Rhode Island Lighthouse & Newport Harbor Tour

Even if you are not a lighthouse lover, we highly recommend the RI Bay Cruise Lighthouse Tour.

The 95 minute boat ride leaves from Quonset Point. The planned route is directly south and circle back around Jamestown, but the day we went the winds dictated that we travel in the opposite direction. Either way, the first site is a dull former lighthouse. No offense to the private owners – that’s just our personal opinion.
Conanicut at the northern tip of Jamestown tops a lovely house but the tower has been empty since 1933.

The tour really begins at the second light, Rose Island. As is common with lighthouses (at least in the northeast), this light sits on top of a fort (Hamilton). Unlike other, this one now serves both educational and leisure purposes. The island is a wildlife preserve where URI students study, and the house is a bed and breakfast where anyone (for a fee) can stay overnight or for a week as part of the “Keeper for a Week” program.

The 3^rd site is the Newport Harbor, or “Goat Island,” Light. This is the second light built here – the original was too small and now inhabits Prudence Island. This tower is also relatively small, as they go, but it survived when a WWII sub hit the island and destroyed the keeper’s house. The boat tour doesn’t take you close enough to see it (this photo wasn’t take from the boat) – the best way to see it is to park and walk through the Hyatt grounds. No one will stop you, and a friendly hotel guest may even offer to take your picture.

Next is Ida Lewis/Lime Rock Light, which is now the inaccessible, dull private yacht club. Named after the female lighthouse keeper – a ballsy, brave legend in U.S. maritime history – the boat barely even slowed down, and I didn't even take a picture.

In between, you’ll see the beauty of Newport (without having to deal with the crowds or traffic), countless sailboats and yachts, a glimpse of Fort Adams (now open, and awesome), and the USS Saratoga aircraft carrier. You’ll also experience passing under both the Newport Pell and Jamestown bridges. This tour is 90 minutes of constant beautiful scenery. That particular day, we even got to see the Nantucket Lightship.

We turned a corner and reached one of my personal favorites – Castle Hill. The structure is small but the setting makes it magnificent. The granite cone from 1890 is settled into the steep rocky coast, keeping watch over the bay. To see it in person, part at the Cove Marina and walk through the narrow path in the bushes.

Another personal favorite (and the site of our wedding next year) follows: Beavertail. I could write several posts about the light, and you can easily spend a day in the state park that surrounds it, but the view from the water is breathtaking. Unfortunately our photos aren’t the sharpest – this was when the boat hit turbulence.

The last lights cannot be visited by land, and one of them doesn’t even exist anymore.

Whale Rock was a casualty of the Hurricane of 38. The once humble cast-iron sparkplug now rests on the bottom of the bay. A scrappy nub with a lighted buoy remains.

Dutch Island is a bland second-generation tower on a dangerously rocky island (although that hasn’t stopped vandalism). It can also be seen from the Fort Getty area. There’s a fee for camper parking, but lighthouse hunters visit for free!

As far as I was concerned, the tour finished with the proud, lovely, restored Plum Beach Lighthouse. The hearty little sparkplug was abandoned in 1941. By the 1970s, 52 tons of guano had accumulated (the poor guy who had to clean it brought a health lawsuit against the state. In 99 the state gave it to the Friends of the Plum Beach Association. They removed the rust, painted it, and installed a solar-powered lens. It now serves as a private navigation aid for local boaters. You’ve probably seen the license plates – they only cost $10 more, and it all goes to the maintenance of the light.

Technically, the final site on the tour is Poplar Point - another empty tower above a private home. Meh. We just enjoyed the last few minutes on the water.

That was the best $25 I’ve ever spent, and I would definitely do it again.