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Other stories in "Lighthouses"

• Lighthouses of the Apostles
  Allure of a bygone lifestyle pulls visitors to island beacons.
• Dwelling in the past
  Around Lake Superior, overnight guests can try out life at a lighthouse.
• Living in a lighthouse
  The first keepers were ready to assist and rescue. Now, volunteers are returning the favor.
• The Lighthouse Express
  Between Duluth and Two Harbors, vintage trains take passengers back to the past.
• 5 great Wisconsin lighthouses
  On Wisconsin's two Great Lakes, beacons attract lovers of lore.

Cruising to a lighthouse

In summer, boats give visitors a chance to see historic beacons.

Many people turn lighthouses into a hobby. In summer, they travel from beacon to beacon, photographing them and collecting stamps in their U.S. Lighthouse Society passports until they've got 60 and can move onto the next passport and, eventually, the "Platinum Circle'' patch awarded after 240 lighthouse visits.

It's not easy to get to every lighthouse, however. Many are on islands or inaccessible by car, so aficionados are quick to sign up for the special boat trips offered during lighthouse festivals.

Below are some of the cruises that will take visitors to lights in the western Great Lakes in 2009. On many, places go quickly.

May 23-Oct. 11, Copper Harbor Lighthouse tours. On the tip of Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula, boats ferry tourists to the light because private owners block access. 906-289-4966.

June 6, South Manitou Island from Leland on Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula. Offered by the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association to see the new Fresnel lens in the lighthouse, part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Cost of $175 includes lunch, dinner and an evening lighthouse program. 231-436-5580. The association also offers multiday excursions, some of which sell out quickly.

June 16-Sept. 17, Lighthouse cruises from Mackinaw City, Mich.  The Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association and Shepler's Ferry offer frequent lighthouse cruises from June through September that pass under the Mackinac Bridge, $49.50, $37.50 for children 5-12.

The eastbound straits cruise passes six lights and the westbound straits cruise four lights. They also offer all-day cruises to St. Helena Island Light on June 19, July 10 and Aug. 4, $180 including lunch. 800-828-6157.

June 20-Aug. 29, Cruises to Michigan's DeTour Reef Light from DeTour Village at the easternmost tip of the Upper Peninsula. The DeTour Reef Light Preservation Society offers two-hour guided tours on Saturdays except July 5, 19 and Aug. 9; those weeks, cruises will be on Sunday. Cost is $95, half tax-deductible, 616-874-9458 (from June to August, 906-493-5648).

June 12-14,  Boat tours around Door County for the annual Lighthouse Walk. From Gills Rock, boats go past lights on Plum and Pilot islands and St. Martin and Poverty islands; one docks at Rock Island, allowing passengers to hike to Pottawatomie Light.

One tour from Sisters Bay passes Eagle Bluff and the Chambers Island light. Boats from Baileys Harbor pass Cana Island and the harbor lights. In Sturgeon Bay, the regularly scheduled fireboat passes Sherwood Point on the Green Bay side and the two lights on the canal. (For more about the Sturgeon Bay lighthouse cruise, see Door to the Door.)

There are also naturalist minibus tours and trolley tours, and visitors can drive themselves to five mainland lighthouses. On June 12, there's a Keepers' Kin Reception at the Door County Maritime Museum in Sturgeon Bay. Tickets go on sale in mid-March, and some sell out quickly. 920-743-5958.

June 30-Aug. 23, Cruises to Raspberry Island Light in Wisconsin's Apostle Islands, Tuesday and Friday-Sunday from Bayfield, $42, $25 for children 6-12. Apostle Islands Cruise Service, 800-323-7619.

June 24-Sept. 19, St. Marys River Lighthouse Cruise from Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. Soo Locks Boat Tours offers a 4½-hour tour through the Soo Locks and along the St. Marys River to Point Iroquois Light and Canadian lights that include Gros Cap Reefs. Boats leave at 8 a.m. Wednesdays June 24-Aug. 26 and Saturdays on July 4 and Sept. 5, 12 and 19. Cost is $49, including breakfast. 800-432-6301.

July 26, Keweenaw Lighthouse Tour out of Houghton, Mich. All 10 lights on Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula can be seen on an all-day cruise out of Houghton, $130, including a continental breakfast, lunch and hors d'oeuvres. Keweenaw Excursions, 906-482-0884.

Aug. 26-Sept. 12, Apostle Islands Lighthouse Celebration out of Bayfield, Wis. The festival is the only time the Apostles Islands Cruise Service offers tours of the lights on Sand, Devils and Michigan islands as well as a cruise to Long Island to see the two lights there, 800-779-4487.

Sept. 6-9, Ultimate Western Great Lakes Lighthouse Adventure from Hancock, Mich. Offered by the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association with Keweenaw Excursions, this tour passes 31 lighthouses. 231-436-5580.

Oct. 8-11, Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival in Alpena, Mich. Five Lake Huron lighthouses, at Tawas Point, Sturgeon Point, Forty Mile Point and Presque Isle, will be open for tours, and visitors can take boats or helicopters to see the lights on Middle Island and Thunder Bay Island. Lighthouse associations from all the Great Lakes are invited.

Last updated on October 6, 2009