Back by popular demand, the Autumn Door County Lighthouse Festival is returning this year over Columbus Day weekend, October 8-9. The lighthouse festival is sponsored by the Door County Maritime Museum, and limited tour tickets are now available for purchase. Organizers decided to go ahead with the festival after seeing the popularity of the annual Door County Lighthouse Festival in June and last year’s first abbreviated festival in October.
Attendees this year can choose between both land and sea tours.
Highlights include a tour on October 8, in which the 65-foot schooner, the Edith M. Becker, will take two groups on a historical 2.5-hour cruise. The 19th century tall ship will sail past the Eagle Bluff Lighthouse and fire a cannon at the end of the trip. Those looking for a spookier, Halloween-ish cruise can buy tickets for Death’s Door Cruise by Shoreline Charters, which will sail past Baileys Harbor Range Lights, the abandoned Coast Guard Station on Plum Island and the otherworldly Pilot Island. Individuals who aren’t afraid to get a good workout in can sign up for a 3-mile round hike around Chambers Island, one of the festival’s enduring offerings. Participants will be able to meet the lighthouse caretakers and climb to the lantern room platform.
For more information on these and additional tours at the festival, visit dcmm.org or contact the Door County Maritime Museum at 920-743-5958.
