Lighthouse & Harbor Tours
About
Lighthouse & Harbor Tours runs summer boat trips from Salem to Bakers Island Light and Misery Island, along with history and nature-themed tours of Salem Sound. Bakers Island is otherwise private, so these trips aboard the landing craft Naumkeag are the only way for the public to reach the light station. Visitors can explore the grounds and take in sweeping views, and the program also offers private charters and weddings.
The tours are run by Essex Heritage, the nonprofit that manages the Essex National Heritage Area and took ownership of the ten-acre light station from the federal government. Supporters funded restoration of the masonry lighthouse, two keepers’ houses and the lantern and oil buildings. For a longer stay, guests can spend the night at the light and live like a lighthouse keeper, or camp on raised platforms at the Old Pasture campground overlooking Salem Sound.
What to Know
- Tours run seasonally from June through September.
- The light station has been in federal ownership since 1798, and its deed passed to Essex Heritage in 2014.
- Volunteers are recruited each season for maintenance and preservation work at the station.
- Campground reservations are handled through Hipcamp.
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