Lighthouses

These majestic landmarks are a uniquely Maine experience.

Seaside Sentinels

Every mile of our coastline has long offered sailors and sea captains the guidance and protection of a Maine lighthouse. Even in blinding snowstorms and powerful Nor’easters, our Maine lighthouse keepers would work tirelessly to keep the light on for the safety of ships. The stories of bravery and peril that have made it into the history books are thrilling and sometimes frightful.

The days of the manned lighthouse are all but gone, replaced by superior automation tools, alerting commercial and pleasure boaters of the danger that lies in wait should they come too close to Maine’s beautiful but rocky shoreline.

The Nubble Lighthouse and more…

These distinctive, masterfully engineered, often cheery buildings hold a special place in the heart of those who come to the Maine Beaches. One lighthouse, in particular, Cape Neddick’s Nubble Light, is considered the most photographed lighthouse globally, being hash-tagged in various ways, all including “nubble,” more than 45,000 times in a recent Instagram search.

All Maine Beaches lighthouses are visible from land. Gaze across the harbor to Goat Island Light from the Cape Porpoise Pier, where you can grab a great lobster roll, too. Kittery’s Fort Foster, with its trails, beaches, and long boardwalk, offers a view of Whaleback Light, which marks the mouth of the Piscataqua River just a stone’s throw from the Maine-New Hampshire state line.

Maine Open Lighthouse Day

We invite you to find ways to get closer to our lighthouses, perhaps by boat or sea kayak, or get a tour on Maine Open Lighthouse Day. Celebrated statewide every year on the second Saturday of September, Maine Open Lighthouse Day offers visitors to our coast the opportunity to explore more and learn about the vital role that lighthouses have played throughout our maritime history. Two of The Maine Beaches lighthouses that open up each year are Goat Island Lighthouse at the entrance to Cape Porpoise Harbor and Wood Island Lighthouse, which sits in Saco Bay.

Long after you return home, these majestic landmarks will stay with you as a uniquely Maine experience.