Sleep in an 1894 Queen Anne-style assistant lightkeeper's house on the Oregon Coast. Includes a legendary seven-course breakfast.
Heceta Head Lighthouse Bed & Breakfast occupies the historic Assistant Lightkeeper's House, a Queen Anne-style home constructed in 1894 on a cliffside overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Located halfway between Florence and Yachats, this unique property is one of the last remaining lightkeeper cottages on the Pacific Coast. The building served as a military barracks during World War II and later as an annex for Lane Community College before the U.S. Forest Service leased the property to Mike and Carol Korgan in 1995. The Korgans, both certified executive chefs, began a meticulous restoration of the interior to convert it into a boutique inn. In 2003, their daughter Michelle Korgan took over the business, maintaining its rich maritime heritage and welcoming guests to experience life at a working lightstation.
The inn features six distinct guest rooms, including Victoria's Room, the Cape Cove Room, and the Mariners Rooms, each furnished with unique antiques, cozy down duvets, and period details. A handcrafted wooden staircase connects the rooms to the ground floor, where guests can gather in intimate parlors with original fireplaces, a guest kitchen, and a large dining room complete with a piano. Outside, a wrap-around porch provides views of the ocean and the nearby Cape Creek Bridge, built in 1932. Guests are welcomed each evening with a wine and cheese social featuring Pacific Northwest wines and local artisan cheeses. When night falls, the inn provides guests with large flashlights for the short, dark walk up the trail to the 56-foot lighthouse tower. There, the historic first-order Fresnel lens still sweeps its powerful beam up to 21 miles across the dark ocean.
Morning at the inn centers around a legendary seven-course breakfast, a culinary tradition established by Carol and Michelle Korgan, who co-authored a cookbook of the inn's recipes. Served family-style, the multi-course meal utilizes ingredients sourced from local Oregon purveyors and fresh produce from the lightstation's own garden. Courses typically progress through fresh fruit, sweet breads, savory egg dishes, and local meats, accompanied by locally roasted coffee. Beyond the food and history, the house is famous for its resident ghost, Rue, believed to be the wife of an early lightkeeper. The name was given to her in the 1970s when college students using a Ouija board spelled out her name. According to local lore and notes left in the guest book, Rue is a harmless, protective presence who occasionally rearranges small items or sweeps the attic floor, adding a touch of friendly mystique to this historic coastal sanctuary.
Request the guided history tour of the home after breakfast, and ask the staff about Rue, the resident ghost who is said to sweep the attic floor at night.
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