Spend the night at a haunted lighthouse

Photo by John McCormick

There are few lighthouses where tourists can actually spend the night, but the
Whitefish Point Lighthouse & Shipwreck Museum in
Paradise, Michigan offers a rare and unique opportunity to sleep at the oldest active lighthouse on
Lake Superior by “the graveyard of the
Great Lakes”.  

For people who love lighthouses, it’s a great opportunity to walk in the footsteps of the Coast Guard who used to stay in the restored 1920s Crews Quarters. At night, after the lighthouse closes and the tourists go home, you get a sense of what it may have been like to be stationed in a place that is hauntingly isolated.

And for ghost hunters, it gets even better. The Crews Quarters are said to be haunted by the protective and dedicated men who served
Lake Superior's
Shipwreck
Coast. 

Overnight guests have seen a uniformed apparition in the Chief Officer’s Room, and felt their ankle tugged while they slept. Others said their locked doors opened of their own volition around 6 am and that they experienced a gentle stroking sensation by a phantom hand that woke them in the night.  

Christopher Bailey, Research Director of Grimstone Inc., a paranormal group serving the
Detroit, MI area, says “with an opportunity to spend a night at a location, you have a better chance of noticing the activity around you. It also provides you with a more controlled environment and makes it far easier to distinguish if the voices on your recorder are alive or from beyond the grave.” 

So bring your cameras and an audio recorder. And, make sure to eat dinner early. The closest city is the small town of
Paradise about 20 minutes down the road and the restaurants there don’t stay open very late. There are, however, breakfast snacks in the Crews Quarters kitchen.

Rates are $150.00 per night (April 1 thru November 21). Your purchase grants you admission to the
Great Lakes
Shipwreck
Museum and Whitefish Point Light Station, a 10% discount in the Shipwreck Coast Museum Store, and a one year membership to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society. Reservations are essential and are made online. Call 800-635-1742 for more information or with questions.

 Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum & Whitefish Point Light Station
18335 North Whitefish Point Road
Paradise, MI 49768

Related Pages: Motor City Ghost Hunters investigate Whitefish Point Lighthouse & Museum