The Northeast Region
The east coast is rich with lighthouses however the State of Maine offers the greatest number of lighthouses. There are 60 of them up and down the state because the rugged coastline called for many to serve as warnings to seafarers.
These days they are great daytrips for the family. Most of the lighthouses in Maine can be reached by driving along Route 1. In fact most of New England is full of these great sights. Here is a list of some of the more scenic lighthouses in the Northeast:
Cape Neddick Light
Built in 1879, Cape Neddick is the southernmost of Maine's many lighthouses. It is still an active light and is one of the most scenic. From its location, you can also see the light from Boon Island at night.
Monhegan Island
This islands history goes back over 400 years. The first lighthouse was built here in 1824. The current one was built in 1850 and it sits on top of a hill that is 178 feet above sea level in the center of the island. The tower is another 47 feet high. The keeper's house is now a museum and is not open during the winter.
There is more to do than see the lighthouse here. The island offers 17 miles of hiking trails for you to explore and is also a home to an artist colony with many studios open during the summer months. There are several inns, some dating from the 1800's for you to stay in. The island is reached from Port Clyde ferry boat and it takes about an hour to get there.
West Quoddy Head Light
In 1806 Thomas Jefferson signed the order to build a lighthouse to help guide ships through the Quoddy Narrows, between the U.S. and Canada.
It was not completed until 1808. In 1858 the present tower was built along with the lighthouse keepers house.
The light is located in Quoddy Head State Park, which is as far east as you can drive in the Continental United States. Its unique red stripes and picturesque location make it one of the most photographed towers.
The State of New Hampshire coastline is only 18 miles that is long. There are only 2 lighthouses along this stretch of New England however there are many bird sanctuaries also, making a trip well worth your while.
Portsmouth Harbor
Originally established in 1771, the present tower is from 1877. It is stillactive and is located on the grounds of Portsmouth Harbor Coast Guard Station which is immediately adjacent 
to Fort Constitution State Historical Site.
The tower was leased for restoration and is open only on the last Sunday of the Month, May through September.
Isles of Shoals
Established in 1821 and built in 1859. It too is still active. In 2005 it was completely restored due to the work of local school children called "The Lighthouse Kids" who drew attention to its condition. A nor’easter in 2007 severely damaged it.
The Massachusetts coastline is relatively long and offers many small harbors as well as the famous Cape Cod. For that reason you can find 46 lighthouses along the coast, many dating from the 1800's. Most are found in the Southeast section due to the great volume of commercial and pleasure boating found in these waters.
Some of these lighthouses are as follows:
Newburyport Harbor
There are three lighthouses here. Two have been inactive since 1961 and both were built in 1873. The one still active is at Plum Island and is open for tours every other weekend during the summer.
Cape Ann Area
There are six in this area. The two on Thatcher Island are among the tallest in the state at 124 feet. The originals were built in 1771 and these two in 1861. They are the only surviving multiple-lights found in the US today.
Ten pound Island
Located on an island in the middle of Gloucester Harbor and it is still active. It was originally built in 1798 and this tower is from 1820. It was inactivated from 1956 to 1989.
Salem Area
You will find seven lighthouses around this part of the state, six of which are active. Two were reactivated after a short time. Marblehead is the only one of its kind in the state. Built with an external "skeleton" it stands 140 feet tall.
Boston Harbor
Here are six more lighthouses and five are active. The most famous is the one located on Little Brewster Island. It is the second oldest U.S. lighthouse (after Sandy Hook, NJ) and the last U.S. lighthouse to be automated (1998). This light tower replaced the very first U.S. lighthouse (1716), which was blown up by retreating British troops in 1776. One of the most famous of all U.S. lighthouses, recognized as a National Historic Landmark. This is also the only light station still staffed purely as a light station by the Coast Guard.
Plymouth County
Five lighthouses, all active, are to be found. These vary in age from 1811 to 1958. The one at Scituate was inactive from 1860 until 1994. It is owned and maintained by the town.
Cape Cod Bay, Oceanside Southside areas
There are nineteen unique lighthouses in this Cape Cod area; thirteen are still active. This is a rather famous tourist area because of its gorgeous sand dunes and picturesque New England style homes.
Nantucket
Nantucket has three lighthouses. These are Brant point, Sankaty and Great point. Sankaty was built very close to a cliff. In time, due to natural erosion, it became very dangerous. In 2007 it was moved over 400 feet away and preserved. Great Point is accessible only by 4 wheel drive vehicles across very soft sand.
