I recently attended the annual Macaroni Kid Meet Up in Montauk, Long Island, NY. It is a chance for publishers to come together from all over the country to meet, see old friends, collaborate and learn new things to make our local Macaroni Kid websites and newsletters the best they can possibly be.
Each year we are hosted by a different city. Montauk is a beautiful coastal town on the very tip of Long Island. It is described by Montauk photographer and writer, Grant Monahan, as "a quaint drinking village with a fishing problem." The area is full of wineries, gorgeous beach fronts and water activities, beautiful coastal byways, small nautical villages, ferries and historic lighthouses.
While I was there, we took a tour of the Montauk Point Lighthouse. It is a must see if you are planning on visiting Montauk. On the tour, we learned about the rich history of the over 200-year-old lighthouse from our tour guide who is a member of the Montauk Historical Society. He told us how they spent many years petitioning to have the lighthouse declared a national historic landmark, even taking their cause to Washington, DC to petition lawmakers. They finally succeeded in 2012.
It is the oldest lighthouse in New York State. It was authorized by President George Washington in 1792. Construction began on June 7, 1796, and was completed on November 5, 1796. Although it is now automated without a lighthouse keeper, it still serves as an aid to navigation. The light at the top of the tower flashes every 5 seconds and can be seen from a distance of 19 nautical miles.
At the base of the lighthouse is the living quarters that used to house the lighthouse keeper. You can walk through and see artifacts from Montauk's history. There is also a display that shows the massive amounts of beach erosion that has occurred over the years in front of the lighthouse, making it much closer to the ocean today than when it was built. If you are brave and in relatively good shape you can climb the 137 winding iron steps to the top of the tower. At the top is a beautiful view of the ocean on one side and Long Island on the other.
Montauk is a fun ferry trip from Connecticut and a charming drive through the coastal countryside. Find out more about visiting the Montauk Point Lighthouse, Montauk, and Long Island at:
https://montauklighthouse.com/
https://www.discoverlongisland.com/
https://www.iloveny.com/
