What is the Midcoast Maine Lighthouse Challenge?

In a word, it is a ton of FUN!

Lighthouses, the sea and the great outdoors - enjoy the excitement and intrigue of these Maine treasures with family and friends, as you follow the lights by land and sea during the 2009 Midcoast Maine Lighthouse Challenge!

The Midcoast Maine Lighthouse Challenge is a two-day self-guided driving tour of Midcoast Maine's land-accessible lighthouses, held this year on Saturday and Sunday, June 27th and 28th. Directions to and from each lighthouse will be provided in a commemorative booklet available at each location. For each lighthouse visited, participants will receive a complimentary memento associated with that particular site. Challenge volunteers will staff each location from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm (unless otherwise noted) to greet and assist you.

The Challenge offers participants the once a year opportunity to visit 7 lighthouses and 1 lighthouse museum, namely, Dyce Head in Castine, Fort Point in Stockton Springs, Grindle Point on Isleboro, Marshall Point in Port Clyde, Owls Head (in Owls Head), Pemaquid Point in Bristol, and Rockland Breakwater and the Maine Lighthouse Museum in Rockland, all open for public access and climbing wherever possible. Please note, any admission charges or fees are decided by the individual organizations that oversee each location.

If you are a lighthouse challenge 'veteran' and think you have seen it all, think again, for the 2009 Midcoast Maine Lighthouse Challenge will offer some new activities that have not previously been a part of any lighthouse challenge. This year's event includes two bonus challenges. The first will be to enjoy viewing some of the areas lighthouses from the water during a 4-hour sunset cruise aboard the M/V Monhegan P/V Elizabeth Ann that will depart Rockland Harbor at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 27, and will include Rockland Breakwater, Owls Head, Indian Island and Curtis Island lighthouses. Tickets are $25 per person. Seating is limited: Make your reservations now by clicking here:

4-Hour Sunset Cruise aboard the M/V Monhegan P/V Elizabeth Ann- $25 pp - The are only a limited number of tickets left for the Lighthouse Sunset Cruise aboard the P/V Elizabeth Ann. Please call 207-594-4174 to find out if there are enough tickets remaining for your purchase.

The second bonus challenge is a chance for participants to tour the United States Coast Guard cutter TACKLE, a 65-foot harbor tug that cares for 34 aids to navigation in Penobscot Bay, including four lighthouses. Visitors touring the cutter "Tackle" will also learn how the U.S. Coast Guard cares for lighthouses and lights today through interpretive displays and exhibits of modern lights and equipment. For this event, the TACKLE will be tied up at the public pier that can be accessed from Harbor Park in Rockland and available for tours on Saturday, June 27, from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

As if two bonus challenges are not enough, there is one more feature of this year’s challenge that is sure to entice you to participate in this exciting event. Complete the 2009 Midcoast Maine Lighthouse Challenge and be entered into a drawing to win a one-night, double-occupancy, luxurious stay (and breakfast for two the next day) at any of the four Historic Inns of Rockland! All of the Historic Inns of Rockland are certified Maine Hospitality Environmental Leaders, and each is within an easy stroll of downtown Rockland and its harbor front, restaurants and museums. For more information about the Historic Inns of Rockland, visit their website, www.HistoricInnsofRockland.com, or call 1-877-ROC-INNS.

To view or print the brochure promoting this event, click here (PDF software required). For information about and directions to each location of this year's Lighthouse Challenge, click here. For a list of recommended lodging in the area, click here. For more information about the 2009 Midcoast Maine Lighthouse Challenge, call 207-785-4609 or email: challenge@rocklandlighthouse.com.

1-877-ROC-INNS • www.HistoricInnsofRockland.com