Fairport Harbor Marine Museum & Lighthouse
20 min drive
An 1871 sandstone lighthouse you can climb, and a museum that was a stop on the Underground Railroad.
The Fairport Harbor Marine Museum has been open since 1945 and was among the first Great Lakes maritime museums in the country. It holds the pilothouse of the Frontenac with its original navigation gear, and the mast of the USS Michigan, one of the first iron-hulled warships in the United States Navy.
The tower is sixty feet of Berea sandstone, rebuilt in 1871 on the site of an 1825 brick original, and it guided shipping until 1925. You can climb it.
Its keeper was a committed abolitionist, and the light served as a marker for people escaping slavery on the last leg to Canada. That history is part of what the museum tells.
From the innkeepers
Combine it with the beach at Fairport Harbor Lakefront Park a few streets away: one car, half a day, two very different things.
Season
Seasonal opening; check ahead outside summer
Good for
History, families, climbing the tower
Address
129 Second St, Fairport Harbor, OH 44077
Common questions
Can you climb the Fairport Harbor lighthouse?
Yes. The sixty-foot sandstone tower, rebuilt in 1871, is open to visitors as part of the Marine Museum.
What is the Underground Railroad connection?
The first lightkeeper was a committed abolitionist, and the light acted as a marker for people escaping slavery making the crossing to Canada. The museum tells that history alongside its maritime collection.
Vincent William · Madison, Ohio
Good food. Estate wine.
A room by the lake.
Come spend some time at our family-owned restaurant, winery and eight-room adults-only inn on the Lake Erie shore.
From the journal
Plan a little further.
Compare winery stops, understand the region and put together a day among the covered bridges. These guides help you choose what belongs in your visit.
Vincent William
1300 Belleair Ave.
Madison, OH 44057
(440) 428-1300
Opening Hours
Wednesday
12 to 9 pm
Thursday
12 to 9 pm
Friday
12 to 9 pm
Saturday
12 to 9 pm
Sunday
11 to 8 pm · Brunch to 2
© 2026 Vincent William Wine
Madison, Ohio · Lake Erie