Newport, Rhode Island, is surrounded by coves, bays, harbors, and islands. Traveling from eastward in Rhode Island to get to Newport, you will have to take two daunting toll bridges, the Jamestown Bridge and Newport Bridge. (They might be typical bridges to most people, but for a girl who has grown up in Florida where elevation is nowhere to be seen, they are daunting for sure.)
You’ll need to quickly peek out the windows to your right when crossing the Newport Bridge to see the Rose Island. It’s a mere 18.5 acres and is in between Jamestown and Newport. In World War I and II, Rose Island was a part of the Navy Torpedo Station to store explosives. The area on the island that was used for military storage includes dilapidated buildings on the verge of collapsing. This part of the island is only allowed to be explored by 3 species of snakes (yuck!), birds, and harbor seals.
Now, the fun part. The Rose Island Lighthouse was restored in 1993 and maintained by volunteer keepers since then. They have three options to become a "keeper," including a keeping full-week vacation, a nightly keeper, and a full-time keeper, where your skills are matched to help maintain and restore the lighthouse and island. The last option also classifies as a tax-deduction for charitable contributions.
The worst part of this is you need to pay a hefty little price tag for this opportunity. Keeper fees range from $225-350 per night to $1000-$2300 per week.
Hopefully someday! Right now, it’s sitting pretty on my bucket list.
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