Sullivan’s Island Lighthouse Open House
on November 4th, 2011 at 8:12 pm
A view of the lighthouse from the beach
You can visit Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island for a tour 362 days of the year, and Fort Sumter is just a quick ferry ride away — also open 362 days of the year. But when it comes to the Sullivan’s Island Lighthouse, another National Park Service property, getting inside for a tour is a rare opportunity that only comes a few times a year. But on Sunday, November 6, 2011, the Sullivan’s Island Light will open its doors to the public from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. During the FREE event, the lighthouse grounds, the boathouse, the quarters cupola and the lower level of the lighthouse will be accessible.
The lighthouse is located at 1815 I’On Avenue on Sullivan’s Island. It was built in 1962 to take the place of the Morris Island Lighthouse, which had to be decommissioned because of severe erosion problems on Morris Island. The Sullivan’s Island Lighthouse has a triangular shape to help it better sustain hurricane-force winds of up to 125 miles per hour. It is a modern engineering feat with air-conditioning and an elevator. The elevator climbs more than 130 feet in 74 seconds; the lighthouse’s remaining 25 feet is accessible only by ladder — this is the part of the lighthouse that will not be open during the public event on Sunday because of safety concerns.
The Coast Guard transferred ownership of the lighthouse to the National Park Service in 2008.
Scheduled to coincide with the Sullivan’s Island Light Open House is Creative Spark’s Art on the Beach fundraiser from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Creative Spark Center for the Arts is located in Mount Pleasant at 757 Long Point Road and offers art, music and performance art classes, and family-friendly performances. The Art on the Beach event will feature historic Sullivan’s Island home tours, artist studio tours, artwork to buy, chef demonstrations and tastings and musical entertainment at Station 22 seafood restaurant.
Don’t miss this special opportunity to tour the lighthouse and the other buildings on the property. The weather looks like it will be perfect — around 67 degrees and mostly sunny — just make sure to bring a jacket so that you don’t catch a chill from the sea breezes. Here all the links you’ll need for a fun-filled afternoon on Sullivan’s Island:
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