Martha's Vineyard
You will find 5 lighthouses on Martha's Vineyard. All are on the north side of the Island and look out over Vineyard Sound and Nantucket Sound, and over the entrance to Edgartown Harbor and Cape Poge.
These are East and West Chop, Edgertown, Gayhead and Cape Poge. All are easily accessible except Cape Poge.
New Bedford and Borden Flats
There is plenty of history in this neck of the woods.
New Bedford, Massachusetts was the whaling capital of the nation in the mid-nineteenth century.
The whaling industry reached its peak in the 1850's, when New Bedford had a fleet of 239 ships.
Palmer Island was first lighted on August 30, 1849 to help those mariners to safety. This island lies directly within the entrance to New Bedford Harbor.
The Borden Flats Light was named after the Borden family, who were very prominent at the time. It would be many years later that the family's most famous member, Lizzy Borden, would be charged and acquitted of murdering her parents.
For being the smallest state, Rhode Island sports 20 lighthouses. Just a few are as follows:
Watch Hill Light
The original Watch Hill Light was built in 1808 and was replaced in 1856 with the current granite block tower. It is still active. Watch Hill got its name during the 1740's when a watchtower was built on the hill to warn against naval attack.
Point Judith Light
Point Judith Light and Coast Guard Station sit on the western entrance to the Narragansett Bay. The original wooden tower was built in 1810, but was blown over during a storm six years later. A replacement stone tower lasted until 1857, when the present tower was erected.
Castle Hill
The Castle Hill light was built in 1890 to mark the eastern passage of Narragansett Bay.
Rose Island Light
Rose Island Light was built in 1869 to guide ships around the shoals surrounding Newport Harbor.
The light served until its deactivation in 1971, after the construction of the Newport Bridge, which is nearly on top of the Rose Island lighthouse in 1969.
Southeast Light
Southeast Light is one of two on the island. The other being the North Light and is abandoned. The Southeast lighthouse is a massive Victorian brick structure built in 1873, and is the highest above sea level of any New England lighthouse.
Connecticut has 21 lighthouses standing at this time. However, only 5 of them can be visited by car. These are as follows:
Stonington
This lighthouse was once the beacon for the many vessels approaching Stonington's harbor from Long Island Sound. The original 30-foot stone tower, which was built on the Point in 1823, supported a lantern containing ten oil lamps and parabolic reflectors. Its beacon was visible 12 miles at sea which was good for its day.
Eventually, Storms and shore erosion took their toll on the exposed site so in 1840 the structure was dismantled. The materials where used to build a new tower and keeper's dwelling on the present site. The light remained active until 1889 when a beacon was installed on the outer end of a new breakwater protecting the harbor entrance. The lighthouse is now a museum.
Mystic Seaport
Mystic Seaport is a living museum, comprised of the many activities that might be found in a New England coastal village of the 1800's. The lighthouse is a replica of Brant Point Light on Nantucket Island. This is a great place to bring the kid's to teach them ore countries history.
Avery Point
The Avery Point Lighthouse is situated at the southeastern end of the University of Connecticut's Avery Point campus located off of Shennecossett Road in the Town of Groton. In March of 1943, the USCG completed the construction of Avery Point Lighthouse. It was at this time considered "ready for service"; however, World War II did not allow the light from being lit until May, 1944.
Point Park
The original lighthouse was a shingled, wooden structure. The tower was approximately 18 feet at its base and 30 feet tall. An iron lantern surrounded the top of the tower. It is believed that the first lantern burned whale oil. Opinion varies on how far its beacon could be seen, some said only 5 maritime miles and others said it could be seen for 12 miles.
All agreed that for the seamen relying on a strong beacon to keep them off the rocky shore, the New Haven lighthouse, with its week light and low elevation, was no protection from disaster. At least one ship ran onto the rocks, reportedly just one mile from the lighthouse, and was pounded to pieces.
Because it was located too far north on the shore to be seen by ships coming from the east it was decided that a new lighthouse was needed. Congress appropriated the funds and the new lighthouse opened in 1847. It is no longer in service.
Black Rock Harbor
Black Rock Harbor is located in Bridgeport Connecticut on the Long Island Sound. It marks the entrance to the harbor on its east. The first Black Rock Harbor Lighthouse was a 40-foot wooden tower built in 1808.
It originally had a whale oil lamp, but it was upgraded to a system with eight lamps in 1830. However, the light was barely visible in hazy conditions, so in 1854, a new light was installed. The lighthouse was officially discontinued in 1933.