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Lighthouses near Boston that you can visit, mapped

Beautiful beacons abound in the region, including on the North Shore and along Cape Cod

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One of the more pleasant byproducts of the Boston area’s geography is its proximity to several notable lighthouses.

Many of the 14 lighthouses on this map are open to the public at specific times; and all of the sites of the beacons are open to the public. Think of the picnicking and hiking opportunities.

Note: The map does not include Boston Light, the second-oldest lighthouse in the United States and usually a popular destination come summertime. Winter storms wreaked havoc on Boston Light’s home base of Little Brewster Island, and now it and the lighthouse are closed to the public this season.

Finally, if you’re looking for a beach without a lighthouse, try this map of the best Boston-area beaches. Or just settle in for a spell at one of Boston’s best waterfront parks.

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Plum Island Lighthouse

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The current tower was built in 1898, and the original was built 110 years before.

Also called Newburyport Harbor Light, the tower is open on select dates, weather permitting.

Christine Manning/Shutterstock

Marblehead Lighthouse

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This spindly lighthouse dates from 1895, when it replaced the original brick-and-wood one constructed in 1835. It is one of a handful of such pyramidal skeleton lighthouses in the United States.

Marblehead Lighthouse is open for tours through special arrangement.

Cabeca de Marmore/Shutterstock

Scituate Lighthouse

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This lighthouse—sometimes called the Old Scituate Lighthouse—dates from 1811, and was out of commission for much of its history from 1860 to 1994.

The Scituate Historical Society, which has managed the property since 1968, calls it “the most welcoming Lighthouse in the United States.”

Michael Sean O’Leary/Shutterstock

Highland Light

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Deemed the oldest lighthouse on Cape Cod (George Washington ordered its original construction), the current structure dates from 1857.

It is open to the public as part of the much wider Cape Cod National Seashore.

Allison Coffin/Shutterstock

Gurnett Light

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The current tower here dates from 1843—making it America’s oldest freestanding wooden lighthouse—and is sometimes called Plymouth Light.

There are occasional open houses for the lighthouse, though the grounds are open to the public.

Michael Sean O’Leary/Shutterstock

Nauset Lighthouse

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Preservationists moved the lighthouse in 1996 from the edge of a 60-foot cliff.

It is open for tours.

Marc Lechanteur/Shutterstock

Three Sisters Lighthouses

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The National Park Service took control of this trio of 15-foot lighthouses in 1975.

They were restored in the 1980s, though their roots date from the 1830s.

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Chatham Lighthouse

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The original Chatham Light went up in 1808. This one dates from about 70 years later.

Regular tours are available.

Tom Croke/Shutterstock

Ned's Point Lighthouse

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The original lighthouse here dated from the late 1830s, and the current one from a series of moves in the 1890s and early 1900s.

The grounds are open to the public, but the lighthouse itself is not.

Dan Logan/Shutterstock

Nobska Lighthouse

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The Town of Falmouth formally took control of this lighthouse, which dates from the 1820s, from the Coast Guard in the spring of 2016.

The surrounding 4-acre preserve is open to the public. The lighthouse itself is not.

Michael Sean O’Leary/Shutterstock

Cape Poge Lighthouse

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The Cape Poge lighthouse, which dates from 1893, is part of a much larger wildlife refuge. Its light is 63 feet up and can be seen 9 miles out to sea.

Tours are available with a reservation.

Allan Wood Photography/Shutterstock

Great Point Lighthouse

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This lighthouse dates only from 1986. It is a replica of a lighthouse a storm destroyed two years before that.

And that structure dated from 1817, and had replaced the original wooden lighthouse dating from 1797.

It is open to the public as part of wider tours of the area.

Exeter_Acres/Shutterstock

Gay Head Lighthouse

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The original structure was built in 1796, making Gay Head the oldest lighthouse site on Martha’s Vineyard.

