Commissioned by George Washington and completed in 1791, this is the oldest lighthouse in the country. It's an absolute beauty sitting amongst the rugged rocks and crashing waves on the southern coast of Maine, and certainly worth a visit if you are ever in the area. It's definitely a touristy area with tour buses driving through daily, but the parking area is massive and there are picnic benches if you want to do lunch or just sit and take in the view. A nice paved walking trail awaits you with multiple vantage points for stunning pictures. I am so happy I crossed this off my bucket list. read more

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After a day out in Maine, we wanted to stop by the lighthouse at cape Elizabeth! It was a quick stop (only open for like 45m left) The parking kiosks didn't work but a local told us it's good so we parked and went for the shots and take a look at some history! We'll have to come back another day in the summer when the vendors are open and see what we may have missed coming late. Great views with the lighthouse as a center piece under a beautiful sky. read more

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The lighthouse is at Two Lights State Park and it's meant to signify the entrance of the harbor in Portland. It was built in 1874. The lighthouse currently functions as an automated station for the Coast Guard. The views from the lighthouse area, the water, and rocks are just lovely. Even on the days when the weather isn't the best it could be, still beautiful sights creating beautiful photographic memories. It's so serene walking along the coastline surrounding the lighthouse. The park itself is equally beautiful and lovely. read more

Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Cape Elizabeth, Maine

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Sunset photos overlooking the water - 'nuff said. Gets cold and windy, bring layers and/or someone to hug. Find a kind stranger to take pics of you and your party; have fun read more

Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse - Sunset - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Cape Elizabeth, Maine

Beautiful area to take a walk and visit the oldest light house in America. The sourrounding area is beautiful! It has a gravel walking trail and a grassy field with swings for kids. read more

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Words and photos do this place no justice. It's simply beautiful and I believe it to be the prettiest lighthouse there is. It's in a beautiful park setting and there are lots of walking trails from which to see the lighthouse and the Atlantic Ocean. It's truly a must-experience kind of place! read more

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This is a beautiful place to stop and check out. There is adequate parking but you do compete with tour buses. There are a few paths to walk on and the remains of an old fort. Pretty cool spot. Worth the visit. read more

Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Cape Elizabeth, Maine

Cool rock beach or breakers. It was so foggy we could t see the lighthouse but it was a really cool place to see the waves. read more

Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse - Cape Elizabeth beach - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Cape Elizabeth, Maine

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The parking was so easy to navigate. The grounds were well maintained. We enjoyed the museum, gift shop and the lighthouse itself. Nice place for family visits and picnics. read more

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This is a really cool place to visit. The rock formations are amazing... I thought it was wood at first. We got there mid-morning, and it was low tide. It was very interesting to see some of the largest lobster heads I'd ever scene in my life at the surface. I just wish that we would have been able to have closer access to the lighthouse, but the view was still goregous. read more

Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse - Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Cape Elizabeth, Maine

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This straight up is a beautiful amazing place to spend a few hours as there's a ton of space all around the lighthouse as well as some abandoned military ruins like this whole lighthouse area was off the wall cool! Coming here I just expected the lighthouse but what I found was a lot more as our first stop was the lighthouse so we walked around for a bit took in some of the water and that beautiful view as well as the awesomeness that is the lighthouse itself. Then it was all about adventure as there are a bunch of military ruins all around with some rooms that just scream from the past making for a super cool kinda Erie vibe as well as adding to the rush history of the area. There are a few parking lots in each area that have pay as you park locations the bad thing about this is you have to stay in the lot you buy your ticket in you can't move to another so it's either that or you pay and pay again because everything here is pretty far apart. One of the coolest places we found here was the abandoned mansion it was huge and you can just feel the history being there from all the awesome brickwork that was left behind! The lighthouse though was the real winner as it was just super cool and very peaceful and soo tall it was just shedding light all over like you really can't go wrong with spending some time here! Overall super cool park lots of places to explore and just an all around mellow vibe of water rocks and history it's for that I really hope to get here again at some point as it was just amazingly beautiful and chill! read more

