The lighthouse is open to the public from 10 AM to 4 PM daily during the summer, but enjoys few visits off-season when access is only by the boat operated by the Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation. Fall, winter and spring are actually the best times to stay overnight, because most of the island is restricted during the nesting season from April 1st to August 15 – during that period you could not even walk around the island.

The museum is fully furnished with all the pots, pans, dishes and utensils you need for your stay. Kitchen and bed linens, towels, pillows and cleaning supplies are also provided. The only requirement is to clean and put back the place in order, and change your beds for 10 am when the museum reopens the next day. Check the “What to Bring” section on the left for the list of items to bring – food is the critical thing not to forget…. You will need a cooler because there is no refrigerator. Bottled water is also provided for drinking.

In line with the spirit of the place, the accommodations are limited: a small wind turbine powers the lighthouse and lighting inside the museum – there is no radio nor TV and the turbine supports only small electronic appliances like battery chargers. Washbowls and pitchers are provided for bathing. There is a shared, manually operated toilet inside the museum, and low-flow toilets outside. Cooking is done on a single propane gas burner in the kitchen and on a propane gas BBQ grill outside. Cooking, bathing and housecleaning use rainwater from the basement cistern. Winter heating is through a radiant oil-fired system.

Total capacity is 5 adults in two bedrooms and two children (5 or more) in a separate bunk upstairs, for which sleeping bags are required. The two rooms can be booked separately. Each bedroom has one extra-long double bed. You will share the island with the lighthouse keeper and his/her family, who rotates weekly and lives in the apartment on the second floor (families can apply to become keepers for a week and do maintenance work on the island. Contact the Foundation at 401-847-4242 if you are interested).

Access to Rose Island is through Goat Island, where you will park your car for the night and take the boat to the Lighthouse. You will arrange your passage to the island with the Foundation when you reserve your room.

You will need to add $14 per person for roundtrip boat transportation and a separate $10 fee for secured overnight parking on Goat Island near the Marina office