Cover Story: Pt. Arena Lighthouse Has Re-Opened
The cover story in the Lighthouse Peddler is usually about a singular event—one evening, perhaps a weekend or even a week. This month we can go bigger! April 2021 marks the return of visitors to our coastal treasure: The Point Arena Light Station. The landmark will once again begin welcoming visitors who wish to walk the beautiful ocean front acreage, step into the Fog Signal Building housing the Gift Shop and Indoor museum, tour the expanded Outdoor Museum and Labyrinth and more. And those marvelous ocean-front cottages will again open their doors for lodging. The public is invited to visit beginning April 2. With Mendocino County moving into the COVID-19 Red Tier and the Light Station staff receiving their COVID-19 vaccinations, the popular coastal gem is able to conduct its operations as long as it adheres to the State and County reopening guidelines. The Light Station will be open from 10:00am to 3:30pm daily, and admission to the Light Station Store, indoor museum, will be $5 for everyone 12 years and over or $25 per vehicle carrying up to eight people. Children under 12 are free, as are all Point Arena Lighthouse Keepers, Inc. (PALKI) members.
“We are so excited to be able to begin to welcome visitors back to the iconic Point Arena Light Station,” says Mark Hancock, Point Arena Lighthouse Keepers, Inc. (PALKI) Executive Director. “My team has reviewed our COVID-19 processes, procedures and protocols, and we have maintained our stock of disinfecting/sanitizing compounds so that we can ensure the safety of our guests and staff, and we look forward to welcoming guests beginning Easter weekend. The iconic 115’ tall Lighthouse Tower—tallest on the Pacific coast—will sadly have to remain closed, initially, as its tight dimensions in the Watch Room and Lantern Room and confined spiral staircase make it difficult to enforce social distancing and disinfection/sanitization for each tour. As a team we all agreed that it is in the best interests of our staff and guests to not allow tours in the Tower. We will revisit this as the State and County Orders continue to be revised, but the health and safety of our guests and staff will always take precedence.”
The Light Station, which is celebrating its 151st Anniversary of lighting the way for mariners sailing along the coast, introduced its outdoor museum in July 2020 to complement the indoor museum that is housed along with the Light Station Store in the 1896 Fog Signal Building. The outdoor museum offers visitors several historical, geologic, artistic and unique features throughout the 23 acre Light Station grounds (see a separate story about the Outdoor Museum and Labyrinth in this issue of the Lighthouse Peddler).
“Please come out and support the Light Station in its ‘150th + 1’ Anniversary year,” continued Hancock. “Our Light Station Store has 150th Anniversary pins and patches and a great variety of Lighthouse outerwear, jewelry, home décor, toys, books, artwork and more. I am also pleased to announce that our charming and unique rental cottages are open for guests as well, including the beautifully remodeled Assistant Keeper’s House 4, Head Keeper’s House and Keeper’s Apartment. We hope to have our newest cottage, the Bookkeeper’s Room, open sometime in April. This cozy and romantic room will be fully Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant, a first for the Light Station lodging. We are following the Cal/OSHA guidance for lodging management, cleaning, disinfecting and sanitizing. I am deeply grateful for the many generous donations we received since the closure and the people that became Lifetime Members to help support us.”
The Light Station Store and indoor museum will be operating under the Red Tier rules for retail and museums, and all visitors will be required to wear masks and observe social distancing while in the Fog Signal Building. Masks and gloves will be available for purchase at the entry kiosk or in the Light Station Store, including custom made nautical-themed cloth masks made by Lighthouse supporter Maria Linker and donated by her to benefit the Light Station. Information about the Light Station Store, museums and rental cottages are at PointArenaLighthouse.com or call (707) 882-2809, ext. 1.