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Absolutely stunning lighthouse in the South Western entrance, also called the Portland Head light. Love the gothic revival architecture, cast iron and stone...very sturdy. On our visit, it was rainy and super windy... great closeups of the waves crashing on the rock formations... wish we could spend more time taking everything in.. but the weather was not cooperating. read more

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My go to every time I'm here. My mom loved this place so much. Breathtaking. I'm There are a few food trucks. They are still repairing the lighthouse from storm damage so some areas are closed Only porta potties in the parking lot for bathrooms. read more

Probably the most iconic of Maine's lighthouses, the Cape Elizabeth Light was originally built as two rubble stone towers as far back as 1828 but were replaced with cast iron towers in 1874. The tower has a height of 66 feet and therefore has a range of 15 nautical miles. The property is privately owned and some amazing photos can be had from the rocky "beach" at the front that is the official "Cape Elizabeth". It is surprisingly easy to walk on if it is dry. A marking lot with room for 30+ vehicles is at the end of Two Lights Road. This is a beautiful lighthouse and worth coming to visit but wasn't my favorite of the 18 we photographed this weekend. If you want a lighthouse that is more up close and personal, the Portland Head Light in Fort Williams (6 miles away, you can just about see it from here) would be my recommendation. [Review 14907 overall, 409 of 2021, number 89 in Maine.] read more

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So it's a lighthouse, right? The Maine coast has tons of them, and a lot of them don't operate, but they make for great Instagram fodder, yes? Well, not really. This is *so* much more. To begin with, this is one of the most accessible lighthouse 'parks' you can hit near Portland, and family-friendly. I love Nubble, but those rocks are treacherous. THIS is quite the opposite, with cut granite laid out as both a breaker and a quasi-beach, not without its perils but WAY more passable than Nubble. With the tides out, small pools give way to little finds, housing marine life and watchables. With the tides coming in, the rocks serve to create lots Winslow Homer-ish pictures, waves crashing, sea foam and whatnot. Additionally, a small cove to the east has a calm inlet, with maybe the world's best array of flat stones for skipping. Yes, I know, it takes years for a stone to wash ashore, but, well, skipping stones. Beat the boy's record of 9 hops. You don't get close to this lighthouse, but the view is spectacular. The whole park is just so Maine. The small restaurant next to the parking will serve you up a lobstah roll, and the climate is just perfect in summer. I think I filled up gigs on my smartphone with pics aplenty, because there are keeper photo ops everywhere at Cape Elizabeth. read more

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It's a very picturesque lighthouse. You cannot go inside the lighthouse though. But if you want that iconic view of Portland (which to be fair I had no idea involved this lighthouse until we were there) this is the place to do it. read more

Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Cape Elizabeth, Maine

Just a perfect day to enjoy a picnic lunch and watch the boats go by. The Portland Head light is the main reason tourist come hundreds of miles to visit. But us locals love the beautiful head light, the gardens and paths along the rocky coastline. We arrived early and found a picnic table overlooking the ocean. Setting up our chairs, putting a table cloth on our table we enjoyed our day. The park does charge for parking. So make sure you decide how long you want to visit. We decided 4 hours would be perfect! read more

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Beautiful views and plenty of walking paths. There were a few food trucks there as well so no problem getting food or dessert (gelato). read more

Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Cape Elizabeth, Maine

Beautiful walks and lighthouse. Parking $2 per hour, credit card only. Masks and distancing required. No hand sanitizer at the portapotty. read more

Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Cape Elizabeth, Maine

Absolutely gorgeous! The lighthouse speaks for itself. It is such an amazing place to see. Beautiful scenery with waves crashing over an unusually stunning rock formation. I believe it is quartzite and phyllite accumulating in layers. It appears to look like wood, but it's really a rock -- so AMAZING geology at its finest. Such a great location to bring friends to walk, there are plenty of trails to do so. You can even get your feet wet at the beach it boasts. Lots of cool rocks by the beach, and enough space to have a picnic with your family, friends and loved ones. Heads up -- you need to pay for parking. $2 an hour, which is very reasonable for the enriching experience. You only need a couple of hours in all honesty. A must see if you're in the area!! read more

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Worth a trip to see the famous Maine lighthouse! I'm from Cali, we don't have lighthouses or even green landscape. So this park was super green and the lighthouse is picturesque. You can hangout in the park/surroundings. Also drop by Bite into Maine and grab a lobster roll and eat it on the picnic tables around the lighthouse. So beautiful! Remember, you have to carry out your trash... and bathrooms are portable potties, super dirty and gross. read more

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This place attracts quite the crowd. It is obviously pretty windy, so prepare for that. Beautiful view overall ! read more

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Cape Elizabeth is the first lighthouse I've ever been to in my life, it's such a beautiful place to visit and take pictures with your loved ones and family. I highly recommend taking your friends and family to see the beautiful lighthouse and see what nature has to offer MAKE SURE TO BRING YOUR CAMERA read more

Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse - Cape Elizabeth lighthouse - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Cape Elizabeth, Maine

Once we were able to find parking, we had a fun experience. It was enjoyable to go on the rocks and see the water and lighthouses in the background. However it wasn't as accessible as other lighthouses that we visited, hence the 4 stars. read more

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Beautiful and magical! Great place for an escape, picturesque, and amazing for the loved one(s) - from family to wife and kids, or your significant other. Make sure you stop at the lobster truck and get some fresh and wonderfully tasting lobster rolls read more

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Just gorgeous! Had to drive up here. My sister and I enjoyed walking along the trail. Be careful for poison ivy! It's everywhere. The signs are there but are kind of hidden. Not easy to see. - We were blessed with a gorgeous day out and the views were awesome! read more

Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Cape Elizabeth, Maine

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Serene, and pure beauty. We came out early to watch the sunrise and it was just a magnificent scene. Pictures will tell, though still, do not do it justice. read more

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A very dangerous place Cape Elizabeth is an incredibly lovely place. Classic Southern Maine coastline with lots of rocks, wind, huge waves and beautiful scenery. However it is also a place that has been feared by ships and mariners for centuries. So in 1828 it was decided to build a lighthouse to help ships get around the treacherous cape and coastline. In fact it was decided to build two lighthouses because at the time it was thought that having two lighthouses would help judge angles and distance better and make the passage easier. Turned out they were wrong because two lights just cause confusion because sometimes only one light could be seen or because of the vicissitudes of the atmosphere one light might look much further away than the other. So the idea of multiple lights at the same location quickly fell out of favor. The first lights were just hastily constructed from rubble and eroded away quickly So in 1884 two much sturdier cast iron lights were built. These are the ones still standing. The east one is still active but the twin about 300 yards to the west was deactivated in 1929 when it was finally realized that having twin lights was actually a pretty dumb idea. The lights are 67 feet tall and the active one can be seen out to 17 miles at sea to help ships negotiate the dangerous cape. Ships wrecks still happen because the tides, currant, fog and storms still make this a place to take very seriously at times. The area is filled with stories of tragedy but also incredible bravery. Perhaps the most famous of all the rescue tales is the one of Marcus Hanna, who in 1885 repeatedly risked his life to save two seamen that were trapped in the rigging of the ice covered schooner Australia. The vessel crashed upon the treacherous rocks near the lighthouse and was covered with ice and about to break up. Marcus threw line after line to the men and finally got them to safety but only after going in the freezing water and risking his own life again and again. The lights still stand but unfortunately you can no longer get close to them. The exclusive Cape Elizabeth neighborhood is now a gated community and you can only see the glorious lights from a distance. The west light no longer has a beacon and looks quite different from the original but the east one still stands tall and proud. Both of these lights are shown in many famous paintings and old photographs and many people know these lights by sight if not by name. It is sad that today it is so difficult to get close to or even view or get good photos of such a great part of maritime and lighthouse history. read more

