Lightship Overfalls

0 miles

Open Now

Hours 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Sunday 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Thursday 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Friday 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

219 Pilottown Road, Lewes, DE 19958

(302) 644-8050

Website

Days/Hours of operation: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, Sunday, Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. After Labor Day weekend until the beginning of October, Friday, Saturday & Sunday. Beginning of October until season close, Saturday and Sunday only. Check website to confirm schedule.

Tours: Guided tours available. With groups of six or more as well as groups with special needs, it is best to make advanced arrangements. Small groups (five or less) are welcome anytime we are open (last tour starts at 3:30). We will try to accommodate any schedule even when we are officially closed. Special arrangements for any size group can be made by contacting Guy Townsend at Guy-Townsend @comcast.net or through our website www.overfalls.org

Focus: The attraction is the Lightship Overfalls, a floating lighthouse. From 1820 until 1985, 170 U.S. lightships served on a total of 116 stations on all three coasts and in the Great Lakes. Few of these historic ships have survived and today. Only nine of the survivors are open to the public as museums. Eight of the nine, including the Overfalls, are considered significant in the nation’s history and have been designated National Historic Landmarks by the National Park Service. The guided tour of the ship tells the story of the sailor’s life aboard and how the ship operated. The site also includes the American Lightship Museum, a small land-based facility dedicated to telling the story of lightships in general and the crews who served aboard them.

During the summer months there may be occasional special activities on weekends such as knot tying, Morse code etc. These would be announced on Facebook and our website www.overfalls.org

Ages/Grade levels: The site is appropriate for all ages. For students in grades 2-12 there are some interactive experiences we can offer, especially if we know in advance.

Materials/Suggested Reading: Ship brochure (handout) at the site and coloring fact sheets for pre-school-2nd grade level. The Ship’s Store has several publications of interest to both children and adults for sale. Also, on the website in the Archives section, there is an article entitled Lightships-Historical Background written by the late Willard Flint, a U.S. Coast Guard historian and considered the preeminent authority on U.S. lightships. While it is not a prerequisite to board the ship, reading this piece will make the experience much more meaningful for the mature visitor. The book, “Lightship” by Brian Flocais a good starting point for the younger visitor and even adults appreciate the information presented in such a charming fashion.

Cost: $5 per person 15 and older up to max of $40/family. Members ($40/year) and their families are free. For larger groups we usually suggest a donation appropriate for the size and ages of the group.

Recent Reviews

Jenny Matheny : 3 on 7/5/2024 12:28 am

The playground was tiny and geared toward kids that are six and under so my daughter really didn’t feel like she had anywhere to let off some steam so we did not stay long. The tour had to be shut down because of the heat for the life boat and I would say it would be a good place for adults and young children. If you have any middle schoolers highschoolers, there’s nothing for them to do and it’s very quick stop look at the boats OK goodbye not much else to do.

Chris Slavens : 5 on 9/21/2024 10:05 pm

Surprisingly detailed and in-depth tour (perhaps an hour or so) of a historic lightship. Our guide, Dave, shared a wealth of knowledge about the vessel. A cool experience.

Evan Dwyer : 5 on 4/18/2024 6:15 pm

This historic 1930s lightship is in fantastic condition. Below decks requires a guide. It's not an arduous tour, and is very interesting - the guides are knowledgeable and the whole thing takes about 45 minutes top to bottom. The tour covers the pilothouse (the bridge), radio room, and then down across the first level below, stem to stern. Tours do not go to the lowest deck where the engines and generators are. There is also no access to the upper deck where the mast is. So visitors can see the main deck, and the lower level, as well as the interior of the superstructure. I really enjoyed seeing the different seakeeping features of the ship. The surrounding park was also very nice. The lightship folks own the little historic Monomoy surfboat under the pavilion, while Lewes Historical Society operates the Life-Saving Museum - a great companion site to the lightship & surfboat - immediately next door. In my opinion, these are all very related topics (Lifesaving Service and Lighthouse Service) and should be visited together. Check the website for specific hours, as the days open depend on the season. There is ample parking in the gravel parking lot for the Canalfront Park, but I would recommend considering parking on the street up by the Episcopal Church if its a Little League game day (assuming the parking lot fills up quickly on those days).