Ghost stories, mysterious keepers, lonely islands, and a few places where you can actually spend the night
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There is something about a lighthouse after dark.
Maybe it’s the lonely tower standing against an angry sea. Maybe it’s the spiral staircase disappearing into the shadows. Or perhaps it’s knowing that generations of lighthouse keepers once spent long, isolated nights watching the same waves you’re staring at now.
Whatever the reason, America’s lighthouses have collected almost as many ghost stories as shipwreck stories.
I’ve always thought lighthouses are among the best places to mix a little history with an adventure. Add a mysterious figure in an upstairs window, footsteps when nobody else is around, or a long-dead keeper who apparently refuses to retire, and suddenly that picturesque coastal stop becomes a lot more interesting.
So grab your flashlight, bring a friend who scares easily, and whatever you do… don’t be the last person down the lighthouse stairs.
Here are 15 haunted lighthouses in America that you can actually visit.
1. St. Augustine Lighthouse — St. Augustine, Florida
If you’re going to start a haunted-lighthouse road trip, you might as well begin with one of the heavy hitters.
The black-and-white striped St. Augustine Lighthouse rises above Anastasia Island and looks beautiful enough during the daytime. Come back after sunset, though, and the mood changes considerably.
Stories surrounding the lighthouse include unexplained footsteps, voices, shadows and apparitions. One of the best-known tragedies connected with the property involved children who died during construction of the current lighthouse in the 1870s.
What really earns St. Augustine a place at the top of this list is that you don’t have to stand outside the fence imagining what the lighthouse might be like after dark.
You can actually go inside.
The lighthouse offers its Dark of the Moon Ghost Experience, which combines historical stories, time for investigating and — weather permitting — a nighttime climb of the lighthouse. The museum also offers an investigation-only experience for particularly determined ghost hunters.
City Unknown Tip: Reserve the nighttime experience before your trip. These tours can be popular, and wandering around outside saying, “But I drove all the way from Michigan!” probably won’t get you through the gate.
Visit: St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum
2. Pensacola Lighthouse — Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola apparently decided one haunted Florida lighthouse wasn’t enough.
Built beside Pensacola Bay, the historic Pensacola Lighthouse comes with a keeper’s quarters, a towering staircase and plenty of stories about unexplained activity.
Even better, the lighthouse embraces its spooky reputation.
Scheduled ghost hunts take visitors into the historic keeper’s quarters, and the experience can include a climb to the top of the tower when weather permits. Current 2026 ghost-tour dates include events in September and October.
There’s one unusual wrinkle: the lighthouse is on Naval Air Station Pensacola, so civilian access rules matter. After-hours civilian visitors use a lighthouse shuttle and need to carefully follow the access instructions provided with their reservation.
City Unknown Tip: Read your confirmation email. Seriously. This is one haunted lighthouse where forgetting the access instructions can end your ghost hunt before it starts.
Visit: Pensacola Lighthouse & Maritime Museum
3. Heceta Head Lighthouse — Florence, Oregon
If ghosts appreciate beautiful scenery, this one picked wisely.
Perched above the Pacific north of Florence, Heceta Head Lighthouse is one of those places that makes you stop the car even when you’re already running late.
Then you hear about Rue.
Stories associated with the keeper’s house tell of unexplained floral scents, strange impressions appearing on beds and other unusual occurrences attributed to a spirit commonly called Rue. Travel Oregon itself includes Heceta Head among the state’s haunted places.
Here’s the fun part: the old keeper’s house operates as a bed-and-breakfast.
That’s right.
You can sleep there.
I’ll let you decide whether that’s an advantage.
City Unknown Tip: Visit near sunset. Even if Rue takes the evening off, the Pacific Coast scenery makes this one worth the trip.
Explore: Travel Oregon’s Heceta Head ghost story
4. Battery Point Lighthouse — Crescent City, California
Battery Point feels like a lighthouse somebody invented for a mystery novel.
