That's Lit

A historic lighthouse off the Connecticut coast is now open to overnight guests. As Kate Bolick finds, this beacon only gets better with age.

- Kate Bolick

GROWING UP IN coastal New England, I ranked lighthouses on par with sunblock and snowplows-essential, ordinary, and totally lacking romance (my primary preoccupation).

Only later did these storied structures, and their keepers, capture my imagination. What was it like to live at the edge of the world, guiding mariners to safety? To look out the window and see nothing but sea? When I met my partner and fell in love, my fantasy expanded: just the two of us, a cozy bed, and water, water everywhere, lulling us to sleep.

Last July, we were among the first-ever guests to experience an "Overnight at the Light" in the fully restored Greens Ledge Lighthouse (overnight stays from $3,500), a mile off the coast of the village of Rowayton, in southwestern Connecticut. For one night, we savored the storybook beauty and seclusion of a historic landmark, 360-degree views of the water and shoreline, and the modern amenities of a hotel.

+ MORE HISTORIC STAYS

THE HOTEL CHALET AT THE CHOO CHOO

Chattanooga, Tennessee After a total renovation, the Chattanooga Terminal Station-which served as a hub for the Southern Railway from 1909 to 1970-has been given a new life: in October, it opened as the Hotel Chalet at the Choo Choo. Some of the 127 rooms are restored Pullman carriages with original Tiffany-glass pendant lamps. Doubles from $250.