The Newburyport Rear Range Light

Not quite sure what others who purchased through Groupon or LivingSocial were expecting from their experience? Yes a portion of it goes towards the Lighthouse Preservation Society as a donation, reserving the «once in a lifetime» type of space and the meal. I also used a voucher from this group and saw on one of the tips that they book for weekends very far out. So the only downside, unfortunately as expected the Valentine’s weekend slots were already filled so we waited until the first weekend in April to go (which I’m sure was much nicer weather for going outside!) It’s definitely a better value to make the reservation for 4 instead of just 2.
We reserved a lunch time and met our waitress Melissa at the Starboard Galley restaurant who was so nice and helpful. We made our bathroom trip since we didn’t want to have to make any unnecessary trips down the dizzying stairs. She lead us all the way up to the lighthouse and showed us what to do with the trap door the folds down so it’s more comfortable to move around. I’ll admit the space was a little tight for 4 people but not a big deal. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes for the climb up the steps and the ladder. Props to our waitress for having to do this 4 or 5 times to bring up our food! Amenities include a Captain’s Log dating back to I think 2008 where people can write about their experience. It’s so nice to read about the engagement /​anniversary stories then adding our own. There’s also a stereo that you can put in some CDs that they have provided to add some ambiance music. The best part of course is the little latch door that leads outside onto the deck of the lighthouse so you can walk around and take in the 360 view of Newburyport.
They also gave us a number to call down when we decided what we wanted to order from the set menu included in the voucher, 1 appetizer, 1 entrée with 2 sides, and 1 dessert. To quench our thirst from the long drive, there were 4 Poland Spring waters in the ice bucket waiting for us. I believe if you wanted to order from their regular menu you would just need to pay something additional.
We ordered: Clam chowder, iceberg wedge salad, Lobster rolls with coleslaw and fries, Grilled Haddock with rice pilaf and beets, Strawberry short cake, bread pudding, and chocolate cake. Of course since the waitress had to ascend all those steps with the food it had to be packaged in a to-​go manner with saran wrap or in boxes so it would not spill. They provided proper silverware/​plates to transfer the food onto so it wasn’t an issue for us.
We all had a lovely time in the Newburyport Lighthouse! I would definitely recommend this experience and if you use a Groupon voucher it’s a better value to bring 4 people.

Got a Groupon coupon for 4 cost $ 400. Some portion goes to the Preservation Society so it is a donation. The lighthouse if cool, romantic, historic, and fun. You better be in good enough shape to climb all the stairs but the killer is climbing up a 6 foot ladder through a hole in the floor of the lighthouse opening not as wide as my shoulders.
Do not do this for the dinner. Catered by Starboard Galley the food is terrible. I had lobster roll, was dry, seemed like can or frozen. Vegetables was tasteless must have come from a can. Mashed potatoes were like soup. My wife had haddock which was pretty good. My friends had steak which was nothing special, thin. I would not do this again or recommend.

Do not use Groupon or Living Social for this event. All you are paying for is a donation to the Historical Society.
They give low preference to discount holders and the food comes from the less than average diner right next door!
I found the coupons to be very misleading.

My husband and I went to the lighthouse to celebrate our wedding anniversary. I was very excited. My husband purchased a groupon that was $ 300 for lunch. We were told that we check in at the Starboard galley restaurant. I guess since we had a groupon this was the only restaurant that we got to eat from. After we arrived at the restaurant we waited 10 minutes and our waitress told us to go up. We went up with no direction and no guidance. When entering the view was breath taking. I was very dissapointed with the presentation of the diningroom. There were no linens, no fresh flowers, no music playing or candles. There were paper napkins, half empty salt shakers and a dirty bottle of a1 sauce. There were Poland spring bottles left for us not even poured. We saw our waitress only 3 times. She stood at the bottom of the ladder and served our food out of a bucket. We had to load our dirty dishes into it. We tipped $ 40 for that! I called the light house to explain my experience and they were dismissive and didn’t really seem to care. They mentioned that we had a groupon so… Really? My groupon was $ 300??? And my food from the restaurant was awful. I couldn’t even eat it!!! I called the restaurant and they too mentioned that I had a Groupon and that the restaurant makes little money off this. So they didn’t care either. I’m very dissapointed. I’d be very concerned about having a flawless, memorable occasion there. Unfortunately, I’d never make reservations there again and feel ripped off. I’m Beyond dissapointed.

I paid for a meal at the lighthouse on Living social for which I paid $ 399 (an extra $ 100) for it to be at dinner time. I live 1 ½ hours away from Newburyport and thought this would make a nice overnight or weekend getaway as a gift for Valentine’s Day… well I tried to set a date for the meal for about 3 weeks until I finally got John on the phone. Despite my repeated messages that I had paid an extra hundred dollars for dinner, he offered me breakfast or lunch times to come in. Interestingly, he did not offer me $ 100 refund on those meals, despite the fact that they cost $ 100 less than the dinner. John is a man who, let’s say, is severely lacking in the customer service skills department. Every date he offered me was a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday evening for the reservation. When I repeatedly attempted to explain to him this was booked as a getaway and as a special occasion and therefore it would need to be a weekend date… he informed me «I was taking on about it» and he had no weekend dates to book. When I asked him how this was possible, he informed me that before Valentine’s Day all of their weekend dates were already booked up. I then asked him why he would sell a coupon for a deal that most people would use for a weekend dinner. I explained to him that most people would like to eat a nice romantic dinner on a weekend night not in the middle of their work week… John did not reply but rather told me that he could honor my coupon that was purchased February 2015 for November or December 2015. He said he was not willing to allow the coupon to be used during the high season because the $ 400 that I paid for the meal was not nearly the regular going price. When I informed him that would be unacceptable, not only did he have no response, he hung up the phone. Save your money and don’t waste the time. It’s a shame, because had I been allowed to use my coupon, and had I been allowed to eat a dinner at the lighthouse, like I had planned, I would have most likely joined the preservation society as well. John you loose and because of your poor attitude, sadly so does the lighthouse.

