We've been out and about up here on the Hudson River visiting lighthouses. There are several open to the public and they are all worth a stop. So far we have been to Saugerties and Kingston but Esopus and Athens are also on our list. While none of these lights are located in a romantic spot like Hopetown Harbour on Elbow Cay, they certainly lend themselves to visitors as interesting stops. Besides the Hopetown light is not open for overnight guests. But on the flip side the Hopetown light is open all day without an admission fee. It's just the travel expense that will set one back a bit.
Anyway - Kingston and Saugerties both have operational lighthouses that double as museums. Saugerties also offers an additional pleasant surprise as being an operational Bed and Breakfast located on the edge of the Hudson. It's open all year by the way.
But it wasn't always good for these lights.
Both of these lights have been brought back from the brink of demolition, and we are fortunate considerate people looked out for them and took control of their destiny. As I said the Saugerties light is well equipted as a Bed and Breakfast with comfortable sleeping quarters and plenty of space. Prospective guests may arrive by either boat or car. I'd say folks arriving by car have an advantage because they can travel into town for a meal if they like but from what I have heard the breakfasts at the light (included if I am not mistaken) are quite good.
Because the Saugerties Light is currently open to the public as a Bed and Breakfast in addition to being open for tours it gets the edge as my favorite thus far but I am sure young families will also enjoy visiting these places given their location and the content within them. People with young children will need to keep a lookout.
But the Kingston Light needs our support so stop in and look around. Ultimately the dollars will help with the restoration. Given how many communities have taken an interest in their lighthouses it's only fair that Kingston grow in this direction as well. These sites make interesting tourist attractions and Kingston has missed out on this revenue for too long. It's not all bad as far as the Kingston light goes, don't get me wrong. The Hudson Maritime museum has grown over the years and this also make an interesting stop loaded with artifacts from the industrial revolution. The museum more than makes up for the spartan musty environment the light contains.
And, the maritime museum frequently sponsors activities that many will enjoy. For instance this past weekend they held the steam boat rendezvous. While not many of them showed up this time, those that did were crewed by pleasant folks that were willing to discuss their hobby at length.
For further information see:
http://saugertieslighthouse.com/
http://www.kingstonlighthouse.com/
http://www.hrmm.org/
And you never know what you will find at the Hundson River Maritime Museum:
