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Join Jeremy D'Entremont, author of eight books and hundreds of articles on lighthouse history, for a van tour of some of New England's most beautiful and historic beacons. A portion of the proceeds from all tours is donated to help lighthouse preservation.

Jeremy

Jeremy D'Entremont has been called the leading expert on New England's lighthouses. He's been photographing and writing about lighthouses for about 25 years, and he is the webmaster of New England Lighthouses: A Virtual Guide at www.lighthouse.cc.

Jeremy is the founder of the Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, and the historian for the American Lighthouse Foundation. He has lectured on his favorite topic all along the New England coast.

All tours begin and end in downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Pickup and dropoff is usually at the parking garage (75¢ per hour) on Hanover Street, but arrangements can often be made for pickup at area hotels. Directions to the garage are here. The maximum capacity on all tours is 5 participants, but 6 can be accommodated if at least one is a child. The tours are not recommended for children under 6 years old.

Advance reservations are needed for all tours. You can purchase spaces below, or email nelights@gmail.com for information on how to hold spaces by paying a deposit.

Offseason tours are available on request, schedule permitting. Email nelights@gmail.com for information.

If you'd like to receive occasional emails when new tours are announced, please email nelights@gmail.com.


2010 Tours
(click on the tour name for more information and dates)
Click here for the cancellation policy

Lighthouses of Portsmouth & Portland, Maine

Lighthouses of Cape Ann, Mass.

SPECIAL EVENT! GHOST CRUISE with the New England Ghost Project, July 31, 2010

SPECIAL EVENT! "Most Haunted Cruise" with Parapsychologist Dr Ciaran OKeefe, August 25, 2010


Lighthouses of Portsmouth & Portland
8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
$99 adults, $69 for children 6-12

Cape

Portland Head Lighthouse
This van tour in New Hampshire and southern Maine starts with a look at the 1874 Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse in Maine, a location made famous by the artist Edward Hopper.

Next is a visit to Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth, one of the most breathtaking lighthouses in the United States.

Time is allotted to walk around the grounds of Maine's oldest lighthouse (1791) and to explore its museum, housed in the former keepers’ quarters. Admission to the museum is included in the tour price.


We'll move on to Spring Point Ledge Light in South Portland, a 55-foot "sparkplug" type lighthouse that was first lighted in May 1897. Lunch (included in ticket price) will be by the water at Joe's Boathouse at Spring Point Marina in South Portland.
Portland Breakwater Light

Portsmouth Harbor Light
Following lunch, the tour moves on to Portland Breakwater Light in South Portland. This unique lighthouse, known locally as "Bug Light," is modeled after the Greek Choragic Monument of Lysicrates, built in the fourth century B.C.

We'll start heading back south for a shopping stop at Lighthouse Depot, the world's largest lighthouse gift store. We'll then continue to York, Maine, to enjoy the picturesque Cape Neddick "Nubble" Light, one of the most photographed lighthouses in the world.


The last stop is a tour inside Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse in New Castle, New Hampshire. Participants are invited to climb the 44 stairs to the lantern to enjoy the magnificent view (including Whaleback Lighthouse) and to see the active Fresnel lens.
Available Dates:


Wednesday, July 28

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Friday, August 6

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August 14-24, 2010, Jeremy will be on board the Grand New England Cruise with American Cruise Lines, as the lighthouse guide!
Friday, August 27

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Tuesday, August 31

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Friday, September 3

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Friday, September 10

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Wed., September 15

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Thursday, September 16

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Friday, September 17

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Wed., September 22

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Thursday, September 23

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Friday, September 24

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Wed., September 29

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Thursday, September 30

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Friday, October 1

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Thursday, October 7

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Friday, October 8

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Friday, October 15

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Saturday, October 16

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Thursday, October 21

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Friday, October 22

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Lighthouses of Cape Ann and Newburyport, Massachusetts
8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m
$99 adults, $59 children 6-12

Eastern Point Light

Annisquam light
After leaving the parking garage in downtown Portsmouth, NH, we'll head to Eastern Point Lighthouse in Gloucester, Massachusetts, America's oldest fishing port.

Next stop is the pretty Annisquam Lighthouse, followed by a visit to Rockport's famous Bearskin Neck, where you can browse the shops and enjoy some local seafood.

After lunch, we'll head to Newburyport, one of New England's most attractive seaports. We'll drive across the causeway to Plum Island to view the Plum Island Lighthouse. We'll also stop at the Newburyport Range Lights, and you'll have some time to visit the shops of downtown Newburyport.

Before returning to downtown Portsmouth, we'll visit Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse in New Castle, NH, where you'll have the opportunity to climb to the top to enjoy a magnificent view encompassing three states.


(Lunch cost is not included in the ticket price.)
Available Dates:

Thursday, August 5

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Thursday, September 2

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SPECIAL EVENT! GHOST CRUISE with the New England Ghost Project
Saturday, July 31, 2010, 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.
$49 per person

Join Ron Kolek of the New England Ghost Project and Jeremy D'Entremont of New England Lighthouse Tours for a unique and spooky evening cruise, leaving Rye Harbor, New Hampshire, aboard the M/V Granite State at 7:00 p.m.  There is a snack bar on board the vessel.