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We came from Portland to see this iconic Lighthouse, I have been to many light house and this one is the most beautiful one yet. The view is spectacular and parking can be challenging on weekends. Being on the east coast, its good to see the Atlantic Ocean, sea kelp, sea gulls, etc... if you ever in Portland, this is a must-see. read more

Beautiful outlook onto the ocean and lighthouse. Went during the day and night and got some great pictures. The skies are so clear at night but it is pretty cold so I would definitely bundle up a lot and bring a tripod if you want you take pictures. During the day, the weather isn't too bad (I went in January). There are rocks and you can climb over/onto and get closer to the water or further down the shoreline. Wish I lived closer to that I could come in the summer and enjoy a good book. read more

Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse - Cape Elizabeth lighthouse at night Instagram: @ericaclaw - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Cape Elizabeth, Maine

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Absolutely stunning. Breath taking views. So peaceful and beautiful. This was by far the best part about visiting Maine. A must see read more

Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Cape Elizabeth, Maine

Portland head light... very nice lighthouse. The park has a Long Beach where you can spend the day and soak in some sun. Definitely worth the trip. read more

So we followed the gps to this lighthouse and the road is blocked off and says its private and you can't access the lighthouse. People said it was so accessible and lots to see around it. But how do you get there? So confused! read more

It was a super hot day to visit, but we still enjoyed the great walking trails and beautiful views. read more

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There's plenty to see here but this park is quite a tourist trap. this Lighthouse has some cliff views great for photography of Maine. I was there on a the park became busy I could not take a short video without people marching through. All day long buses were pulling up with fellow tourist. Anywhere within eyesight of the lighthouse on a weekday people were making noise taking pictures talking with one another having a jolly time yet I foolishly expected it to stop any moment. Birds to point out, ocean to hear at a lighted lighthouse. read more

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Breathtaking sea views and a quintessential, white-washed lighthouse make this a must do while in Portland. Make sure you allow enough time to walk around and appreciate how beautiful it is. We were part of a tour group which, in my mind, did not budget enough time to explore the coastline. Wonderful photo ops. read more

Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Cape Elizabeth, Maine

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Absolutely beautiful. Breath taking views of the Atlantic Ocean, picturesque views of the light house from all around the cliff walks. Open fields for picnics or plenty of picnic tables if you so choose. Several good trucks available (but bring cash). read more

Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Cape Elizabeth, Maine

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NOBODY calls this "Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse". It's been called "Portland Head Light" ever since George Washington himself commissioned it in the late 1700s. The lighthouse is so named because of where it is located (at the head of Portland Harbor). read more

Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse - Portland Head Light and vintage Vanagon. - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Cape Elizabeth, Maine

Cape Elizabeth has quite some history behind it (read Brian S. review for all the details). With that said, the view of the surrounding area and the stories may be too much to live up to when you try to get a good view of the light house itself. You see, the lighthouse is not on the water (its buried in the residential neighborhood) and the view from the coast are mostly obscured by trees and houses. You can drive around through the streets to get a view from the front (see my photo) but it is quite underwhelming. If you love lighthouses and are in the neighborhood, then drop by otherwise I would not make the trip out here just for the lighthouse itself (too many other great ones in New England). read more

Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Cape Elizabeth, Maine

Came here years ago via a cruise, but this was much better because there was no time crunch. The lighthouse itself is beautiful, but the grounds, including the cliff walk, are very beautiful and relaxing. There is a small gift shop on site, and a gelato cart that also serves coffee and soda. Wear comfortable shoes because there are rocks and gravel about, and if you climb out on the cliffs, could you please make me the beneficiary on your life insurance policy. Y'know, just in case. read more

Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Cape Elizabeth, Maine

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