Visiting Great Captain Island in Connecticut
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Last week, I made the journey to Great Captain Island in Greenwich, Connecticut. I’ve been working to see all of the lighthouses in Connecticut, and this was one of few lighthouses I hadn’t seen or photographed. So, I made the journey when I had a hotel collaboration in Greenwich!
About Great Captain Island
Great Captain Island is a 17-acre island off of Greenwich, Connecticut that’s only accessible by ferry. The island is owned and operated by the Town of Greenwich. The island features small beaches, a historic lighthouse, and a bird sanctuary.
Getting Tickets for the Ferry
If you’re not a resident of Greenwich, you will need to get a Non-Resident Entry Park & Ferry Combo ticket from the Town of Greenwich’s website. Tickets go on sale online between 9am and 5pm Monday through Friday.
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I got my ticket online at 9am. I had checked the website before 9am, and I can confirm, tickets were not yet on sale. Once purchased, the tickets were sent to my email, and I had the option to send them to the person I was traveling with as well.
You can also purchase tickets at the Cos Cob Dockmaster Office on Wednesdays and Thursdays, 9am to 1pm. However, I think the easiest way to get tickets is to purchase them online.
Getting To The Ferry
Parking is available in the Island Beach Parking Lot. The parking for the ferry is all the way to the left in the parking lot. There will be barriers with signs indicating where the parking for the ferry is. There’s also a map of the parking lot online that’s helpful. Once you’ve parked, you’ll pay for your parking at the kiosk.
If the ferry parking area is full, you can park in the day parking section, which is right next to the ferry parking section. We did not have an issue finding a spot in the designated ferry parking section, but we got there early.
Once you’re parked, you’ll cross the street to get to the ferry landing. Cross where the crosswalk is and just keep heading straight. There is a small pavilion by the ferry landing where you can wait. There are also bathrooms you can use while you wait.
Before you can board the ferry, you will need to get a ticket from the ticket window, which is on the water side of the building attached to the pavilion. Your digital tickets will be scanned and then you will receive paper tickets to board the ferry.
Two different ferries leave from this spot, the Great Captain Island Ferry and the Island Beach Ferry. The Island Beach Ferry boards right in front of the pavilion. The Great Captain Island Ferry, a much smaller boat, loads a bit past the pavilion. There are signs on the pavilion pointing you where the Great Captain Ferry boards.
Before you go, be sure to check the ferry schedule online to help plan your trip.
The Ferry Ride
The ferry ride out to Great Captain Island is about 20 minutes. The ferry is small, but comfortable for the short ride. I really appreciated that it had a cover for most of the boat to provide shade.
During the ferry ride, you’ll pass by some pretty impressive homes and boats. For me, this was very much a part of the whole experience. I spent the ride out to the island and the ride back photographing the homes and boats.
Visiting The Island
When we arrived on the island, we arrived right by the main beach on the island, which is still small by most standards. But considering you’re on an island out on the water where it takes a bit more effort to get there, I don’t think it’s a bad thing that it’s small. It has a pavilion with picnic tables and there’s even a lifeguard, a medic shack, and a bathroom for the beach.
From the moment we stepped on the island, there were gulls everywhere, including so many fluffy gull chicks! When we saw the first one steps from the ferry dock, my jaw dropped. Little did I know there would be way more where that came from! The gull chicks were a major highlight of the visit for me.
My main objective was getting to the lighthouse. However, the lighthouse was on the complete opposite side of the island from where the ferry dropped us off. And, the other side of the island wasn’t exactly attached to the part of the island we arrived at.
There was a rock breakwater between where we were and the other side. But, there were signs saying not to walk on the rocks. So, your option is pretty much walk alongside it, which could mean walking in the water if the tide isn’t super low. My advice is to bring some water shoes out with you or sandals.
On the other side of the breakwater, there were small beaches, a picnic area, bathrooms, and outdoor showers.
There were also a ton of birds! While the side of the island we arrived on was full of gulls, the other side was full of so many different species of birds. As someone who used to be very into birdwatching, I was geeking out. I spent a lot of time gasping and point out birds to my brother who didn’t know what they were.
There were ibises, oystercatchers, various species of egrets, various species of herons, cormorants, and ospreys. It was absolutely worth lugging my giant 150-600mm telephoto lens out to the island with me. It helped me see the birds that were off in the distance.
After admiring all of the birds, we finished making our way to the lighthouse. Great Captain Island Lighthouse was built in 1868. The lighthouse has the same architectural design as other lighthouses in the New England and New York area. Those lighthouses are:
- Sheffield Island Lighthouse in Norwalk, CT
- Morgan Point Lighthouse in Noank, CT
- Plum Island Lighthouse in Orient, NY
- Block Island North Light on Block Island, RI
- Old Field Point Light in East Setauket, NY
While you can go right up to the lighthouse and explore around it, the interior of the lighthouse is not open to visitors. But, I still think it’s worth a visit regardless! You’ll also find a lot of gulls hanging out around it.
After we were done checking out the lighthouse, we headed back to the other side of the island where the ferry had dropped us off. Not far from where the dock, there’s a marker indicating that part of the island as the southernmost point in Connecticut.
There were also a lot of fluffy gull chicks in this area and some more picnic tables.
After, we headed back to the dock to catch the ferry back to the mainland.
Final Thoughts
We only spent an hour on the island, but for us, it was more than enough. However, you could absolutely do a longer trip for a relaxing island beach day. If you were to do a beach day, I’d recommend packing a cooler with lunch and drinks since there is not a concession stand.
For us, it was a nice getaway from the mainland where we enjoyed nature and the historic lighthouse. I even loved the ferry ride itself because we got to cruise by gorgeous houses along the shoreline.
