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East Coast Trip Summer 2019 (Connecticut & Long Island)

Writer's picture: Andy RobinsonAndy Robinson

Day 10: Connecticut Lighthouses (also see Hudson River Valley)

We drove a little under 2 hours to Bridgeport, Connecticut, where we parked to hike out to the Fayerweather Island Lighthouse. Even though the hike was very short and only took about 15 minutes, we found the granite breakwater to be very difficult and dangerous to walk on. Eventually, we got to the lighthouse and took a bunch of photos.

Fayerweather Island Lighthouse

Penfield Reef Lighthouse was also distantly visible from Fayerweather Island.

Penfield Reef Lighthouse

We walked back and got back in our car, we drove just a few minutes east to Seaside Park, where we viewed the foundation for the former Bridgeport Harbor Lighthouse.

Bridgeport Harbor Lighthouse Foundation

We could also see Tongue Point Lighthouse, located on the grounds of a power plant and completely inaccessible to the public.

Tongue Point Lighthouse

We then drove a few minutes over to Stratford Point Lighthouse, viewable strictly from the front gate (the site is owned and lived in by the Coast Guard and a barrage of no trespassing signs guard the lighthouse). The lighthouse, despite the peeling paint, is very nice looking.

Stratford Point Lighthouse

We then grabbed a quick lunch before driving to Five Mile Point Lighthouse in New Haven, Connecticut. After parking, we walked over to the lighthouse and took some great pictures (also visible from the Five Mile Point is Southwest Ledge Lighthouse, located out on a breakwater).

Five Mile Point Lighthouse
Southwest Ledge Lighthouse

Finally, we drove to our hotel just as it was starting to rain. When we got there, we took a very distant picture of Faulkner’s Island Lighthouse, located miles out in the water.

Faulkner's Island Lighthouse

We then had a great meal at our hotel before relaxing and then going to bed.


Day 11: Long Island Sound Lighthouse Cruise

After waking up pretty early at around 6:00 am, we packed up and then went down for breakfast at 7. Afterwards we left and drove about 40 minutes to Avery Point Lighthouse, located in Groton, Connecticut. It was raining, so we couldn’t see much of the waterfront. We later came back the next day. Next, we headed over to our hotel to drop off our bags and check in before driving to the next lighthouse of the day, Stonington Lighthouse.

Stonington Lighthouse

Despite the cloudy skies, we were able to view Latimer Reef Lighthouse as well as the foundation of the now-gone Stonington West Breakwater Lighthouse.

Latimer Reef Lighthouse
Stonington West Breakwater Lighthouse Foundation

We were even able to distantly view the Watch Hill Lighthouse in Rhode Island.

Watch Hill Lighthouse

After this, we walked into the Stonington Lighthouse to look in the museum. The rooms contain many interesting artifacts related to nautical history, including a lighthouse lens.

Stonington Lighthouse Lens

We also climbed to the top of the tower for a great view of Long Island Sound. After the museum, we drove back to the hotel and then to the Cross Sound Ferry in New London, where we waited for our lighthouse cruise. Finally, we boarded and headed out of New London harbor, stopping at New London Harbor, a grand federal octagonal lighthouse, and New London Ledge, an enormous house built right in the middle of the water.

New London Harbor Lighthouse
New London Ledge Lighthouse

We stopped at North Dumpling Island (unofficially its own nation), and Race Rock Lighthouse, located just off Fisher’s Island, NY.

North Dumpling Island Lighthouse
Race Rock Lighthouse

We also saw Little Gull Island Lighthouse, (by then the winds really began to pick up on the top deck, but we stayed to get better photos) a grand building built in 1869.

Little Gull Island Lighthouse

We also passed Great Gull Island, home to abandoned fortifications. We then sped to the ruins of Gardiners Point Island Lighthouse, destroyed by storms in the 1890’s.

Gardiners Point Island Lighthouse Ruins

Next, our boat headed to Orient Point Lighthouse, affectionately known as “the Coffee Pot” as it was originally a muddy brown color.

Orient Point Lighthouse

Located right next to this lighthouse is the Plum Island Lighthouse. The island is not accessible to the public, as the land is home to an animal disease center.

Plum Island Lighthouse

Finally, we headed all the way back to New London for a very distant view of Avery Point. We then got off the ferry and decided to drive to the Groton Monument, an obelisk meant to commemorate the massacre of American soldiers ordered by Benedict Arnold.

Groton Monument

We drove back to our hotel, had dinner, and relaxed for the rest of the day.


Day 12: Mystic Seaport & The Submarine Force Library and Museum

After breakfast at the hotel, we drove just a few minutes over to the Mystic Seaport. We got tickets and then wandered around the open-air museum. Mystic Seaport, interestingly, is the oldest and largest maritime museum in the United States; it is a collection of ships and buildings that replicate a mid-19th century whaling town in New England.

Mystic Seaport

Many of the buildings in the museum are historic structures that were barged in or moved in pieces from other parts of New England. One of the highlights was the replica of the 1901 Brant Point Lighthouse, which displayed 2 fantastic videos on lighthouse facts and history in a mini movie theater inside the lighthouse.

