I know many of the visitors in Montauk are here for the beaches and bars, but thankfully there are still plenty of places to check out for geeky tourists like me. So while Meghan and Rachel were snoozing off their hangovers at the beach, I headed for the very tip of the island to have a look around the Montauk Point Lighthouse.

The lighthouse, which was built in 1796, is the fourth oldest in the U.S. and also houses a museum. And visitors can take the 137 steps to the top to peek out at the sprawling fields and ocean below. So that’s exactly what I did.

The climb up the narrow, winding staircase wasn’t too arduous but squeezing past people going in the opposite direction was a bit of a challenge. But I made it. It’s a shame it was a little overcast today, but there were still some beautiful views. It would be stunning at sunset.

Afterwards, I checked out the visitors centre, which had taken over the lighthouse keeper’s communication rooms. It was interesting checking out the log books and the histories of the keepers. The daughter of the last keeper is still alive and often visits schools to talk about growing up in the romantic isolation of a lighthouse. It was fascinating hearing about her life.

The building is actually huge – but I thought it was a shame we couldn’t nose around the living quarters upstairs too.

I’m so glad I made this trip out; the lighthouse is so cute, and the views across the beaches were beautiful.

Back to New York tonight. Thanks for having us Montauk!