The current one dates from the 1850s, and is open to the public during the summer. In early 2015, the lighthouse was moved 129 feet away from eroding cliffs.

Salvan/Shutterstock

Brant Point Lighthouse

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This beacon originally went up in 1746 as only the second lighthouse in colonial America. It has since been moved and rebuilt more times than any other lighthouse in the country.

It is closed to the public, but the surrounding grounds are wide open.

Mihalachi Alin/Shutterstock

Plum Island Lighthouse

The current tower was built in 1898, and the original was built 110 years before.

Also called Newburyport Harbor Light, the tower is open on select dates, weather permitting.

Christine Manning/Shutterstock

Marblehead Lighthouse

This spindly lighthouse dates from 1895, when it replaced the original brick-and-wood one constructed in 1835. It is one of a handful of such pyramidal skeleton lighthouses in the United States.

Marblehead Lighthouse is open for tours through special arrangement.

Cabeca de Marmore/Shutterstock

Scituate Lighthouse

This lighthouse—sometimes called the Old Scituate Lighthouse—dates from 1811, and was out of commission for much of its history from 1860 to 1994.

The Scituate Historical Society, which has managed the property since 1968, calls it “the most welcoming Lighthouse in the United States.”

Michael Sean O’Leary/Shutterstock

Highland Light

Deemed the oldest lighthouse on Cape Cod (George Washington ordered its original construction), the current structure dates from 1857.

It is open to the public as part of the much wider Cape Cod National Seashore.

Allison Coffin/Shutterstock

Gurnett Light

The current tower here dates from 1843—making it America’s oldest freestanding wooden lighthouse—and is sometimes called Plymouth Light.

There are occasional open houses for the lighthouse, though the grounds are open to the public.

Michael Sean O’Leary/Shutterstock

Nauset Lighthouse

Preservationists moved the lighthouse in 1996 from the edge of a 60-foot cliff.

It is open for tours.

Marc Lechanteur/Shutterstock

Three Sisters Lighthouses

The National Park Service took control of this trio of 15-foot lighthouses in 1975.

They were restored in the 1980s, though their roots date from the 1830s.

melissamn/Shutterstock

Chatham Lighthouse

The original Chatham Light went up in 1808. This one dates from about 70 years later.

Regular tours are available.

Tom Croke/Shutterstock

Ned's Point Lighthouse

The original lighthouse here dated from the late 1830s, and the current one from a series of moves in the 1890s and early 1900s.

The grounds are open to the public, but the lighthouse itself is not.

Dan Logan/Shutterstock

Nobska Lighthouse

The Town of Falmouth formally took control of this lighthouse, which dates from the 1820s, from the Coast Guard in the spring of 2016.

The surrounding 4-acre preserve is open to the public. The lighthouse itself is not.

Michael Sean O’Leary/Shutterstock

Cape Poge Lighthouse

The Cape Poge lighthouse, which dates from 1893, is part of a much larger wildlife refuge. Its light is 63 feet up and can be seen 9 miles out to sea.

Tours are available with a reservation.

Allan Wood Photography/Shutterstock

Great Point Lighthouse

This lighthouse dates only from 1986. It is a replica of a lighthouse a storm destroyed two years before that.

And that structure dated from 1817, and had replaced the original wooden lighthouse dating from 1797.

It is open to the public as part of wider tours of the area.

Exeter_Acres/Shutterstock

Gay Head Lighthouse

The original structure was built in 1796, making Gay Head the oldest lighthouse site on Martha’s Vineyard.

The current one dates from the 1850s, and is open to the public during the summer. In early 2015, the lighthouse was moved 129 feet away from eroding cliffs.

Salvan/Shutterstock

Brant Point Lighthouse

This beacon originally went up in 1746 as only the second lighthouse in colonial America. It has since been moved and rebuilt more times than any other lighthouse in the country.

It is closed to the public, but the surrounding grounds are wide open.

Mihalachi Alin/Shutterstock