The State With The Most Picturesque Lighthouses Feels Like A Coastal Fairytale

According to Guinness World Records, there are over 20,000 lighthouses in the world, and the United States is home to the highest concentration of them. At least 1,500 lighthouses were built in the U.S. over the years — which makes sense, given the country's over 12,000 miles of coastline — though fewer than 700 American lighthouses are still around today. A significant portion of those are located in one state — but it's not, as some would guess, in New England. It's Michigan, home to about 130 lighthouses that cast a fairytale-like glow across the state's 3,200 miles of Great Lakes shoreline.

Pure Michigan published a list of the state's most picturesque lighthouses, helpfully divided into categories according to location: Lake Superior, the Detroit River, Lake Huron, and Lake Michigan. A standout of the Lake Superior lighthouses is Whitefish Point Lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse in operation on the lake. The 80-foot tower overlooks Michigan's "Shipwreck Coast," so named for the hundreds of wrecks just offshore, and dates back to 1861. It's also home to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.

Visit the lighthouse and the attached museum from May through the end of October (tickets are $15 for adults and $11 for children 6-17 at the time of writing). You can also stay overnight in the 1920s-era crew quarters, which have been converted into guest rooms (from $150 per night at the time of writing). Note that the location, 5.5 hours by car from Detroit, is near the Canadian border, and if you're coming by plane, you're best off flying into Chippewa County in Michigan or Sault Ste. Marie in Canada.

The only Art Deco lighthouse in the United States, a landmark known as William Livingstone Light, is located on Belle Isle, the largest city island park in the U.S. Rising 58 feet above the Detroit River, it was built in 1930 to guide ships along the waterway. Though you can't climb the tower today, you can take in views of the lighthouse and the adjacent lagoon while walking on a scenic milelong trail. While in the area, grab lunch or ice cream at one of the island's famous food trucks, and don't miss a visit to the Belle Isle Aquarium, the oldest continuously operated aquarium in America.

Bordering Lake Huron are a handful of Mackinac Island landmarks, including the castle-like Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, which dates back to 1889. Open to visitors from early May to mid-October — admission costs $10.75 for adults and $7.50 for children at the time of writing — the site offers educational exhibits and guided tours. It's well worth seeking out the best places to stay on Mackinac Island, from the Victorian-style Grand Hotel (rooms from $299 per night) to the elegant Mission Point Resort (rooms from $216 per night) with a wide, grassy lawn right on the lakefront. Detroit is a four-hour drive south, though Mackinac Island is far closer to Sault Ste. Marie.

Among the finest lighthouses on Lake Michigan are a pair of historic towers on Grand Haven's South Pier, about three hours by car from Detroit and its international airport and across the lake from Milwaukee. First lit in 1905, these lighthouses are cheerfully painted in red and white and connected by an elevated catwalk. Though the Inner and Outer Lights are not open to the public these days, you can walk around them on the pier and enjoy the view from a distance when they're illuminated after dark.

If you're in the area at sunset, go for drinks or sushi at Snug Harbor, where an outdoor patio faces the water and the lighthouses on the nearby pier. Another great option in town is The Unicorn Tavern, specializing in Belgian-style dishes from poutine to pommes frites. Stay overnight in the charming lakeside resort city of Grand Haven at the quaint Harbor House Inn (rooms from $110 per night at the time of writing), where many rooms have cozy fireplaces, whirlpool tubs, and private balconies.