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How to Have a Solo, Silent Vacation: Be a Temp Lighthouse Keeper

If you've ever sat on a beach looking out at a lighthouse and wondered what it would be like to be to live there, now you can find out first-hand. Lighthouses across the country are now offering programs where you can stay, for a fee, in the keeper's house for a week and experience what it is like to both run the place and have run of the place.

Though lighthouses are no longer used to guide ships home, according to the The United States Lighthouse Society, "they remain symbols of our maritime heritage and should be preserved." Preserving the lighthouses has become increasingly difficult however, as there are fewer and fewer "manned" houses.

Some coastal communities have found a creative solution to this problem and are now seeking volunteers willing to stay at the lighthouse for a few days at a time and work on the grounds while getting the genuine experience of being a lighthouse keeper. Volunteer duties at the lighthouses usually include giving tours, working in a gift shop, landscaping or light maintenance.

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