Cruise through the dark and mysterious waters off the New Hampshire Seacoast, passing close to three (reportedly haunted!) lighthouses: Portsmouth Harbor, Whaleback, and White Island, as well as the Isles of Shoals and other spooky points of interest.  

Ron and Jeremy will guide through the uncharted waters of macabre tales and local legends, and you'll hear first-hand stories of paranormal investigations by New England Ghost Project. You'll learn about the ghostly Woman in White who warns of approaching storms at White Island, the longtime keeper who haunts Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, and much more.

Seating is limited -- don't miss a heartbeat; reserve your seats today!

All cruise participants will get a free DVD of the emmy winning "American Builder" Halloween special featuring New England Ghost Project's investigation of New London Ledge Lighthouse.
Ron Kolek











Ron Kolek is the founder and lead investigator of the New England Ghost Project. With a degree in environmental science, he was the ultimate skeptic. A near death experience changed all that. No longer blinded by his skepticism, he now uses scientific background to seek the truth about the paranormal. In addition to hosting Ghost Chronicles on Ghostvillage Radio and ITunes, he hosts a weekly internet radio show on Toginet.com, and writes monthly paranormal newspaper columns in the Stateline Review and Food and Spirits.

He is the co-author, with Maureen Wood, of the best-selling book The Ghost Chronicles: A Medium and a Paranormal Scientist Investigate 17 True Hauntings.

Another special guest will be Jim Sonier, EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) specialist for the New England Ghost Project. Jim will give a demonstration of EVPs ("Voices of the dead"), as featured in the hit movie White Noise. You will hear actual voices captured on investigations by the New England Ghost Project. We will even attempt to make contact with any nearby spirits. Will they have anything to say? Join us and find out!

To get to Rye Harbor:

FROM POINTS NORTH ON I-95
From Rte 95 South, take Exit 3B.  Right onto Rte 33 East.  Go 1.4 miles to 4th light; right onto Peverly Hill Rd. (becomes Elwyn Rd.)  Go 2 miles to Rte 1A; south 6 miles to Rye Harbor State Marina.

FROM POINTS NORTHWEST ON RTS 4&16
Take I-95 South.  See above directions.

FROM POINTS WEST
Rte 101 East.  Take Exit 12.  Left onto Rte 111 East, follow 6.4 miles to Rte 1-A.  Left onto Rte 1-A North.  3 miles to Rye Harbor State Marina.

FROM POINTS SOUTH ON I-95
Rte 95 North, take Exit 2 onto Rte 101 West.  Follow 1 mile.  Take exit 12.  Right onto Rte 111 East (see above for 111 East).

Click here to buy tickets!
 

SPECIAL EVENT! "Most Haunted Cruise" with Parapsychologist Dr Ciaran OKeeffe
Wednesday, August 25, 2010, 7 to 9 p.m.
$49 per person

Join lighthouse historian Jeremy D'Entremont and radio host and paranormal investigator Ron Kolek of the New England Ghost Project for a two-hour cruise into the uncharted waters of ghost stories, sea lore, and unexplained phenomena.

Their very special guest will be Dr. Ciaran O'Keeffe from the hit television show Most Haunted (Friday nights on the Travel Channel). Ciaran is a psychologist operating on science's fringe. He has been involved in many unusual projects: the physiological effects of infrasound, the ghost investigation of Hampton Court, an exorcism "training day," and lie detecting for the movie Spy Game

His life has been diverse (rugby captain, jazz pianist, language teacher, psychiatric nurse, gorilla campaigner). He is currently employed at Universite de Toulouse, where he specialises in researching Parapsychology & Investigative Psychology.  His paranormal research has focused on testing mediums and psychics in the laboratory, as well as fieldwork examining haunting experiences.
 
Additional research has included psychic criminology and "Christian" parapsychology (i.e. exorcism, possession and stigmata).  He has also participated in various documentaries with National Geographic and Discovery examining the use of psychics in criminal investigations and the role of infrasound in understanding haunting experiences and provided accounts of his daily activities and research in order to inform the lead in a recent ITV paranormal drama, Afterlife.

The cruise aboard the Heritage will leave Portsmouth Harbor Cruises' Ceres Street Dock at 7:00 p.m. and will return at 9:00 p.m. Click here for directions.
O'Keefe




Cancellation policy:

All refund and change requests will be handled on an individual basis.

Date changes can only be made only if we can confirm availability on the new date.



Directions to the garage

FROM I-95: Take Exit 7, go east on Market Street into downtown Portsmouth. Turn right at Hanover Street. Garage is on the left.

FROM SPAULDING TURNPIKE: Exit 3 onto Woodbury Avenue. Bear left at Market Street. Continue into downtown Portsmouth. Right at Hanover Street. Garage is on the left.

FROM ROUTE 1 IN MAINE: Follow Route 1 south over the Memorial Bridge into Portsmouth. About 0.1 mile after the bridge, turn right onto Penhallow Street. In a short distance, turn left onto Bow Street. Then, after a short distance, turn right onto Market Street. Take the next left onto Hanover Street. The garage is on the left.

FROM ROUTE 1 POINTS SOUTH: Route 1 north. Route 1 becomes Lafayette Road, then Middle Street, then Maplewood Avenue. Right at Hanover Street. Garage is on the right after Fleet Street.