Twin Lights Historic Site

Twin Lights Historic Site At A Glance...

• The first Fresnel lenses in America were installed in these towers in 1841.
• In 1899 the station hosted the first United States demonstration of commercial wireless telegraph.
• From the towers you look out over Sandy Hook, Raritan Bay and the New York skyline, from a station built in 1862 to look like a castle.
• Todays Sunrise: ,   Sunset:  
• New Jersey Shore Region Monmouth County

• Activities:

  • Picnicking
  • Walking

  Amenities:

  • Restrooms/Bathrooms
  • Parking Lot(s)
  • Picnic / Sitting Area
  • Picnic tables
  • Lighthouse

  Park Type:

  • Historic Area
  • Scenic Areas (overlooks/waterfalls)
    Overlooking Sandy Hook and the bay

  Attractions:

  • Lighthouse
  • Museum / Gallery

  Rules/Regulations:

  • Alcohol Not Permitted
  • Must be Leashed

Contact / Location

A Brief History

The first Navesink light station was built in 1828 with two identical towers, so that ships would not confuse it with the single light at Sandy Hook, about five miles to the north. The present brownstone station, designed by Joseph Lederle, replaced it in 1862.

Navesink tested new lighthouse technology before the rest of the country used it. Its towers held the first Fresnel lenses in America, installed in 1841. Mineral oil was first tried in the lamp in 1883, and in 1898 a bivalve lens with the first electric arc lamp in the United States went into the south tower. In 1899 the station was the site of the first United States demonstration of commercial wireless telegraph, by Guglielmo Marconi.

The station was decommissioned in 1949. The Twin Lights Historical Society helped save it from ruin in 1955, and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection now owns and runs it as a state historic site. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2006.

Special / Seasonal Events

Twin Lights is a stop on the Lighthouse Challenge of New Jersey, held the third weekend of October. In 2026 it runs October 17 and 18, and Twin Lights is one of three sites with a night climb, from 6 to 8 pm on Saturday. Registration is $10 at the first site you visit, and you collect a sticker at each stop.

The Historical Society also holds a full moon night climb in spring. The next one is in 2027, and you can subscribe on its website to hear when it is scheduled.

Tips and Tricks

Dogs are welcome on the grounds only, on a leash, during site hours (9:00 am to 4:30 pm). They are not allowed in the lighthouse, though service animals are.

Food and drink are not allowed inside the lighthouse. Smoking and alcohol are strictly prohibited on state property.

Admission & Guidelines

The museum, grounds and outer buildings are free year round.

From Memorial Day through October 31 there is a fee to climb the towers: $5 per adult and $2 per child. One ticket covers both the North and South Tower, and you buy it at the South Tower. In the off-season, the north tower is open Wednesday to Sunday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, and is free to climb.

Guided tours with a historian cost $12 per adult and $2 per child, and include both towers. Tour requests go through the Twin Lights Historical Society by email.

Hours / Season of Operation

Museum and towers, summer (starting around Memorial Day, call for exact dates): 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, seven days a week.

Museum and towers, off-season (starting after Labor Day, call for exact dates): Wednesday to Sunday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

The last tower climb is at 3:50 pm. The grounds are open daily, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm, year round.

Twin Lights strives to keep a regular schedule, but there are times when it is closed for unforeseen events. Please call 732-872-1814 for current hours before you go.

Facilities

There are picnic tables on the grounds. The site is carry-in, carry-out, so take your trash with you.

A public restroom is in the keepers' quarters building. The Society runs a museum store, and its profits support the collection and exhibits.

Parking

There is one main parking area at the end of Lighthouse Road.

Below are a few groups that we have connected to Twin Lights Historic Site. If we are missing any, please let us know

• New Jersey State Parks, Forests & Historic Sites

The Sandy Hook Lighthouse stands a little over five miles north in Sandy Hook. It is the oldest operating lighthouse in the country, and ships were meant to tell it and Twin Lights apart, since Sandy Hook had one light and Navesink two.

Here are 10 places near Twin Lights Historic Site