It is incredibly romantic having dinner at the top of this lighthouse. I proposed to my wife here. Proposal aside, she said it was the best date of her life. How can you beat having a private dinner at the top of a lighthouse? We weren’t expecting much in terms of the food as it was just coming from a local restaurant, but were pleasantly surprised by how tasty it was.
The private waiter (dressed as a captain) was great. He was very friendly and had just the right balance between serving us/​checking in and leaving us alone to enjoy the experience.
Some of the other reviewers have complained about the price ($ 450), but considering you get a private 5 hour dinner at the top of a lighthouse, I would consider this cheap. Getting a chef’s table a restaurant in Boston (which isn’t nearly as private) for only 1.5 hours costs just as much if not more.
Taking your significant other here will result in an experience you will never forget.

It’s a cliché, but this is really a once-​in-​a-​lifetime experience You do have to be physically able to climb the steep, narrow stairs, climb the short ladder at the top and fit in the very small bank seats. (We had a party of four, so two to a side was tight but we’re all average-​sized so it was fine– I’ve seen others complain about the tight space, but it’s a tiny room atop a lighthouse! I think average-​sized people are fine.) And to go out on the wrap-​around balcony for amazing views and photo ops, you must be able to crawl through a little door. For us, this was all part of the fun. SO much fun.
We knew ahead of time that for the lunchtime Groupon deal, you only have one choice of restaurant for food, and I had heard on Unilocal that it was mediocre fried seafood. We weren’t interested in that particular restaurant, but we didn’t see our money as paying for food; we saw it as buying an experience. So we visited a local specialty grocery beforehand (it’s practically across the street) and bought high-​end bread, cheese and meats as well as wine to enjoy in the lighthouse. As it turned out, there was nothing fried on our menu– the entrees were actually a pretty solid (if not exactly foodie-​level) steak, a lobster roll, and broiled haddock, with choice of pretty standard sides. Appetizers (wedge salad and clam chowder) and dessert (chocolate mousse, bread pudding and strawberry shortcake) were better than expected, though not gourmet by any stretch.
We were up there for long enough to really relax, talk, sip wine, take dozens of pictures, and even play a few card games. I loved that the reservation lasted four and a half hours. For what the Groupon cost, I think the experience was well worth the expense. I’d wanted to do this for many years, and the lunch was an affordable option. I highly, highly recommend it.

Lights
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The Newburyport Rear Range Lighthouse was constructed in 1873 and was roughly 32 feet tall. As implied in it’s name it is actually one of two lighthouses that sits here on the Merrick River and it’s shorter Front Range partner is about a hundred yards away.
The twin light ideas was pretty common at one time but proved complicated to use and was abandoned. This light was renovated in 1901 and it’s height increased to 53 feet and it continued to serve until it was decommissioned in 1961.
Since lighthouses require a lot of money for maintenance someone had the great idea of renting the top of the light out for dinners. It isn’t exactly inexpensive but you can reserve dinner at the top of the lighthouse and have the food delivered from one of the area restaurants.
Only about four people can squeeze up there at one time and you have to kind of simmer up a small ladder to get to the top but the views, ambiance and uniqueness can’t be beat.
I like this lighthouse because it is unique, no other looks quite like it. Plus it has another little light only a short distance away and beautiful views of a lovely town and cool river. And if you are willing to drop a couple of hundred bucks you can even have dinner at the top. Doesn’t get much cooler than that.

We could not have possibly had a better dinner.
The experience is truly special and I would highly recommend this to anyone looking to impress a loved one.
I’d like to address the negative review by saying that Linda W. did not have the real experience here. There is really only enough room for two people to sit comfortably, and the wow factor comes at dinner, not lunch. There are many restaurant options (six, I believe) to choose from for the dinner, and I’d suggest 10 Center Street as the food is very good. Getting fried food from the only restaurant that is included in the Groupon is most definitely not the way to go.
Watching the sun set at the top of a lighthouse after a wonderful meal with someone you love is worth paying full price, I promise.

I bought a lunch for four people as a christmas gift in 2011, but I couldn’t get a reservation until January, 2013. Only fried food was available on the menu and the service was not that great. Also, it was too small for four people (I had to sit with my legs to the side (away from the table). For the price I paid for this lunch, I would’ve expected better food and service.

We had dinner at the top of the lighthouse. The view and sunset were beautiful and dinner was delicious. Everything about it was great… it’s just *really* pricy.

I have been wanting to review this place for some time now but I could not find a listing for this place and I had to list this under restaurants but it’s more of a life experience! My GF took me here for Valentines day and it was probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever eaten in New England. It’s actually a real light house with only one table up top, how exclusive and privet is that! You actually rent the lighthouse for several hours tax deductible because it goes to the Lighthouse Preservation Society and have the food delivered from one of several local Newburyport fine restaurants on their list. Be prepared the meal is a separate expense! I think we ordered from The Blue Water Café if i remember right. We stayed at the Blue Inn on Plum Island another place they recommend and another expense. Yes it can be a bit pricey but worth every penny of it, trust me. This is something I had planned to take her to, but she beat me to it! If you really want to impress your girl or guy this is the place to take them to. It’s something that memories are made of. Best place in New England to propose to your girl if you want her to say yes!!! LOL You can even get limo service for a few extra bucks. I know we will be going back again and again for special occasions.