My now fiancé took me to the lighthouse to propose. It was the most romantic perfect proposal that I could ever dream of. He booked a dinner session (~5:00 pm-10:30 pm) for a Sunday in May. He had his friend arrive at 5 to set up the decorations (flowers, candles, signs) and our private hostess Pam let her up. We arrived at 6 pm and once we got upstairs, he handed his phone to Pam to record his proposal. After the proposal, we went outside on the balcony where Pam took sunset pictures of us with my ring. We then decided to order from Modern Oak Grill which was absolutely delicious. Pam was able to time out our meal so each course was ~ 20 min apart. She also had drinks in ice staying cold for us. There was also a stereo system that allowed bluetooth capacity so we were able to pair my phone and I could play a spotify playlist. Overall the location was perfect and I could not have asked for anything better. We will definitely be coming back for future anniversaries! Just something to consider: - There are many stairs and a ladder so maybe steer away from heels or long dresses (thankfully I was prewarned to not wear them haha), and if you are afraid of heights, this might not be the best place. - If you want to go out on the balcony you have to crawl through a short door so be warned - If you are tall watch your head! My fiancé is 6'3 and he hit his head a couple times on the chandelier. - there is no bathroom, we used the restaurant next door but by the time we left the lighthouse around 9:30 pm, the restaurant had closed. read more

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Lights views and food The Newburyport Rear Range Lighthouse was constructed in 1873 and was roughly 32 feet tall. As implied in it's name it is actually one of two lighthouses that sits here on the Merrick River and it's shorter Front Range partner is about a hundred yards away. The twin light ideas was pretty common at one time but proved complicated to use and was abandoned. This light was renovated in 1901 and it's height increased to 53 feet and it continued to serve until it was decommissioned in 1961. Since lighthouses require a lot of money for maintenance someone had the great idea of renting the top of the light out for dinners. It isn't exactly inexpensive but you can reserve dinner at the top of the lighthouse and have the food delivered from one of the area restaurants. Only about four people can squeeze up there at one time and you have to kind of simmer up a small ladder to get to the top but the views, ambiance and uniqueness can't be beat. I like this lighthouse because it is unique, no other looks quite like it. Plus it has another little light only a short distance away and beautiful views of a lovely town and cool river. And if you are willing to drop a couple of hundred bucks you can even have dinner at the top. Doesn't get much cooler than that. read more

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Wow, it took you seven years to follow-up on a review?! You must have an amazing memory to specifically remember what happened so long ago? I stand by my review. Horrible customer service trying to make a reservation, fried food on the menu, and cramped accommodations with no chair. Maybe you have a better menu from a different restaurant now, but that was not the case in 2013. Perhaps you need to get your act together! read more

This is fun, very happy we got to experience it but wouldn't be able to afford it again (which is sad it's not just a tad more affordable.) The climb is an issue and then the little ladder at the top is scary. But once you're up, it's very nice. You do have to climb through a hatch door on the floor to be able to walk outside. Inside there is not room for more than 4. Really only 3 fit. I took my senior parents and my young son and we all loved it. (We forgot to write in the book and my son was super sad about that.). So if you're reading this review, sign our names. read more

We could not have possibly had a better dinner. The experience is truly special and I would highly recommend this to anyone looking to impress a loved one. I'd like to address the negative review by saying that Linda W. did not have the real experience here. There is really only enough room for two people to sit comfortably, and the wow factor comes at dinner, not lunch. There are many restaurant options (six, I believe) to choose from for the dinner, and I'd suggest 10 Center Street as the food is very good. Getting fried food from the only restaurant that is included in the Groupon is most definitely not the way to go. Watching the sun set at the top of a lighthouse after a wonderful meal with someone you love is worth paying full price, I promise. read more

It is incredibly romantic having dinner at the top of this lighthouse. I proposed to my wife here. Proposal aside, she said it was the best date of her life. How can you beat having a private dinner at the top of a lighthouse? We weren't expecting much in terms of the food as it was just coming from a local restaurant, but were pleasantly surprised by how tasty it was. The private waiter (dressed as a captain) was great. He was very friendly and had just the right balance between serving us/checking in and leaving us alone to enjoy the experience. Some of the other reviewers have complained about the price ($450), but considering you get a private 5 hour dinner at the top of a lighthouse, I would consider this cheap. Getting a chef's table a restaurant in Boston (which isn't nearly as private) for only 1.5 hours costs just as much if not more. Taking your significant other here will result in an experience you will never forget. read more

