We visited the Huntington Lighthouse for a guided tour on August 4, 2013 and we thoroughly enjoyed…read moreour trip.
The Lighthouse is 101 years old and looks like a castle out at sea. After purchasing our tickets at a dockside tent, where various souvenirs were also being sold by the volunteers, we boarded a small boat for a 10-minute ride to the Lighthouse. The boat ride through Huntington Harbor was absolutely lovely - weather was warm, sunny, and clear, the water was smooth, and the views were fantastic. Arriving at the Lighthouse, we got off the boat on a floating dock and, after a brief introduction, began the guided tour with two tour guides. The first tour guide took us to the second floor of the lighthouse, out onto the landing, and up into the very top of the lighthouse where the light itself it, and was very thorough in his explanations and seemed enthusiastic about his tour. He was very knowledgable. The second tour guide told us about the living quarters of the Lighthouse and was also informative. All of the volunteers were very friendly and were clearly very interested in their work and very knowledgeable about the Lighthouse. After the tour, we returned to the boat and headed back to shore.
All in all, the entire experience took exactly one hour, from initially boarding the boat to returning to shore. The suggested donation for the tour is $15 for each adult, but they accepted $20, and we bought a magnet for $3.
The tent in which to purchase tickets and souvenirs is located at the end of the parking lot of Gold Star Beach in Huntington, just by the dock. There were signs indicating that a parking permit was required and that Huntington residents could purchase a seasonal or daily pass and that non-residents must pay a daily fee and display a tag; however, there was no one at the gate when we pulled in, and though we waited for someone to come, no one ever appeared, so we parked. We saw someone at the gate as we boarded the boat. We didn't have any problem with our parking, perhaps we just lucked out.
The Lighthouse was beautiful and is nicely maintained. We really had a fantastic time.
Our only complaint is that on the way back from the Lighthouse, the boat seemed much too crowded, to the point where we were really seated directly up against each other. However, I think the same number of people were on the boat when it headed to the Lighthouse, so I think the issue was more that no one was telling people to sit on both front and back of the boat or asking people to move around - because as we disembarked, I noticed that there were 12 people at the front and only 2, who were sitting with plenty of room, at the back.
