STAYING AT A LIGHTHOUSE

STAYING AT A LIGHTHOUSE takes viewers to some of the most incredibly beautiful places in America with visits to some of the very few lighthouses where people can actually spend the night. The one-hour pledge special airs on public television during the December on-air fundraising period (check local listings).

There is something special about lighthouses that draws an emotional response. Lighthouses lift our spirits and inspire us. They remind us of our heritage of courage and self-sacrifice on behalf of others.

There is a resurgence of interest in lighthouses across the country. There is a great deal of activity to preserve and restore many of America’s lighthouses and keeper’s dwellings. By and large, this is a grass roots effort by local people in love with lighthouses. Hundreds of thousands of people visit lighthouses each year.

STAYING AT A LIGHTHOUSE presents the most sought after lighthouse experience - places where people can stay overnight in an old, restored lighthouse.

Whether they were abandoned long ago or still flash through the fog, hundreds of lighthouses stand along some of the most beautiful and isolated stretches of the American coastline. But only a few invite you to spend the night.

Charlotte Johnson of the Rose Island Lighthouse best describes the experience. "We invite people to go back in time as far as their imaginations can take them," she says. "It’s mostly adventure and romance and all this wonderful kind of stuff. It’s a wonderful experience."

Rose Island Lighthouse is one of ten lighthouses featured in the program. Lighthouses from across the country are included and represent a range of lighthouse experiences from quaint bed and breakfast inns, to remote island getaways, and even lower budget lighthouse experiences.

The following lighthouses are included in the program:

Heceta Head Lighthouse Inn, Florence, Oregon

This lighthouse stands 205 feet above one of the most beautiful stretches of the Pacific coast. Innkeepers and certified chefs Mike and Carol Korgan prepare a seven course gourmet breakfast for guests and provide nighttime tours of the tower.

Rose Island Lighthouse, Newport, Rhode Island

This lighthouse provides the opportunity to actually take on the role of a turn of the century lighthouse keeper. Guests can spend a night or a week and perform chores that help to keep the lighthouse working.

The Keeper’s Inn, Isle au Haut, Maine

"Lighthouses are sexy," says innkeeper Jeffrey Burke. "There’s something about them that stirs our fundamental feelings and emotions." This lighthouse is located on a 12-mile square island that is part of Acadia National Park.

Saugerties Lighthouse, Saugerties, New York

This is one of the few remaining river lighthouses in America. The lighthouse sits along the historic Hudson River, virtually surrounded by water.

East Brother Light Station, San Francisco Bay, California

This lighthouse sits on an island about the size of a football field. It is the oldest operating lighthouse in the Bay area. Guests stay in the restored two-story, Victorian-style keeper’s dwelling.

Sand Hills Lighthouse Inn, Ahmeek, Michigan

This is the largest and last manned lighthouse built on the Great Lakes. Morning risers enjoy a spectacular sunrise over Lake Superior from the rocky shore, their front porch or private balcony, or the lighthouse tower.

Race Point Lighthouse, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

This lighthouse sits at the very tip of Cape Cod, surrounded by sand dunes and beaches. It is two miles to the nearest road. Guest arrive by dune buggy. This is one of two lighthouse stays operated by the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History.

Monomoy Point Lighthouse, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

This is probably the most isolated of all lighthouse stays. Guests walk about a mile to the lighthouse on a dune covered island. John Shane is the executive director of the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History. "When people come back from these trips," he says, "they are absolutely bubbling about the things they saw."

Point Montara Lighthouse, Pacifica, California

This one of two California lighthouses that offer travelers on a limited budget an opportunity to stay at a lighthouse. Both are managed by Hosteling International.

Pigeon Point Lighthouse, Pescadero, California

This majestic lighthouse, also managed by Hosteling International, sits on a windswept point of rock along a remote stretch of California coastline. The 115-foot brick tower is one of the tallest lighthouses on the Pacific Coast.

STAYING AT A LIGHTHOUSE is a special edition of the PBS series LEGENDARY LIGHTHOUSES. The program is a production of Driftwood Productions Inc. Producer: John Grant.

Underwriters: Public Television Viewers

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Legendary Lighthouses is a co-production of Driftwood Productions Inc. and WPSX-TV/Penn State
Executive Producer John Grant.