Sitting on a tiny island just offshore from Crescent City, the lighthouse can only be reached on foot when the tide allows it.
The lighthouse dates to the 1850s, and generations of visitors and caretakers have passed along stories of unexplained sounds and mysterious activity associated with the old station.
But honestly, you don’t need a ghost to make this adventure memorable.
You’re walking across the ocean floor to reach a historic lighthouse.
Tours take visitors into the former living quarters used by lighthouse keepers and their families, but everything depends on the tide.
City Unknown Tip: Check the tide schedule before going. The Pacific Ocean doesn’t care about your itinerary.
Plan Your Visit: City of Crescent City – Battery Point Lighthouse information
5. Point Sur Lighthouse — Big Sur, California
Point Sur might be my pick for the lighthouse that looks most haunted before you’ve even heard the stories.
The light station sits dramatically atop a volcanic rock formation rising above the Big Sur coastline.
For decades, lighthouse keepers and their families lived in isolation here. Today the historic light station remains remarkably intact and is open for guided tours.
And yes, there are ghost stories.
Former volunteers and investigators have reported unexplained voices, doors moving and apparitions, and paranormal-themed lighthouse tours have been held at the site.
Between the lonely setting, crashing Pacific waves and old keeper buildings, Point Sur doesn’t need much help setting the mood.
City Unknown Tip: Bring a jacket. Big Sur can go from postcard-perfect to cold and foggy surprisingly fast — which, admittedly, improves the ghost-story atmosphere considerably.
Visit: Point Sur Lighthouse visitor information
6. Seguin Island Light Station — Maine
Want a properly isolated lighthouse ghost story?
Take a boat to an island off the Maine coast.
Seguin Island Light Station sits roughly 2½ miles offshore near the mouth of the Kennebec River. The station was originally commissioned in 1795, while the current lighthouse dates to 1857.
Its folklore gets considerably darker.
One famous tale involves a lighthouse keeper, his wife, a piano and an ending that belongs in a horror movie. Other stories include the sounds of piano music drifting across the water, a mysterious child and a former keeper who apparently still has strong opinions about where the furniture belongs.
Even the Friends of Seguin Island Light Station recount the stories on their site.
Visitors can reach the island by boat during the season and tour the lighthouse and museum.
City Unknown Tip: This is one of my favorites because reaching the lighthouse is part of the adventure. Don’t rush it — make Seguin an actual excursion rather than a quick photo stop.
Visit: Friends of Seguin Island Light Station
7. Owls Head Lighthouse — Owls Head, Maine
At only about 30 feet tall, Owls Head Lighthouse doesn’t look particularly intimidating.
Don’t underestimate the little guy.
Perched high above Penobscot Bay, the lighthouse has accumulated stories involving a mysterious former keeper and a female apparition sometimes called the “Little Lady.”
Visitors have also shared tales of unexplained activity around the keeper’s house.
Today, Owls Head is refreshingly easy to explore. The grounds are generally open from sunrise to sunset, the keeper’s house contains a museum and interpretive center, and seasonal climbing tours let visitors head up into the lighthouse.
City Unknown Tip: Don’t skip the keeper’s house. With haunted lighthouses, that’s often where the most interesting stories live.
Visit: American Lighthouse Foundation – Owls Head Lighthouse
8. Point Lookout Lighthouse — Scotland, Maryland
If a lighthouse could say, “You probably shouldn’t be here after dark,” Point Lookout would be that lighthouse.
Located where the Potomac River meets Chesapeake Bay, Point Lookout Lighthouse sits within a landscape already loaded with Civil War history.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources doesn’t exactly hide its reputation either. Its own history of the park describes Point Lookout Lighthouse as one of the park’s best-known reputedly haunted locations, noting decades of paranormal reports.
Even better for travelers, renovations were completed in 2025, and visitors can explore exhibits inside during seasonal operating hours.
