As kids we loved the book From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg, about an 11-year old girl who runs away from home to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and we must admit to still harboring a fantasy about secretly spending the night at a museum...

The Rose Island Lighthouse Museum, located on a 18-acre island a mile off the coast of Newport, Rhode Island, may not be the Met, but it does offer the opportunity for visitors to stay after visiting hours and experience a night as the lighthouse keepers of 1912 once did.

Beyond the reach of utility lines, the lighthouse relies on electricity generated by wind power and a rainwater collection system. An overnight stay is not for the feint of heart: amenities include pots, dishes, and utensils that the original lighthouse residents would have used, washbowls and pitchers for bathing, a hand water pump toilet, and outdoor solar showers. And did we mention that guests must transport all of their things including a cooler with ice (there is no refrigerator) by boat?

Despite all that we still think there’s something pretty darn cool about the idea — at least in theory — forget staying at a museum, who hasn’t dreamed of spending a few nights on their own private island?

Visit the Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation website for more information.

(Images: Brian Stulpin)