Took my now fiancé to the lighthouse for a special lunch and proposed to there. It was a lovely experience. Our server pam called me prior to getting there and gave to introduce herself and give me a rundown of what to expect. Pam was very tentative to our needs but also gave us our space to make it a private dinner. Now you can't beat the view from the top of the lighthouse. Definitely worth it and will be going back years to come! read more

We received a gift certificate for dinner in the Lighthouse as a wedding gift last summer. We chose to book the Lighthouse for our one year anniversary. From our first contact with Jay to the end of the night of our dinner, things were great! Darya our waitress was fabulous as she served our incredible dinner from Loretta in Newburyport. The weather out of anyone's control was perfection. This is a great special occasion experience! read more

It's a cliché, but this is really a once-in-a-lifetime experience You do have to be physically able to climb the steep, narrow stairs, climb the short ladder at the top and fit in the very small bank seats. (We had a party of four, so two to a side was tight but we're all average-sized so it was fine- I've seen others complain about the tight space, but it's a tiny room atop a lighthouse! I think average-sized people are fine.) And to go out on the wrap-around balcony for amazing views and photo ops, you must be able to crawl through a little door. For us, this was all part of the fun. SO much fun. We knew ahead of time that for the lunchtime Groupon deal, you only have one choice of restaurant for food, and I had heard on Yelp that it was mediocre fried seafood. We weren't interested in that particular restaurant, but we didn't see our money as paying for food; we saw it as buying an experience. So we visited a local specialty grocery beforehand (it's practically across the street) and bought high-end bread, cheese and meats as well as wine to enjoy in the lighthouse. As it turned out, there was nothing fried on our menu-- the entrees were actually a pretty solid (if not exactly foodie-level) steak, a lobster roll, and broiled haddock, with choice of pretty standard sides. Appetizers (wedge salad and clam chowder) and dessert (chocolate mousse, bread pudding and strawberry shortcake) were better than expected, though not gourmet by any stretch. We were up there for long enough to really relax, talk, sip wine, take dozens of pictures, and even play a few card games. I loved that the reservation lasted four and a half hours. For what the Groupon cost, I think the experience was well worth the expense. I'd wanted to do this for many years, and the lunch was an affordable option. I highly, highly recommend it. read more

I"d give this zero stars if I could...I can't say much about the experience because nobody ever showed up to let us in. I made the reservation to propose to my girlfriend, had to stealthily plan an hour drive to Newburyport on a Sunday afternoon without ruining the surprise. I finally had to come clean when it was time to grab the cooler out of the car and head over, but she was very excited. We waited for a reasonable time for someone to let us in and then called the Preservation Society phone #, which of course nobody answered. I then called the restaurant who was supposed to be serving us but they weren't helpful, just said the society handles everything. So we waited for close to an hour while continuing to call, finally gave up and ate somewhere else; pretty upsetting after paying $275 for the privilege. I then called multiple times over the following weeks to try to get an explanation and reschedule, nobody ever returned my messages. To this day I am out $275 and we're stuck with a horrible engagement story, be warned! read more

Update: l have just been notified James has taken the time to respond to my review from literally 5 years ago I find it interesting that in James' assessment of what was reported factually by me- he has labeled me a "difficult" and "entitled" customer. 5 years later.....I stand by what I said. I purchased a Groupon deal (he noted it was near the end of the Groupon deal- to which I would respond how does that affect the fact that I was a paying customer who booked a dinner at the lighthouse?). I was offered a breakfast or lunch. That is not what I paid for. Had James' attitude been different on the phone- I assume I could have booked an evening dinner there at some date later in the year- as was previously mentioned. It's really simple James, don't offer Groupon deals you don't have the capacity to honor. That doesn't make me a difficult customer- that's simply a good business model to work from. Food for thought: don't try to bad mouth customers and real life yelp reviews by name calling- it diminishes your point and weakens whatever argument you were trying to make. I stand by my review and now I simply feel sorry for you that you have to try to fabricate a false narrative about my not being able to use my Groupon I purchased. Best of luck with your business! I know you'll need it :-) read more

We went with good friends and had a wonderful time. Cozy but fine for 4 people. Our host, Jay was full of interesting information and took very good care of us. The food was terrific, the portions were more than adequate. The view was unbelievable. We were there before sunset and enjoyed it all. After dark it was even more beautiful. It is pricy, but I believe should be on everyone's bucket list. read more

I have been wanting to review this place for some time now but I could not find a listing for this place and I had to list this under restaurants but it's more of a life experience! My GF took me here for Valentines day and it was probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever eaten in New England. It's actually a real light house with only one table up top, how exclusive and privet is that! You actually rent the lighthouse for several hours tax deductible because it goes to the Lighthouse Preservation Society and have the food delivered from one of several local Newburyport fine restaurants on their list. Be prepared the meal is a separate expense! I think we ordered from The Blue Water Cafe if i remember right. We stayed at the Blue Inn on Plum Island another place they recommend and another expense. Yes it can be a bit pricey but worth every penny of it, trust me. This is something I had planned to take her to, but she beat me to it! If you really want to impress your girl or guy this is the place to take them to. It's something that memories are made of. Best place in New England to propose to your girl if you want her to say yes!!! LOL You can even get limo service for a few extra bucks. I know we will be going back again and again for special occasions. read more

I am trying to determine if this climb would be too high for someone who's afraid of heights?

My husband and I got a Groupon for the lighthouse dinner from his children for Christmas and so we went on 3-24-2018. They didn't even show us to the lighthouse, they said go outside and take a left and go to the lighthouse then go up the stairs and call us when you know what you want to order, the menu's are up there. So first of all you have to climb 3 flights of stairs, very NARROW metal stairs (not good for heels) , and then when you get to the top of that you have to climb up a metal "ladder" and go up through a hole in the floor of the lighthouse to your reach the dining area. They do not serve alcohol in the lighthouse nor do they have a bathroom, you literally have to climb back down the ladder and stairs and then go back 500 feet to the restaurant they use to use the restroom. It was nothing like the pictures they show, no nice tea lights or fuzzy warm cushions and pillows, it was cold and very industrial (ugly) looking. And their ceiling is peeling. We couldn't see anything of the water but got a nice view of the back parking lot as that was as far as we could see. We spoke to the manager of the restaurant and told him we were not comfortable and it was cold and we were very unhappy so we went down and ate at the restaurant. Now this was a $350.00 Groupon that was purchased. They did accommodate us with a reduced bill from the dinner we ordered. The lighthouse "Menu" is a "limited menu" YUH that's not a lie!! Completely disappointed with the whole experience. The food at the restaurant was excellent but we had to pay an additional $ 53.00 for eating downstairs and from the regular menu. So all together this was a $400.00 disappointment. Unless you are under the age of 30 you will HATE THIS PLACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

I just stumbled upon this review site. Because we are both lighthouse lovers, I surprised my husband with a dinner here on his 50th birthday in 2010. I booked it 6 months in advance to ensure that I could get the precise date I wanted. (For those reviewers who complained they could not get a weekend date, I suggest that they book earlier in the future.) It was an experience of a lifetime. James greeted us in his captain's uniform and took us to the top where a table was beautifully set. I had chosen which restaurant menu I wanted to be provided by reviewing them long in advance and making a selection based on our food preferences. I brought along a bottle of wine we'd both enjoy. James suggested that we enjoy the sunset and have some rolls and drinks. He took our orders for appetizers and said that when he came back with them, he would take our orders for our entrees. He gave us plenty of time alone but came back at a reasonable interval. After we placed our main course orders, we once again had time alone. The view was spectacular. The ambience inside the lighthouse was romantic after sunset as well with tons of faux candles all around. I had been told there would be a CD player so I brought music of our liking although there plenty of nautical and romantic CDs to listen to as well. When James came back with our entrees, he took our orders for dessert and later brought that as well. He had to carry the food up and used plates down 5 flights of stairs plus a narrow ladder at the top using a tray he held on the top of his head! He was absolutely wonderful. To have 5 hours essentially to ourselves in this incredibly romantic setting along with a delicious meal was worth every penny of the cost. I have recommended the experience to everyone I know! read more