Day Tripper: Discover New Jersey’s Coastal Lighthouses
Lighting the way: From Atlantic City to Cape May, history comes to life – along with amazing views – with a visit to the three lighthouses local to OC
IT’S SO EASY TO FORGET that New Jersey has some of the richest history the country has to offer. Think about it. In today’s world we are entrenched in the hustle and bustle of modern life.
It’s always stop and go, finish one task and then onto the next. Rinse and repeat day after day, week after week. It’s quite easy to forget that we are living among pieces of history. Take for instance our state’s geographical situation. Being a coastal state New Jersey was, and still is, an integral piece of the maritime shipping puzzle. Piers and docks once littered the Jersey shoreline with cargo ships constantly traveling to and fro, up and down the eastern seaboard and even across the Atlantic Ocean toward Europe.
Now, those days have mostly gone by the wayside, but there are still a few reminders of the olden days right in our own backyard. Within 50 miles, from Cape May to Atlantic City, there are three lighthouses that are available to be toured: the Cape May Lighthouse located at 215 Lighthouse Avenue in Cape May; the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse located at 111 N. Central Avenue in North Wildwood; and the Absecon Lighthouse located at 31 S. Rhode Island Avenue in Atlantic City.
IT’S QUITE EASY TO FORGET THAT WE ARE LIVING AMONG PIECES OF HISTORY.
From the Cape May Lighthouse to the Absecon Lighthouse, it is about an hour’s drive. Take into consideration the initial drive from Ocean City to Cape May and the inevitable drive home from the Absecon Lighthouse and you’re looking at roughly two hours and 15 minutes total in the car to see all three lighthouses – which is definitely doable in one day, so you better start early.
I’d recommend getting a good to-go breakfast from your favorite place on the island – can’t beat a breakfast sandwich and coffee from Dead End Bakehouse – before getting in the car and making the trek to the southernmost point in the Garden State.
From 9am to 5pm every day of the week, the Cape May Lighthouse is open to the public. Built in 1859, this lighthouse features its original cast iron spiral staircase. A small fee ($12 for adults, $8 for children ages 3-12 and veterans) and 199 steps separate you from the view of a lifetime. More than 150 feet above sea level, you will have a crystal clear look at the surrounding state park as well as the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay. Although this lighthouse is 167 years old, it is still functioning to this day.
Next up on the road trip is the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse, which is about a half hour northeast from the Cape May Lighthouse. This lighthouse is not the prototypical design.
While the Cape May Lighthouse looks like the one you’re imagining in your head – tall, cylindrical with the 360 degree windows at the top – the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse looks more like a colonial house with a lookout tower built in. It was built in 1874 and stands right around 50 feet above sea level. This lighthouse boasts a light that can shine for 13 nautical miles (roughly 15 standard miles). Hereford Inlet Lighthouse offers free admission and is open daily from 9am to 5pm with the last tour starting at 4pm.
One more to go. A mild 50-minute drive up Route 9 is all that separates you from completing this local lighthouse tour. Upon arriving at the Absecon Lighthouse in Atlantic City you’ll be greeted by the tallest lighthouse in New Jersey (and third tallest in the country). Standing 171 feet tall with 240 total steps (228 to the watchroom), it is able to be climbed daily from 10am to 5pm. It is the oldest of the bunch, dating back to 1857, although it is not currently in use. Fun fact: It is the only lighthouse in the state to have its original first order Fresnel lens in place. The climbing fees for this lighthouse are as follows: $10 for adults, $9 for seniors and college students and $6 for children ages 4-12.
If you don’t want to knock all three of them out in a day, there are events hosted at the lighthouses that are worth checking out, too. For instance, the Cape May Lighthouse hosts full moon climbs at night over the summer as well as new moon climbs when climbers are surrounded by stars. They host a Christmas in July from 9am to 2pm on July 25, too. All three featured lighthouses have events planned for National Lighthouse Day on August 7.
Each of these three lighthouses were key cogs in an evolving logistical business – they served their duty to shine light anywhere from 13 to 19 nautical miles (1.15 land mile per nautical mile) from the shoreline in an effort to keep captains and crews safe in their travels. If the walls of those lighthouses could talk, they’d have stories that would last generations. They are true pieces of American history and they’re readily available to be visited. All it takes is a couple bucks, a tank of gas, and an ability and willingness to get your steps in.
Take the time and see something unique and historic that only New Jersey has to offer. Pick one per day, knock them all out on a weekend or spend a day during the week with the family. Take a breath and be where your feet are. The home projects and Scrubs episodes can wait a day or two.
For more information on the lighthouses, visit abseconlighthouse.org, capemaymac.org/experience/cape-may-lighthouse and herefordinletlighthouse.com.
By Anthony J Mazziotti III