With over 129 lighthouses the state of Michigan claims to have more than any other state in the USA. These towering sentinels lie scattered along the 3,200 miles of shoreline and are all unique. Not all of them remain active, but they all been important navigational aids and offer a glimpse into the past. Michigan is the only state to border four of the five Great Lakes which means that visitors to the state are never more than a few hours away from the lakeshore, and a historic lighthouse, some of which offer overnight stays.
Big Bay Point Lighthouse
Located in Big Bay and overlooking Lake Superior, this historic red-brick lighthouse and bed and breakfast inn is one of the few surviving resident lighthouses in the country and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It has seven guest rooms with private baths; there’s a library, sauna and even spa services available on site, too. Guests can climb to the lighthouse lantern, 120 feet above the lake surface and then survey open fields of native grasses and wildflowers, dense hardwood and pine forests, the majestic Huron Mountains looming in the distance and the ever-changing face of Lake Superior.
Sand Hills Lighthouse
Built in 1919 along a stretch of Lake Superior shoreline, the enormous Sand Hills Lighthouse was constructed with the space to simultaneously house three keepers and their families, and during WWII it served as a training base for the Coast Guard. It was decommissioned in the mid-1950’s and now is home to an award-winning B&B. It is the largest lighthouse built on the great lakes and is currently being renovated and is due to re-open in 2020.
Whitefish Point Light Station
This Lake Superior light station is famed for its location on Whitefish Point, the area around which earned the nickname “the graveyard of ships” for its treacherous waters. Fittingly, the station here now houses the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, and the 1922-built Coast Guard crew quarters now serve as a B&B. Visitors can stroll Superior’s shoreline, where Native Ojibway and the first Europeans gathered nearly 400 years ago. Experience and capture the mystery, romance and human drama of a bygone era and enoy the passing ships, or watch the northern lights in an unobstructed sky with millions of stars.The 1923 Coast Guard Lifeboat Station Crews Quarters offers five themed rooms, each with its own private bath and TV.
Portage River Lighthouse, Jacobsville
Set on the entrance to the Portage River on the eastern edge of the Keweenaw Peninsula, the Portage River Lighthouse was built in 1869. Climb the white brick tower for views of Keweenaw Bay and stay in the light’s brick keeper’s house which has been converted into a B&B with two guestrooms.
