Lighthouses and Cape Cod go together like a horse and carriage and are part of its heritage.
Once functioning to save lives they're now mostly attractions.
Cape Cod was formed 20,000 years ago after the last of the glaciers retreated and the area was left with a lot of sand and silt that formed the Cape Cod peninsular and the islands in the region.
As the Cape formed, dangerous ledges and shoals appeared off shore and remain today.
In addition, the massive winter storms pound and erode the shoreline and create huge sand bars.
Shipwrecks and loss of life were a common occurrence in the nineteenth century around the Cape.
As early as the eighteenth century congress was approving funds to build lighthouses in the treacherous waters off Cape Cod.
But most were built during the nineteenth century and survived as lighthouses until the mid-twentieth century.
Today there are about 13 lighthouses on Cape Cod.
Some are in private hands and can only be viewed from a distance.
One was turned into an Inn, and the original "Three Sisters" lights are in a special park close to current day Nauset Light.
Only a few remain performing their original function.
The Provincetown region has three lights around the tip and into the harbor.
Race Point Light offers overnight accommodation if you can get on the list.
Wood End and Long Point guide ships around the tip for safe passage into Provincetown.
Both of these require a long hike to visit and are unmanned.
Highland Light and Nauset Light overlook the Atlantic Ocean and were both moved back from the eroding cliffs in 1996.
These are both beautiful lighthouses along the Cape Cod National Seashore beaches.
Highland Light - also known as Cape Cod Light - offers guided tours May - October.
Nauset Light offers tours in the tower on Sundays and on some Wednesdays during tourist season.
Chatham Light still provides guidance to ships and is an active Coast Guard station.
Originally, Chatham had two towers but one was moved to become Nauset Light and replace the last of the decommissioned Three Sisters Lights.
Chatham Lighthouse tours are scheduled for Wednesdays May - October.
Nobska Point Lighthouse guards the Woods Hole harbor entrance near Falmouth.
It's a classic Cape Cod Lighthouse and well maintained serving as the residence for the commander of the Coast Guard for southeastern New England sector.
Tours are available on some Saturdays and Thursdays May - December.
Wings Neck Lighthouse is on Buzzards Bay but is not active and can only be viewed by boat.
But if you like the look of it then it's available for renting.
Great location for three months of the year but when winter comes be prepared to rescue people...
just kidding.
I've lived on and visited the Cape almost annually during my years in New England and still get a thrill out of visiting one its lighthouses.
And I see the excitement and wonder in young kids eyes as a new generation is introduced to these beacons.
It's difficult to imagine in the peace of a summer's breeze on the Cape that these lighthouses survived many hurricanes and a "perfect storm," and saved countless lives.
The winter storms on the Cape are devastating.
And as tranquil and beautiful as the lighthouses appear while on vacation, it's never far from our thoughts they were built with the purpose of protecting a ship that's lost its way.
It's also a sobering thought many lighthouse crew members paid the ultimate price in rescuing their brother s and sisters from the turbulent Cape Cod waters.