It’s summertime which means it’s time to get out on the scenic Chesapeake Bay. We found the best lighthouses on the Maryland side of the watershed that you have to visit—and, of course, Instagram.
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Built in 1828, Cove Point is one of the oldest continually operating lighthouses on the Bay, and it’s open to the public.
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Walk inside to see Cove Point’s killer spiral stairs.
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The Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse sits smack in the Chesapeake, at the mouth of the South River. Built in 1875, it remains the only screw-pile lighthouse on the Bay still in its original location.
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See the gorgeous red roof for yourself this summer.
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Seven Foot Knoll Light used to mark the mouth of the Patapsco River in the Bay, leading to Baltimore’s harbor. Today, it is located on Pier 5 at the Baltimore Inner Harbor.
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Fort Washington Lighthouse, established in 1857 by a Confederate president, was once simply a light on top of a cast iron pole along the Potomac River.
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Fort Washington is also nicknamed Light 80.
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Commissioned in 1908, the Baltimore Harbor Light was the last lighthouse constructed on the Chesapeake.
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The Sandy Point Shoal Lighthouse, built in 1883, can be seen from the shores of Sandy Point State Park.
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A leaning cast iron lighthouse, Sharps Island Light got its unique, 15 degree tilt from the Chesapeake’s ice flows in 1976 and 1977.
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Only birds can board Sharps Island Light—but you can see it from afar if you’re adventurous.
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The Choptank River Lighthouse is a replica of one that used to guide sailors along the river that’s serving as a mini-museum.
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Condemned in 1917, Pooles Island Light was declared a historic place after the US Army petitioned for its inclusion in 1994.
Former editorial fellow Kayla Randall is City Lights editor at Washington City Paper.
