Seeing the Light
How to get inside the ultimate scenic landmarks
Photo: Robert Schellhammer
T
hose picture-postcard lighthouses look pretty from the outside. The secret? You can go inside during the day and at sunset, for the best views on the Vineyard. Three of the island's five lighthouses, all on the north side—East Chop Light on a cliff 79 feet above the sea in Oak Bluffs, the red-brick Gay Head Light over the dramatic Gay Head cliffs in Aquinnah (our pick as a must see), and the Edgartown Lighthouse—are open for public tours run by the Martha's Vineyard Museum. At Gay Head Light, visitors are allowed into the light chamber, where they can watch the two lights rotate. There are also guided tours to (though not inside) the Cape Poge Lighthouse on Chappaquiddick.
Shhhh! The lighthouse's Its original lens,
one of the finest ever made, with 1,009 prisms
to maximize the beam's intensity and exhibited
at the 1855 World’s Fair in Paris, is in the
Martha's Vineyard Museum in Edgartown.
one of the finest ever made, with 1,009 prisms
to maximize the beam's intensity and exhibited
at the 1855 World’s Fair in Paris, is in the
Martha's Vineyard Museum in Edgartown.
Shhhh! The Edgartown Lighthouse originally stood
in Ipswich and was moved here after its predecessor was badly damaged by the Hurricane of 1938.
in Ipswich and was moved here after its predecessor was badly damaged by the Hurricane of 1938.
Shhhh! The Cape Poge Lighthouse has been
repeatedly wrecked by the sea. The current white wooden structure, built in 1922, has been moved away several times from the water, the last time by helicopter.
repeatedly wrecked by the sea. The current white wooden structure, built in 1922, has been moved away several times from the water, the last time by helicopter.
Shhh who knew
You can see all the lights at once during the annual Martha’s Vineyard Lighthouse Challenge in June, which includes transportation to five lighthouses and a “lighthouse passport” book. Really into lighthouses? Buy this book.
Martha's Vineyard lighthouse tours
East Chop Drive
Oak Bluffs,
MA,
02557
508.693.8627
Find on a map|Get directions.
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9 Aquinnah Circle
Aquinnah,
MA,
02535
508.645.9954
Find on a map|Get directions.
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North Water Street
Edgartown,
MA,
02539
508.627.4441
Find on a map|Get directions.
Find more secrets in Aquinnah, Edgartown, Gay Head, Oak Bluffs
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Edgartown Lighthouse, late May through mid June, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Mid June through early September, daily, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Fridays till 8 p.m. late July through early September)
Gay Head Lighthouse, mid June through mid September, Friday through Sunday for an hour and half before sunset until a half hour after sunset
East Chop Lighthouses, mid June through mid September, Sunday for an hour and half before sunset until a half hour after sunset
Dates and times can vary; check the website.
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