Yesterday I spent the whole day at the Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth where my Sweetest and I got married 5 years ago. It was Maine's
Open Lighthouse Day. This event is organized by the US Coast Guard, the American Lighthouse Foundation and the State of Maine which main objective is to increase awareness of Maine's maritime heritage.
Open Lighthouse Day is a once a year event [this is their 4th year] where all lighthouses in all of Maine is open to the public. During this time Historic buildings like... the Light Tower and the Light Keeper’s House which is now the Park's Museum is open to the public for free.
Approximately 300 tickets were made available to visitors on a
first-come-first-served basis to be able to climb the
tower which has 85+ steps and where you can get a 360 degrees view of the place.Too bad I didn't get the chance to get a free ticket handed out by the
US Coast Guard that day. It would be fun to see Cape Elizabeth and Casco Bay up the
tower.
The Portland Head Light sits on
Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth. It was named after Brevet Major General Seth Williams. It was once a tremendous military asset during World War
II. It served to protect Cape Elizabeth's shoreline and provided Harbor Defense for
Portland.The park was kinda crowded already when I got there but I was
surprised to immediately find a parking spot because the last thing I
want to do is drive around looking for parking.
This is a historical place because this is where I said "
I DO" to my Sweetest. LOL Kidding aside, this is historical in every way since it was built more than 200 years ago and considered as the 2nd oldest lighthouse in the United States.
The Portland Head Light is commissioned by George Washington and was built in 1791. It is the oldest Lighthouse in the State of Maine.
Aside from visiting the Lighthouse and Light Keeper's House, there are lots of fun things to do at Fort Williams Park. It is a nice place to hike, run, bike, play soccer, tennis, baseball, frolic in the beach or swim in the inviting waters of Casco Bay or simply laze and enjoy the beautiful gardens and views. It is also the best place to celebrate birthdays or have weddings. And that means that - I will have a part two of this post. wink*** So wait for it.
My day at Cape Elizabeth ended with a nice run around the park. It was such a wonderful place to spend the time alone [for me] or with your family. I will surely be back and will bring some chicken to barbecue. Wink*
For more information about Maine's Lighthouses... check out and explore the following links.
1.
New England Lighthouses
2.
Lighthouses of Maine
3.
Lighthouses of the United States: Eastern Maine
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This is a SPECIAL POST for
MAINE Attraction... a regular blog that features everything and anything about my home - Maine.