City Unknown Tip: Give yourself time for the entire state park. The lighthouse is only one chapter in Point Lookout’s unusually layered history.
Visit: Point Lookout State Park
9. Old Presque Isle Lighthouse — Presque Isle, Michigan
Michigan’s Great Lakes coastline has enough lighthouse legends to fill an entire road trip.
The Old Presque Isle Lighthouse is one of the classics.
Built in 1840, the compact lighthouse sits beside Lake Huron and operated until a larger light replaced it in 1871. Visitors can still climb the old tower.
Then there’s the light itself.
Stories have circulated for years about the lighthouse mysteriously appearing illuminated despite no longer functioning as the active beacon. Even the organization responsible for the lighthouse acknowledges the persistent haunting rumors — while good-naturedly declining to endorse them.
That makes it even better.
City Unknown Tip: Visit both the Old and New Presque Isle lights. They’re close enough that there’s really no excuse not to make it a two-lighthouse day.
Visit: Old Presque Isle Lighthouse
10. Seul Choix Point Lighthouse — Gulliver, Michigan
If you’re looking for one of Michigan’s most entertaining lighthouse ghost stories, head into the Upper Peninsula.
Seul Choix Point Lighthouse stands along an isolated section of Lake Michigan shoreline.
Stories center around former keeper Joseph Townsend, who died at the lighthouse in 1910. Visitors and volunteers have reported everything from mysterious footsteps to objects being moved and the smell of cigar smoke.
Michigan tourism sources describe the haunting stories surrounding the lighthouse, while local tourism information notes reports of footsteps on the stairs, moved silverware and unexplained cigar odors.
The lighthouse is generally open seasonally from Memorial Day into October, allowing visitors to explore the historic complex.
City Unknown Tip: Learn how to pronounce Seul Choix before telling everybody you’ve visited it. Locally, you’ll often hear something close to “Sis-Shwa.”
Visit: Seul Choix Point Lighthouse visitor information
11. Big Bay Point Lighthouse — Big Bay, Michigan
Here’s where things get interesting.
You don’t merely visit this lighthouse.
You can sleep in it.
The 1896 Big Bay Point Lighthouse overlooks Lake Superior north of Marquette and today operates as a bed-and-breakfast.
Stories associated with the lighthouse include former keeper H. William Prior and reports from overnight guests who say they’ve encountered an unexplained figure around the property. Michigan’s tourism site includes Big Bay Point among its haunted lighthouse stories.
Guests can even access the tower, while non-guests can arrange limited guided tours by appointment during the tour season.
City Unknown Tip: If you’re serious about a haunted-lighthouse road trip, spend a night here. Just remember that every creak you hear at 2:17 a.m. is probably an old building.
Probably.
Stay or Visit: Big Bay Point Lighthouse Bed & Breakfast
12. White River Light Station — Whitehall, Michigan
The White River Light Station has watched over the Lake Michigan shoreline since the 1870s.
Its best-known ghost story revolves around longtime keeper Captain William Robinson, who spent decades tending the light and died shortly after retiring.
Over the years, visitors and workers have reported mysterious footsteps and other sounds that some attribute to Robinson continuing his lighthouse duties.
Michigan includes White River among its collection of haunted lighthouse stories.
Today the lighthouse operates as a museum filled with photographs, artifacts and exhibits covering lighthouse life, shipping and the region’s lumbering history.
City Unknown Tip: Pair this with a Lake Michigan beach day. Ghost hunting is considerably more enjoyable when followed by sunset over the lake.
Visit: White River Light Station & Museum
13. Sherwood Point Lighthouse — Door County, Wisconsin
Now we’re heading into Door County — which apparently decided regular lighthouse history wasn’t interesting enough and added ghosts.
Sherwood Point Lighthouse was built in 1883 and became the last staffed lighthouse on the Great Lakes before automation.
