Connecticut Lighthouses

We visited many of the lighthouses in Connecticut on August 13 and 14, 2007.  It was actually a  somewhat disappointing trip.  Many of the lights can only be seen by boat and we weren't able to locate the boat line!  Also, only one of the lights was open for climbing and there was a sign on the door saying that they would "be right back".  We waited around for a while but they didn't return.  Many of the lights were in park areas and the entrance fee was quite excessive for non-state residents, in one case $50.  The fee didn't include a trip inside, just up to the light.  Navigating the coast of Connecticut was quite confusing, even with a GPS!  For the most part, these lights are arranged in a west to east order.  The photos are thumbnails.  Click on the pictures to see an enlarged view.

Penfield Reef Lighthouse

This picture was taken from the mainland.


Tongue Point (Bridgewater Breakwater) Lighthouse

This lighthouse is located in Bridgewater.  You have to look closely in this picture for the lighthouse.  It is just a little above dead center.  This picture was taken from a "yacht club" in a neighborhood that more closely resembled a plutonium plant.


Stratford Point Lighthouse

This is now a private residence in Stratford.  You can not get in the light but, as you can see, you can get fairly close to it.  It was easy to find once we figured out that someone put a "south" on a Route 113 North sign so we went the wrong way for several miles!


Southwest Ledge (New Haven Breakwater) Lighthouse

This picture was taken from Lighthouse Point Park in New Haven, where the Five Mile Point Lighthouse is located.


Five Mile Point Lighthouse

This lighthouse is located in Lighthouse Point Park in New Haven.  There was a $10 fee to enter the park but you were not able to get in the light or climb it.


Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse

The "closer" shot was taken from the mainland, at the end of Agawam Avenue in Old Saybrook.  The more distant shot was taken from a different point.  There is a lighthouse there ... look closely near the left edge of the photo!


Lynde Point Lighthouse

This picture was taken from a point across the bay in Old Saybrook.


New London Harbor Lighthouse

Located in New London, you can drive right past the front entrance of this lighthouse, but it is a private residence so you can't get in it.  The first three shots were taken from points along the road by it.  The last two were taken from across the harbor at the University of Connecticut campus at Avery Point.


New London Ledge Lighthouse

Although the lighthouse is supposedly in New London, this is the best view of it we could find.  This photo was taken from the University of Connecticut campus at Avery Point, in Groton.


Avery Point Lighthouse

This lighthouse is located on the campus of the University of Connecticut at Avery Point, in Groton.  It is very easy to get to and you can walk right up to the lighthouse, although you are not able to climb it.  Aside from the fact that it is a very pretty campus, it is also the only lighthouse we have ever been to that you can see two others from it.  The first picture shows just this light.  The second shot is taken from the base of the Avery Point light and shows the New London Harbor Light across the bay.  The third view shows the New London Ledge light out in the distance.


Mystic Seaport Lighthouse

We were under the mistaken impression that Mystic Seaport was a town, or at least part of the town of Mystic.  In reality, it is an amusement park of sorts.  It has shops, rides, museums and displays.  It is for the most part, family oriented and looked like an interesting place, but we got there in the afternoon and weren't in the market for that type of thing!  Since the admission fee was in the neighborhood of $75 for the two of us, we passed on that and walked down to Mystic Pizza hoping to see Julia Roberts.  She wasn't there, but the pizza was quite good.  The first shot of the lighthouse was taken from the drawbridge heading into the downtown section.  The second view was taken from a side street on the other side of the river.  You got to love those GPS units!


Stonington Harbor Lighthouse

Like many of the other lighthouses in Connecticut, this one was at the end of a point of land sticking into the Atlantic Ocean/Long Island Sound.  Located in Stonington, it was fairly easy to find and had ample parking.  It was also the only one we found that we could climb.  The good news was that it was only $5 to get into the museum and climb the 29 steps up to the light.  The bad news is that this was the light with a hand written sign on the door saying "we'll be right back, 2:30"  We weren't sure if that meant they would be back at 2:30 or they left at 2:30 but, since it was already after 2:30, we figured we would hang around for a while.  We walked around the grounds and the point and shortly after 3:00 decided to head out.  As we drove by, the sign was still there so they had not yet returned.


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