Most of the Chesapeake Bay’s remaining lighthouses can be seen only from the water, which is where Tilghman Island skipper Mike Richards comes in. Captain Richards gives multiple lighthouse tours, including a two-light sunset cruise ($55) and a five-hour, five-light trip ($80).
On his daylong Northern Chesapeake expedition ($175; 410-886-2215), you’ll get to see ten of Chesapeake Bay’s lighthouses. Check them out below.
Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse
Just south of Annapolis, this lighthouse was built in 1875 and by 1964 was the last manned light on the bay.
Sharps Island Lighthouse
During the winter of 1976-77, large ice floes pushed against Sharps Island Lighthouse, imparting its distinctive 15-degree tilt.
Sandy Point Shoal Lighthouse
This 1883 lighthouse is a sturdy three-story brick structure, visible from the westbound span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
Craighill Channel Lower Range Front Light
Built in 1873 near the entrance to Baltimore’s harbor, this is among the oldest lighthouses in the US built on a caisson foundation.
Turkey Point Lighthouse
In Elk Neck State Park, Turkey Point Lighthouse holds the distinction of being tended by more women keepers than any other in the bay.
Bloody Point Bar Lighthouse
Bloody Point Bar Lighthouse once housed a massive iron bell to alert ships navigating thick fog around Kent Island.
Baltimore Light
The last light built on the bay, in 1908, it was the only American lighthouse powered by nuclear energy in the 1960s before being converted to a generator.
Pooles Island Light
Completed in 1825, Pooles Island Light is the oldest remaining lighthouse in Maryland.
Craighill Channel Lower Range Rear Light
At 105 feet, Craighill Channel Lower Range Rear Light, at the entrance to the Patapsco River, is the tallest in Maryland.
Fishing Battery Lighthouse
In the 1990s, plans fizzled to turn this dilapidated 1853 lighthouse—near Havre de Grace and the mouth of the Susquehanna River—into a bed-and-breakfast.