The best-known story involves assistant keeper Minnie Cochems, who died at the lighthouse in 1928.
Visitors and former residents have reported voices, unexplained noises, the clinking of teacups and even a mysterious presence on the staircase.
There’s a catch.
Sherwood Point normally has limited public access, but special Door County lighthouse events periodically provide opportunities to visit.
That makes this one feel more like discovering a hidden gem — exactly our kind of place.
City Unknown Tip: Plan this one around the Door County Lighthouse Passport Days/Festival rather than showing up and hoping for access.
Plan Your Visit: Door County Lighthouse Passport Days
14. Chambers Island Lighthouse — Door County, Wisconsin
Getting to Chambers Island Lighthouse requires a little more commitment.
Good.
The best adventures usually do.
Located on Chambers Island in Green Bay, the lighthouse dates to 1868. Stories include mysterious footsteps, doors closing by themselves and tools disappearing only to reappear in odd locations.
Destination Door County recounts the haunting legend, including reports from a caretaker who heard footsteps and a door closing while alone on the island.
Reaching the lighthouse requires a boat, and special Door County lighthouse events offer organized excursions that can include access to the lighthouse.
City Unknown Tip: Choose the organized tour unless you’re already comfortable boating these waters. Getting stranded on a supposedly haunted lighthouse island makes a great story only after you’re safely home.
Explore: Destination Door County’s Chambers Island ghost story
15. Rose Island Lighthouse — Newport, Rhode Island
We’re finishing with a lighthouse where you can take this entire haunted adventure one step further.
You can stay overnight.
Rose Island Lighthouse sits on an 18-acre island in Narragansett Bay near Newport. The island’s history includes a lighthouse, military fortifications and use as a quarantine location.
Its ghost stories include unexplained footsteps, voices, doors and tales surrounding former keeper Charles Curtis.
The lighthouse itself doesn’t shy away from overnight visitors — the Rose Island Lighthouse & Fort Hamilton Trust offers overnight accommodations, with 2026 stays bookable through the organization.
Imagine waking up at 2 a.m. on a tiny island and hearing footsteps coming down the lighthouse stairs.
Have fun with that.
City Unknown Tip: Stay overnight if you can. Even without a paranormal visitor, waking up on a historic lighthouse island in Narragansett Bay is one of those travel experiences you’ll remember.
Stay or Visit: Rose Island Lighthouse
So, Are America’s Haunted Lighthouses Really Haunted?
That depends entirely on whom you ask.
Skeptics will point toward wind, old pipes, expanding wood, shifting temperatures, wildlife and a healthy dose of imagination.
Believers will tell you that some lighthouse keepers simply never left their posts.
I’m happy somewhere in the middle.
Because whether you hear phantom footsteps or nothing more mysterious than waves hitting the rocks, these places preserve something genuinely fascinating: the stories of people who lived incredibly isolated lives while keeping sailors safe.
And that’s the real reason they’re worth visiting.
The ghosts?
Consider those a bonus.
City Unknown Tips for Visiting Haunted Lighthouses
Before throwing the EMF meter into the trunk and heading for the coast, remember a few things. Check seasonal schedules, because many lighthouse interiors close during winter. Never trespass after hours just because a place is rumored to be haunted, and pay close attention to tide schedules for island and coastal lights.
Bring sturdy shoes for tower climbs, reserve ghost tours and overnight stays well ahead of Halloween, and give yourself extra time at the more remote locations. Most importantly, don’t visit only for the paranormal stories. Explore the keeper’s quarters, maritime museums and surrounding communities too — that’s where these places really come alive.
Well…
Maybe “come alive” wasn’t the best choice of words.
Keep Exploring the Unknown
If haunted lighthouses are your idea of a good road trip, don’t stop here. City Unknown is all about finding the places hiding beyond the usual tourist stops — forgotten landmarks, strange roadside attractions, local legends and destinations with stories worth telling.
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