A quiet escape from busy city life is often just a short car ride away. Or in my case, make that a short boat ride away. Last weekend, my family and I dug into our Salem bucket list and decided to check off nearby Bakers Island. This local spot had been on our radar for quite a while, but for some reason, we had never made it out for a visit. With a charming lighthouse, gorgeous views, and a peaceful atmosphere, the island did not disappoint.

We couldn't have picked a more beautiful day to visit. We left home and made the short drive down to Salem Wharf where we boarded our boat, the Naumkeag. There were about 15 people on our tour. We also had a very friendly guide who told us stories about Salem’s maritime history and answered our questions about the island.

The boat ride to Bakers Island took about 20-25 minutes. It was bumpy (and a little wet) but we had lots of fun! It was a wonderful experience to view the city from the water.

Our captain let us out on a rocky beach when we got to the shore. As we navigated the unsteady rocks up the hill to the grassy area, I was glad that I had worn sneakers instead of flip-flops.

I immediately noticed how quiet and peaceful it was on the island. We were just minutes from the city, but it felt like we were worlds away.

Our tour was hosted by Essex Heritage, a local non-profit organization that owns 10 acres of land on the island. This includes the Bakers Island lighthouse, two keeper's houses, a small campground, and several short trails. The rest of the 60-acre island is made up of summer homes. Out of respect for the seasonal island residents, we were urged to stay within the clearly marked Essex Heritage boundaries.

Our guide from the boat teamed up with an island volunteer and together they led us on an interesting tour of the property. We learned all about the history of the beautiful Bakers Island Light which dates back to 1820.

The lighthouse is actually the second of its kind to stand on the property. It is now powered by solar energy. Unfortunately, you can not climb it at this time.

After we spent some time admiring the lighthouse and reading the informative plaques about its history, we headed inside one of the homes and explored the property's small museum which contained old photos and historic items.

You may be wondering, “Can you spend the night on Bakers Island?” The answer is yes! There are actually two different options for staying here. You can rent out the recently renovated lightkeeper’s house (complete with a bathroom, kitchen, and electricity).

Or you can reserve one of three camping platforms that overlook the ocean. During our visit, we wandered down to the campground area for a picnic and I can tell you that the views from here are amazing!

We were also met with some very protective mama seagulls who were closely guarding their recently hatched chicks. These fluffy little ones were quite a sight to see!

I could have spent the entire afternoon just gazing out at the ocean, but our tour was almost over. We packed up our picnic and headed down one of the wooded trails to meet the rest of the group back at the beach.

I'm not really sure why it took us so long to get around to making a visit to Bakers Island, but I do know that it will definitely not take me that much time to return again!

Have you visited Bakers Island or any of the other islands off the coast of the North Shore? If so, please tell us all about your experience. You can find out more about booking a trip to visit the lighthouse at the Bakers Island Light website and the Essex National Heritage Area Facebook page. The Massachusetts North Shore is also full of many other beautiful lighthouses, including the nearby Marblehead Lighthouse in Marblehead and the twin lighthouses on Thatcher Island in Rockport. If you want to view multiple lighthouses in one trip, I suggest taking this fun Cape Ann Self-Guided Driving Tour.