Rhode Island

Exploring Rose Island Lighthouse in Newport, Rhode Island

Part museum, part overnight destination, the Rose Island Lighthouse in Newport, Rhode Island, gives visitors a special look at a restored New England landmark.

By Aimee Tucker|Aug 16 2018| Print icon

Rose Island Lighthouse

Climb the stairs (carefully) up to the light and admire the perfect summer views of Narragansett Bay and the Newport Bridge.

Credit: Aimee Tucker
Rose Island Lighthouse in Newport, Rhode Island, is a lovingly restored lighthouse that’s been keeping watch over Narragansett Bay since 1870. It’s also one of the few lighthouses in New England you can sleep in. Here’s a closer look at this unique Ocean State landmark.
Rose Island Lighthouse

Rose Island Lighthouse | Newport, Rhode Island

Credit: Aimee Tucker
Rose Island Lighthouse in Newport, Rhode Island.
Credit: Aimee Tucker

History of Rose Island Lighthouse

Located a mile offshore, Rose Island sits in the middle of the East Passage of Narragansett Bay. As shipping traffic in the Newport area increased during the 19th century, Congress appropriated funds for a lighthouse, which was completed on the island’s southwest corner in 1870. When the Newport Bridge opened a century later, in 1969, the lighthouse fell out of use and into disrepair. Fearing its demolition, a group of volunteers formed the Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation and rallied to save it. In 1984 they successfully restored it to its 1912 appearance, while also installing environmentally conscious methods of electricity, water, sewer, and heat. On August 7, 1993, the beacon was relit, and the light could once again provide aid in navigation.

Things to Do on Rose Island

Spending a night or a vacation week in one of Rose Island’s guest rooms (there’s an apartment and a handful of single rooms available for rent in the summer) is the best way to make the most of a visit to the island, but day-trippers will still find plenty to admire and enjoy. Tour the historic lighthouse and Fort Hamilton barracks (guides are on hand during the summer months); stroll the walking paths after August 15, when the protection for nesting birds is lifted; beach-comb; fish off the rocks; enjoy a picnic lunch; or read a book in one of the island’s many ocean-facing Adirondack chairs. Bird-watchers, take note: Egrets, snowy egrets, and glossy ibis, plus many species of gulls and geese, all call Rose Island home.

ROSE ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE IN NEWPORT, RI | PHOTOS

Rose Island Lighthouse

The 18-acre Rose Island is home to a wildlife refuge, the lighthouse, and the Fort Hamilton Barracks.

Credit: Aimee Tucker
Eighteen-acre Rose Island (with its terrific view of the Newport Bridge, aka the Claiborne Pell Bridge) is home to a wildlife refuge, the lighthouse, and the Fort Hamilton barracks.
Credit: Aimee Tucker
Rose Island Lighthouse

If you own your own boat, you can to tie up at the dock like we did. If you have a small sailing craft, canoes, or kayaks you can land on the beach.

Credit: Aimee Tucker
If you have your own boat, you can tie up at the dock, as we did. If you have a sailing dinghy, canoe, or kayak, you can land on the beach. A short path leads to the lighthouse.
Credit: Aimee Tucker
Rose Island Lighthouse

An arc of Adirondack chairs take in the view of Narragansett Bay.

Credit: Aimee Tucker
An arc of Adirondack chairs curves beside Narragansett Bay. Inside, the museum depicts the lighthouse as it looked in 1912.
Credit: Aimee Tucker
Rose Island Lighthouse

The museum part of the lighthouse features a kitchen and living room, plus two bedrooms available for rent. A separate entrance leads to the Keeper’s Apartment, which can also be rented for full weeks in the summer.

Credit: Aimee Tucker
The museum part of the lighthouse features a restored living room and semi-equipped kitchen, plus two no-frills double bedrooms, both available for rent. A separate entrance leads to the keeper’s apartment, a more modern and private option, which has a master bedroom, living room with pullout sofa, full kitchen, bathroom, and wood stove.
Credit: Aimee Tucker
Rose Island Lighthouse

Archival photos of the lighthouse’s history adorn the walls in the museum living room.

Credit: Aimee Tucker
Archival photos of the lighthouse’s history adorn the walls in the museum living room.
Credit: Aimee Tucker
Rose Island Lighthouse

A collection of period antiques (some working, some doing their best) and Rose Island mementos give visitors plenty to take in.

Credit: Aimee Tucker
Period antiques (some working, some doing their best) and Rose Island mementos give visitors plenty to take in.
Credit: Aimee Tucker
Rose Island Lighthouse

The Curt Bunting Room is one of two bedrooms available for rent on the first floor of the museum side of the lighthouse.

Credit: Aimee Tucker
The Curt Bunting Room, with views of the Newport Bridge, is one of two bedrooms available for rent on the first floor of the museum side of the lighthouse.
Credit: Aimee Tucker
Rose Island Lighthouse

Climb the stairs (carefully) up to the light and admire the perfect summer views of Narragansett Bay and the Newport Bridge.

Credit: Aimee Tucker
Climb the stairs (carefully) up to the light and admire the perfect summer views of Narragansett Bay and the Newport Bridge.
Credit: Aimee Tucker
Rose Island Lighthouse

Original keeper John Bailey Cozzens established the light on the night of January 20, 1870.

Credit: Aimee Tucker
Original keeper John Bailey Cozzens lit the island’s first light on January 20, 1870.
Credit: Aimee Tucker
Rose Island Lighthouse

Can’t you just smell the ocean breezes from here?

Credit: Aimee Tucker
Can’t you just smell the ocean breezes?
Credit: Aimee Tucker

Getting to Rose Island

Rose Island and the lighthouse museum are open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Admission is $5 per person. Note: Parts of the island are restricted from March 1 to August 14 because of nesting birds. The best way to travel is via the Jamestown-Newport Ferry, unless you have your own boat, which you can tie up at the dock (or, for smaller craft, land on the beach). Planning a longer visit to Newport, Rhode Island? Check out our Favorite Things to Do in Newport and our Guide to the Newport Mansions. This post was first published in 2017 and has been updated.  Note: We visited Rose Island Lighthouse in a season 2 episode of Weekends with Yankee, our public television show in collaboration with WGBH. Check the Weekends with Yankee site to learn more about the series, plus when and where to catch episodes.

Aimee Tucker

Aimee Tucker is Yankee’s senior digital editor. A lifelong New Englander and Yankee contributor since 2010, Aimee has written columns devoted to history, foliage, retro food, and architecture, and regularly shares her experiences in New England travel, home, and gardening. Her most memorable Yankee experiences to date include meeting Stephen King, singing along to a James Taylor Fourth of July concert at Tanglewood, and taking to the skies in the Hood blimp for an open-air tour of the Massachusetts coastline.

More by Aimee Tucker

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  1. The braided rug in front of the kitchen Hoosier cabinet was made by my mother in the late 1990s. She and my father were there for an Elderhostel work week–in November! She made them 3 braided wool rugs that should last for another 100 years!

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