New London Ledge Light

Location: New London, Connecticut
Built: 1909
Height: 58 feet
Accessibility: Not accessible, but can be viewed with binoculars from Avery Point or you can get closer by boat.
Our visit: May 25, 2009

Another lighthouse that you can see from Avery Point, along with The New London Harbor Light.

We had originally gone just to view the Avery Point Lighthouse, but once we were there, we were happy that there were two other lighthouses within view! There is a little lookout deck at Avery Point with binoculars so you can get a better look. We were only able to tell that it was a lighthouse after looking through the zoom lens on our camera.

Apparently you can get a closer look if you do a Down East Lighthouse Cruise, but the website hasn’t been updated in a few years and the rates were kind of steep.

Avery Point Lighthouse

Location: New London, Connecticut
Built: 1944
Height: 41 feet
Accessibility: Easily accessible on the UConn Avery Point campus.
Our visit: May 25, 2009

Although you can’t go inside the Avery Point Lighthouse, it’s definitely worth visiting. It’s situated on the UConn Avery Point campus, with lots of outdoor sculptures, picturesque views, and some very cool castle-looking buildings. It’s free to enter the campus (which was nice to find out after paying $10 to park at Five Mile Point Light in New Haven) and it was pretty easy to find.

From Avery Point, there are also two other lighthouses within view: New London Harbor Light and the New London Ledge Light.

Avery Point has recently been restored after it had been neglected for many years. You can see a before picture at the Avery Point Lighthouse Foundation’s website.

New London Harbor Light

Location: New London, Connecticut
Built: 1801
Height: 89 feet
Accessibility: You need binoculars or a boat to see it.  We saw it while visiting Avery Point Lighthouse.
Our visit: May 25, 2009

May 25, 2009 was a great day for us, lighthouse-wise. When we were at Avery Point, we not only saw the Avery Point Lighthouse, but two other lighthouses from afar, including this one and the New London Ledge Light.

At Avery Point, they have a little lookout point with binoculars there so you can get a closer look at some of the other lighthouses. Otherwise, you can bring your own binoculars or get closer to it by boat.

Southwest Ledge Light

Location: New Haven, Connecticut
Built: 1877
Height: 45 feet
Accessibility: Inaccessible, but you can see it with binoculars or a good zoom lens when visiting Five Mile Point Light.
Our visit: May 25, 2009

We stumbled upon this lighthouse by accident.  We were visiting Five Mile Point Lighthouse and noticed something in the distance.  We couldn’t tell what it was until we used the camera and zoomed in.

Southwest Ledge Light was actually a replacement for Five Mile Point Lighthouse.   There aren’t any cruises that go past this lighthouse, so you’ll either need your own boat or a pair of binoculars to check it out.

Five Mile Point Light

Location: New Haven, Connecticut
Built: 1805
Height: 80 feet
Accessibility: Very accessible.  It’s at Lighthouse Point Park, a lovely beach park with a carousel, beaches, playgrounds, and more.  There is a $10 parking fee to access the park.
Our visit: May 25, 2009

This is a great old lighthouse. We didn’t realize there would be such a beautiful park right in New Haven. You can easily spend hours here. They have grills and picnic grounds, so bring the family and make a day of it. It was well worth the $10 parking fee.

You can’t go inside the lighthouse, unfortunately, but you can hang around outside of it. You can also see Southwest Ledge Light from Lighthouse Point Park. Pack a picnic lunch, enjoy the views, check out the lighthouse and ENJOY!

New Point Loma Lighthouse

Location: San Diego
Built: 1891
Height: 70 feet
Accessibility: It’s fenced off, but you can drive past it or see it from afar. Near the Old Point Loma Lighthouse.
Our visit: February 20, 2009

Unfortunately, you can’t get too close to the New Point Loma Lighthouse. However, you can see it from a distance while near the Old Point Loma Lighthouse. You can drive by it and park nearby, then walk up to the fence and take some snapshots.

Old Point Loma Lighthouse

Location: San Diego, CA
Built: 1855
Height: 46 feet
Accessibility: Easily accessible. In the Cabrillo National Monument.
Our visit: February 20, 2009

Our first West Coast lighthouse visit on our Lighthouse Quest!

Old Point Loma Lighthouse is one of the oldest lighthouses on the West Coast. It was only in use for a few decades before it was replaced by the New Point Loma Lighthouse.

The Old Point Loma Lighthouse is situated in the middle of a park. You do have to pay a small fee to enter. In the park, there’s also a little museum near the lighthouse and a visitor’s center. There are some lovely views of San Diego and of the water from the park. You can also go inside the lighthouse and climb up the stairs. You can’t go to the top, but in the lighthouse they have the rooms set up as they were while the lighthouse was in use.

Scituate Light

Location: Scituate, MA
Built: 1811
Height: 50 feet
Accessibility: Easily accessible, in a neighborhood
Our visit: January 3, 2008

First lighthouse of 2009!! This is one of my favorite lighthouses that I’ve been to so far. It’s one of the oldest lighthouses I’ve seen, if not the oldest. It’s in a really lovely spot and it’s very easy to find. (I just put Lighthouse Road in Scituate on my GPS, and then followed Lighthouse Road to the very end)

This lighthouse has occasional open houses.

Stonington Harbor Lighthouse

Location: Stonington, CT
Built: 1845
Height: 35 feet
Accessibility: Easily accessible, in a neighborhood
Our visit: December 30, 2008

This is a neat old lighthouse. It’s been a museum since 1925, open from May until October. It’s really easy to find and it’s sort of different looking than your average lighthouse. We checked it out after going to Mystic Seaport, so we had a day of nautical fun!

Mystic Seaport Lighthouse

Location: Mystic, CT
Height: 26 feet
Accessibility: You can go right up to it, with admission to the Mystic Seaport Museum.
Our visit: December 30, 2008

The Mystic Seaport Lighthouse is actually a REPLICA of the Brant Point Lighthouse in Nantucket, Massachusetts. It is part of the Mystic Seaport Museum.

We visited the museum because we like museums, history, and nautical information. We didn’t know that there would be a lighthouse replica, but it was pretty cool. It was even the same size as the Brand Point Lighthouse.

DEFINITELY visit the Mystic Seaport Museum. It’s an excellent museum. You could probably spend an entire day there.