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Home › Articles › Family-Friendly Destinations › The Lighthouses
of Traverse City

The Lighthouses
of Traverse City

Sentinels of the Golden
Coast of Michigan

Pages:  1  2  3  

South Manitou Island Lighthouse

Even more picturesque, but somewhat less accessible, the South Manitou Island Lighthouse can only be reached in summer, after a 1.5-hour ferryboat ride from the Lake Michigan port of Leland. But it's certainly worth the trip – a classic 100-foot tower, the light rises abruptly from the shore of the island. Visitors are free to climb its 117 steps to the top for a thrilling view of water, sky, forests and dunes.

Established in 1840 to beckon vessels to what was then the last deepwater harbor north of Chicago, the original wooden light was replaced in 1871 with the current building. Today it is part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and administered by the National Parks Service.

North Manitou Island Shoal Lighthouse

Just a few miles away, the North Manitou Island Shoal Lighthouse – known to locals as "the crib" – is not open to visitors. Built in 1935 to mark an unusual and dangerous shoal, it stands by itself in the middle of the water. For 42 years this artificial island was home to a three-man Coast Guard crew who rotated on a three-week schedule (two weeks on and one week off) during the navigational season.

Since 1980 it has been operated as an automated navigational light and has been taken over by a large population of cormorants. Although visitors are not encouraged to climb onto the large structure, it can be viewed up-close from the ferry that takes visitors to South Manitou.

Lighthouse Information

The Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum is open daily from May to October (noon to 4 p.m. in spring and fall; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from June to Labor Day) and on weekends in November from noon to 4 p.m. Admission is $4 per adult and $2 for children 6-18.

Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum
15550 N. Lighthouse Road
Northport MI 49670
(231) 386-7195

The Old Mission Point Lighthouse may be visited when the surrounding township park is open (9 a.m. to 10 p.m.) There is no charge for visiting the site, which is located on M-37 at the tip of the Old Mission Peninsula.

The lighthouse at Point Betsie is open on weekends between Memorial Day and Columbus Day (Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sundays from 12:30-4:30 p.m.) and on Fridays in July and August. Tickets are $2 for adults and $1 for children under 12.

The Friends of Point Betsie Lighthouse
P.O. Box 601
Frankfort, MI 49635
231-352-4915

The South Manitou Island Lighthouse is open daily for tours during the summer months, and there is no charge for admission. To get to the island, however, one must make reservations with the ferryboat company in Leland, Manitou Island Transit. Daily trips to South Manitou leave the dock at 10 a.m. and return to Leland at 5:30 p.m. Round-trip tickets are $29 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under. For a more complete schedule call 231-256-9061 or click here.


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