Mystic Seaport Lighthouse

We took a boat cruise around the waterfront, where we listened to commentary on the history of various ships and structures lining the shore. We also examined a room filled with ship figureheads.

Waterfront across from Mystic Seaport

Afterwards, we got lunch at Latitude 41, which included clam chowder and lobster bisque. Because we were very close to another lighthouse, Morgan Point, we decided to see if we could view it from afar (it is on a private road). We drove to Esker Point Beach and were able to see the lighthouse from there.

Morgan Point Lighthouse

We tried driving all the way up to the lighthouse, but as previously mentioned, it is on a private road. After Morgan Point we drove back to Avery Point Lighthouse, as it was close by and the weather was clear.

Avery Point Lighthouse

From Avery Point we could see other lighthouse out in Long Island Sound. Next we went to the Submarine Force Library Museum, located in Groton. This museum focuses on the history and evolution of submarines, particularly in American warfare. The crown jewel of the museum, however, is the Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine in the world, built in the 1950’s. We took a tour of the sub, gawking at the incredibly cramped conditions that sailors had to endure for months under the water. After the museum, we decided to head back to hotel to relax before our final pre-booked tour of the trip; New London Harbor Lighthouse. Before taking the tour, we drove over to the Custom House Maritime Museum in downtown New London, where we talked with some of the volunteers working at the museum and looked at the exhibits.

Custom House Maritime Museum

We then met our tour guide and then followed her all the way to the lighthouse.

New London Harbor Lighthouse

The lighthouse is located in a pretty waterfront neighborhood south of downtown; the lighthouse itself, along with a stone pad and a strip of land connecting to the road, is owned by the maritime museum. The house is privately owned. As we walked up to the lighthouse, our guide explained to us some history of the lighthouse as we looked out past the rocks surrounding the lighthouse onto Long Island Sound. We then climbed all the way to the top.

Inside the New London Harbor Lighthouse

Our guide told us that it is believed that much of the tower is just hollow empty space. The tower is pyramidal but the staircase walls stay the same diameter all the way up the tower. The “new” staircase was installed in the 1860’s. When we reached the top of the lighthouse, we admired the Fresnel lens, as well as the sweeping views of Long Island Sound, including many of its lighthouses.

New London Harbor Lighthouse Lens
View from the top of New London Harbor Lighthouse

We then headed back down the tower to our car before driving back to hotel for a nice dinner.

Day 13: Long Island Lighthouses

After waking up at 6:00 am, we left our hotel in Mystic and drove to the Cross-Sound Ferry Terminal, where we boarded the car ferry over to Long Island, where we attempted to see the Long Beach Bar Lighthouse. Unfortunately, it was raining, and the lighthouse was a few miles away, so it was difficult to see.

Long Beach Bar Lighthouse

After this, we drove about 20 minutes to Horton Point Lighthouse, which was unfortunately closed. We found it to be very beautiful.

Horton Point Lighthouse

Next, we drove about 2 hours to Montauk Lighthouse, where we had some of the worst, (but most memorable) weather of the entire trip. Intense wind and rain pummeled us as we walked to the gift shop and then up to the lighthouse.

Montauk Point Lighthouse

Inside the museum, a variety of great exhibits about the lighthouse and its history can be found.

Montauk Lighthouse Lens

We also climbed up to the top of the tower, where we looked in the lantern room and out on the violent wind and rain.

View from Montauk Lighthouse

After leaving Montauk Lighthouse, we took a quick detour to the Montauk Yacht Club Lighthouse, built in 1928. It is actually the oldest privately owned lighthouse in the country.

Montauk Yacht Club Lighthouse

We drove for about an hour and a half back through the beautiful Hamptons to the site of Shinnecock Lighthouse, which is now home to a Coast Guard Base.

Shinnecock Lighthouse Site

The lighthouse was tragically blown up with dynamite after the community was unable to save it from the Coast Guard. Today a sign marks the spot where the lighthouse stood.

Shinnecock Lighthouse Sign

Following Shinnecock, we headed off to Fire Island Lighthouse, the tallest on Long Island and the first lighthouse ships saw before they entered New York Harbor. After parking near the beach, we walked along a raised wooden path to the lighthouse, bringing us close to local wildlife, such as white-tailed deer.

Fire Island Lighthouse
Fire Island Lighthouse

Once we arrived at the lighthouse, we went into the keeper’s house to explore the museum. We also met the director of the Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society, who graciously took us to see the lighthouse’s magnificent 1st order fresnel lens. After this we walked back to the car, taking photos along the way (the clouds finally cleared away), before driving away to our hotel for the night.


Days 14 and 15: Hotel & Home

Today we decided to not see any more lighthouses or attractions; we were wiped out and it was too much time and effort commuting on the stressful and confusing Long Island freeways. We dropped off the rental car and then headed to our hotel to relax for the rest of the day. The next day, we woke up at 4:00 am to catch our 6:30 am flight.

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© 2022 by Andy D. Robinson.

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