Harbor Beach Lighthouse

Phew, I’m back from my crazy travels all over the lower peninsula of Michigan! I only had two weekend trips away, but I feel like I’ve been all over. The first weekend, I explored the "thumb" of Michigan. I didn't spend as much time as I would have liked to there, so of course I'll be back. The second weekend, I spent in Mackinaw City! I adore that town. But this entire week of posts will be dedicated to the thumb. I'm really excited to share four amazing lighthouses I visited! The first one I went to was Harbor Beach Lighthouse.

I bought tickets in advance to visit this one. When I was researching lighthouses on the thumb, I discovered that a few of them are challenging to get to. I first tried to visit Saginaw River Rear Range Light, but it was completely closed off on private property. I’ll have to try that one again in a few years. Then, I saw you had to travel by boat to Harbor Beach Light! So I snatched up a ticket from the marina, and headed out by fishing boat. It always feels like more of an adventure if you have to figure out how you're going to get to these lighthouses. I love the entire process of it.

This lighthouse was located at the end of a breakwall. It almost looked like you could walk to it, until you saw a giant hole in the wall. The only way to get to this one is by boat. This lighthouse is considered a "sparkplug lighthouse", where it's a bi-level structure that rests on concrete. I believe this lighthouse had fix or six levels, which I haven't seen many of! You first walk into a kitchen quarter, you walk up a few stairs to a bedroom, a few more spiral stairs to another bedroom, a few more stairs to another quarter and finally you can climb to the top. It's these kinds of lighthouses I always imagine myself living in. I love the living quarters!

This lighthouse was definitely a great one to kick off the weekend. Afterwards, I grabbed a bite to eat at a little diner right near the marina and headed on to my next adventure. It was really fun to drive along the coast of the thumb, because M-25 sits all along Lake Huron. It's a beautiful drive! Plus, the entire way you see quaint town after quaint town full of ice cream shops, antiques fairs and cute restaurants. I already can't wait to go back!