Ever Wanted To Stay In a Lighthouse? Now You Can

Growing up where we do, we have plenty of abandoned lighthouses. Grand Haven, South Haven, Big Sable Point. Lighthouses used to be crucial for guiding ships along the lakeshore, however, all lighthouses nowadays are automated and no longer have Lighthouse Keepers.

Except this one. The DeTour Reef Light Keeper program is offering you the ability to be a Lighthouse Keeper for an entire weekend in a beautiful off-shore 1931 lighthouse.

The DeTour Reef Lighthouse

According to their website, The Detour Reef Light Preservation Society (DRLPS) has worked since 1998 to "restore and preserve the De Tour Reef Light". What makes this 83-foot-tall lighthouse unique is its location: one mile offshore in Lake Huron between DeTour Village and Drummond Island, on the eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

The Light Keeper Program

Since 2005, the DRLPS has offered an overnight keeper program and public tours. However, while staying at the Lighthouse is a fantastic way to get away for a weekend, you have duties to do while you're there. You are responsible for giving tours, cleaning, light maintenance tasks, and keeping a log of the goings-on around the Lighthouse.

Keepers must also

be in good physical condition, capable of making multiple trips up and down the vertical 20-foot pier ladders and to the top of the lighthouse.

This is a lighthouse after all.

How Much Does This Cost?

If you're looking to get away for a cheap and stress-free time, this is the place for you. Staying at the Lighthouse isn't free, despite you doing work while you're there. You're paying for the experience. Thankfully, the prices are very reasonable for a place that has fully modern appliances and clean water (two amenities Lighthouse Keepers in the 1930s didn't have)

If you want to learn more about the Light Keeper Program, you can check out their FAQ  and the story of the Lighthouse here. If you want to do this, you have to act fast!