It is one of the most romantic images of the historic New England coast: the steady sweep of the lighthouse beacon through a storm. Your next visit to the Connecticut coast can make its lighthouses a theme that you won't soon forget.
This illuminating getaway begins at the Old Lighthouse Museum in Stonington. The lighthouse in question here was built of stone in 1840 and guarded Stonington Harbor until 1889. Today, it houses the Stonington Historical Society's collection of items reflecting the borough's maritime heritage. Take a climb to the top of the tower, picnic on the lawn.
Next, it's on to Groton, where Downeast Lighthouse Cruises will take you out onto the water on a lobster boat for an up-close look at several lighthouses. Its Fisher's Island Cruise leaves Pine Island Marina and fills you in on local history and lore as you pass by Avery Point, Morgan Point, North Dumpling Island, New London Ledge and New London Harbor lighthouses.
Hop aboard the Thames River Heritage Park Water Taxi where you’ll visit a collection of national and historic sites along the Groton and New London shores of the Thames River that tell the stories that shaped our nation.
Next day, it's down the coast to Norwalk, where the Norwalk Seaport Association offers regular ferry service out to Sheffield Island Lighthouse. On Tuesdays, following a cruise to Sheffield Island, participants take part in a clambake in the tented pavilion adjacent to the 1868 lighthouse.