The Rose Island Lighthouse, a sweet, squat lighthouse perched on a rocky bluff, simply spells “New England.” You can spend the night inside from April through October, or just come for a spring or summer daytime visit. Access the lighthouse island via the Jamestown Newport Ferry or by canoe, kayak or stand-up paddle board. If you’re an overnighter, transportation on the boat Rose is included in your stay. The island also holds the barracks of Fort Hamilton, ruins of the Navy Torpedo Station, beaches and tidal pools, a perimeter trail, and great bird watching. Dating to 1870, the lighthouse is no longer officially in service because the Newport Pell Bridge now holds all navigation aids, but since its establishment as a museum in 1993, it beams a 48-foot beacon out onto Narragansett Bay and is a private aid to navigation. The lighthouse looks as it did from 1910 to 1918 when a little boy lived there with his lightkeeper grandfather.
