Lighthouse Society, he went on a trip to New York and discovered his wife had led a "fast" life before marrying him. It wasn't long after that she returned to New York and only a short while after he petitioned for his mother and a "housekeeper" to move in with him. His housekeeper though was his lover, which became well-known around town when she had a child out of wedlock. Scandalized, the Light House Service asked for his resignation, which he gave. The lighthouse is best viewed by boat.

Where: Mount Hope Bay

When: 1901

What to know: Built on a shoal 600 feet southeast of Hog Island, this lighthouse replaces a lightboat that sailors had been using to navigate in the bay. The lighthouse is privately owned and not open to the public. The best way to see it is by boat.

Where: Lime Rock Island

When it was first built: 1854

What to know: When this lighthouse was first built, it was the Lime Rock Lighthouse, a square stone structure built somewhat unbelievably on a tiny island. As the Newport Mercury wrote, "One would suppose that there was hardly room to swing a cat on the Lime Rocks and yet a spot large enough has been found for a commodious two-story brick house with ample space in front…with a walk leading to the lighthouse and the little beach where the keeper hauls his boat."

Over time, the story of one of the lighthouse keepers eclipsed the lime rocks the building sat on. In 1857, Ida Lewis and her family moved to the lighthouse so her father could be the lighthouse keeper. But within a few months of moving in, her father had a stroke and caring for the lighthouse fell to Lewis and her mother. Within a year, she made her first daring rescue. As she made more and more rescues, she became known as "the bravest woman in America" with President Ulysses S. Grant coming to meet her. She worked the lighthouse – with only one brief hiatus – until she died in 1911, accumulating at least 18 rescues, though some believe the number may be as high as 25. The lighthouse was renamed in her honor. Today, it's the Ida Lewis Yacht Club.

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Where: Nayatt Road, Barrington

When was it first built: 1828

What to know: The first lighthouse built here was damaged by a winter storm in 1855. When it was determined the cost of fixing the old lighthouse would be higher than building a new one, the current lighthouse was built as a replacement. While this lighthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places, it is a private residence and not open to the public. It's best viewed by boat.

Where: 1 Goat Island Road, Newport

When was it first built: 1842

What to know: On the north lawn of the Newport Harbor Island Resort, this lighthouse makes a lot of appearances in wedding photos. It's also colloquially known as the Goat Island Lighthouse. A fun fact: On Nov. 9, 1921, a submarine rammed the break wall on which the keeper's dwelling stood, damaging the foundation. The next year, the lighthouse keeper retired (because who wants submarines ramming your home?) and the keeper's dwelling was demolished.

Where: North Light Beach, New Shoreham

When was it first built: 1867

What to know: Also called the Sandy Point Light, this is the fourth lighthouse built on the sandy peninsula after the other three couldn't survive the conditions. While there isn't tower access, in the warmer months there is a maritime museum in the main building of the lighthouse. Visitors should park in the lot for North Light Beach and walk along the beach, enjoying the views. It's about a 15-minute walk.

Where: Poplar Avenue, North Kingstown

When: 1831

What to know: This lighthouse was only in operation until 1822, at which point it was replaced by the Wickford Harbor Lighthouse. It's now a private residence and best viewed from the water.

Where: North side of the Jamestown Bridge

When it was first built: 1899

What to know: Best seen from the Jamestown Bridge, this lighthouse flooded in the Hurricane of 1938 all the way to the lantern and fog bell level which is the fourth level of the lighthouse. The lighthouse keepers had to wait two days to be rescued. The lighthouse itself was saved from being moved out of Rhode Island in 2003 when the Friends of the Plum Beach Lighthouse raised the money to restore it after years of being abandoned. The lighthouse isn't open to the public, but you can order a Plum Beach Lighthouse license plate.

Where:1470 Ocean Road, Narragansett

When was it first built: 1810

What to know: The first version of this structure was a wooden lighthouse built in 1806. That one was destroyed in the Great Gale of September of 1815, and the lighthouse seen today was built in 1806 as the replacement. When rebuilding the lighthouse, according to Lighthousefriends.com, the lighting apparatus installed was a recovered piece, that the British had stolen and brought to Bermuda in the War of 1812 and was later brought back. Visitors can visit the grounds but the lighthouse is closed.

Where: Off of Riverside, RI

When was it first built: 1871

What to know: If you take a 15-minute boat ride from the Edgewood Yacht Club in Cranston, you can visit this lighthouse that's been a beacon for mariners for over 150 years. Tickets are $50 for non-members. Once at the lighthouse, you can tour the building to learn about its history and then climb to the lantern room for a spectacular view of the bay.

Where: 369 Narragansett Ave., Prudence Island

When was it first built: 1823

What to know: To qualify the "when it was first built" date, the lighthouse was first built in 1823 but it didn't make it to this spot until 1851. The octagonal granite tower started in Newport Harbor and was moved to Prudence Island as a way to save costs when the need for a lighthouse on Prudence Island became apparent. The lighthouse still has its original bird-cage lantern top.

Historic photos:Vintage views of Rhode Island lighthouses

Where: Rose Island

When it was first built: 1870

What to know: The coolest part of this lighthouse is that you can spend the night there, or even a week. After years of being a working lighthouse, it was decommissioned in 1971 by the Coast Guard. Over a decade later, the Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation was formed to restore and maintain the lighthouse. In 1993, they relit it for private navigation. People can come to Rose Island by ferry for daily tours, they also have serval units available for rent.

Where: Off Sakonnet Point in Little Compton

When was it first built: 1884

What to know: While you can view the lighthouse from shore, it's not one that you can easily visit as it's located on Little Cormorant Rock. After sustaining heavy damage in Hurricane Carol, the Coast Guard decommissioned the lighthouse. It went to auction in 1961, when Carl Haffenreffer, president of Narragansett Brewing, bought the lighthouse for $1,111.11. After fixing up the lighthouse, the Haffenreffer family donated it to the Friends of Sakonnet Point Lighthouse, Inc, a nonprofit that has maintained the lighthouse to this day.

Where: South East Light Road, New Shoreham

When was it first built: 1870

What to know: Farmers warned the federal government to not built this massive lighthouse so close to the edge of Mohegan Bluff, but their advice wasn't heeded and in 1993 the lighthouse had to be moved back from the eroding cliffs. It took three acts of Congress, $2 million and more effort than can be quantified to save the landmark. Visiting the lighthouse is a popular stop for Block Island tourists. Admission to both the museum and to climb the tower is $20 for an adult.

Where: 1350 Warwick Neck Ave., Warwick

When it was first built: 1827

What to know: The very last lighthouse in Rhode Island to be automated, this building needed tending until 1985. The current light, which flashes green, is solar-powered. The lighthouse grounds are open to the public, but there is limited parking in the area.

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Where: 14 Lighthouse Road, Westerly

When was it first built: 1808

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What to know: On a peninsula that offers prime views of Taylor Swift's house, the lighthouse grounds are open from 8 a.m. to sunset throughout the year. Parking is available in the village of Watch Hill and people can walk in, with an exception made for the handicapped and senior citizens who can park closer to the lighthouse. In July, August and the week after Labor Day, a museum is open to the public from 1 to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons.