A brick 1860 keeper's house you can climb, an Art Deco light at the end of a half-mile breakwater, and how to see both in one morning.
Two lights guard the harbor, and visiting both takes a single morning: the 1860 Light Station, a brick museum on the bluff north of downtown, and the Art Deco pierhead light at the end of the half-mile north breakwater. When people search for the Port Washington lighthouse they usually mean one of these two, and the good news is that the station sits only about 0.2 miles from the marina where the breakwater starts.
This guide covers what each light is, how to visit, when the museum is open, what else in town tells the maritime story, and where to stand for the best view of both.
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The 1860 Light Station
The 1860 Light Station is a square, two-story brick keeper's house with a lantern room on top, run as a museum by the Port Washington Historical Society at 311 Johnson Street.
Port Washington's first light, built in 1849, also stood on the bluff north of the city center; the 1860 station replaced it. After the pierhead light was finished in 1935, Coast Guard crews lived at the station and kept the new light.
The building you see today is a restoration that the society began in late 2000. Craftsmen from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg built and donated a replica of the lost tower and lantern, and volunteers and contractors rebuilt the facades, the quarters and the outbuildings.
Belgium, about 8 miles north, also has a Luxembourg American Cultural Center, if the replica tower sparks an interest.
Hours and admission
The light station is a summer and early-fall museum, open on weekend afternoons, and the historical society's page gives the details below; it shows no current-year date, so confirm before you drive in.
The society's page gives two seasons, Memorial Day through mid-October and the first weekend in June through the end of October, with Friday to Sunday hours of noon to 4 p.m.; call 262-284-7240 to confirm. Admission on that page is $5 for adults and $1 for children, with group rates of $6 and $2, and special tours by appointment at 262-284-7240.
Islands.com quoted the same hours and prices in February 2025. The society's page has also listed the station as closed on Fish Day, so plan around the July festival Saturday.
The breakwater and the 1935 pierhead light
The pierhead light is the Art Deco tower at the end of the north breakwater, and you can walk the half-mile breakwater out to it.
The first light on the north pier went up in 1889 as a wooden open-frame structure with a gas light. Federal harbor work in 1931 added the north breakwater, and the current tower was finished in 1935 on a 20-foot square concrete base with large arches.
The Coast Guard ran it by hand until it was automated in 1976.
Out at the end you can stand under the arches, look back at the town and the bluff, and fish from the breakwater, which Visit Port Washington lists as one of the reasons to go. The breakwater is exposed to the open lake, so skip the walk when waves are washing over it.
Doing both in one visit
Start at the marina, walk the breakwater first while the light is low, then climb the bluff to the station when the museum opens at noon on its open days.
The marina is the natural meeting point, with downtown restaurants a few blocks away for lunch between the two.
If the museum is closed, the station is still worth the short walk for the outside view, and Upper Lake Park sits about 0.2 miles beyond it along the bluff.
Visiting with kids
The light station is an easy museum for children because it is small, guided and ends with a tower climb.
Child admission on the historical society's page is $1, so two adults and two children pay $12 at those rates, and the volunteer guides can pitch the keeper's-family story at a child's level. Hold small hands on the tower stairs and on the breakwater, which has open water on both sides.
More maritime history downtown
The historical society's other public space is the Resource Center at 205 North Franklin Street, which is free and keeps year-round hours.
The society also runs a self-guided Historic Franklin Street Walking Tour and a Lighthouse Keeper Program, where volunteers live at the light station for a week and act as guides.
Shipwrecks rest just offshore, and a Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary display was part of Fish Days in 2025. The Harbor Walk along the lakefront is part of the Wisconsin Maritime Heritage Trail.
Where to see the lights from
The best views of both lights come from the bluff and the water's edge, all within a short walk of the marina.
Upper Lake Park's listing mentions views over the harbor with glimpses of the lighthouse, and the stairs from there lead to North Beach. Kids can burn energy at the bluff-top playground in Upper Lake Park while the adults look at the view.
Harborview County Park on West Washington Street, about 0.3 miles southwest of the station, has benches looking out over the water.
From the sand, the sand on either side of the harbor gives a different angle on the harbor mouth and the breakwater.
On Fish Day the lakefront fills up for the parade and evening fireworks, so the July festival is the one day to expect company on the breakwater.
The lights are one part of a bigger day; Port Washington's harbor, beaches and downtown fill the rest of it.
Frequently asked questions
Published September 21, 2026
