Visit Piney Point for National Lighthouse Weekend
St. Mary’s County Museum Division welcomes the community to join in celebrating National Lighthouse Weekend on Saturday, August 5, and Sunday, August 6, 2023, at both the Piney Point Lighthouse in Piney Point, MD, and Blackistone Lighthouse on St. Clement’s Island, near Colton’s Point, MD.
The museums will be open from 10am to 5pm and tours will be available at both locations during the weekend. At Colton’s Point, check out the St. Clement’s Island Museum before taking a boat ride out to St. Clement’s Island, where visitors can experience a free tour of Blackistone Lighthouse from the volunteers with the St. Clement’s Hundred.
Admission rates at St. Clement’s Island Museum are $3 for adults, $1.50 for children (6-18), $2 for seniors and military, and free for age 5 and younger. The St. Clement’s Island Water Taxi is $7 per person (all ages) for boat ride, which includes museum admission.
At Piney Point, visitors can explore the museum grounds and celebrate the oldest lighthouse on the Potomac with tours of the Piney Point lighthouse tower, Keeper’s Quarters, Potomac River Maritime Exhibit featuring full-sized workboats, and two floors of exhibitions in the main museum building.
While admission and tours are offered free of charge this weekend only, donations are greatly appreciated to support the museum. National Lighthouse Day, designated by Congress on August 7, 1989, is the anniversary of the signing of the Congressional Act “for the establishment and support of lighthouses, beacons, buoys, and public piers” and the date of the first commissioned Federal lighthouse.
For more information, call the St. Clement’s Island Museum at 301-769-2222 or visit Facebook.com/SCIMuseum or call the Piney Point Lighthouse Museum at 301-994-1471 or visit Facebook.com/1836Light.
Other Events at Piney Point Lighthouse Museum
Families, kids, and adults of all ages can enjoy free outdoor activities while visiting Piney Point Lighthouse Museum on the second Saturdays of August and December.
These activities encourage visitors to explore nature and the outdoors through curiosity and play. Modeled loosely after “Forest School” learning styles in Denmark and Sweden, the Nature & Forest Play for All Ages Series encourages discovering nature through hands-on, tactile, “no right or wrong way to play” experiences. Age is not a factor; adults need to connect with nature in relaxing, simple ways, just as much as children do.
Themed activities will be held from noon to 2pm on the following dates:
- August 12, 2023: Beach Combing
- December 9, 2023: Tale of the Christmas Spider
Registration is not required but encouraged so that museum staff can ensure enough materials for participants. Please call ahead of time and let staff know which session you would like to
attend. Admission is free. Play is rain or shine if there are no safety concerns (heat advisory, heavy winds, lightning, etc.).
For more information or to register, call 301-994-1471.
RetroFest on the Potomac will be held from 10am to 4pm September 16. Click here for more information.
