You’ve heard of vacations in your own town, so consider this one as the snow swirls: a one-of-a-kind place all your own at the tip of picturesque Old Mission Peninsula. Sound great?

Mission Point Lighthouse on Old Mission Peninsula is on the hunt for volunteers to live in the historic lighthouse. Stay a weekend, stay a night, or just help for a few hours. It’s all part of the Lighthouse Keepers program.

“Being a keeper at Mission Point means becoming a part of a local piece of history and experiencing a bit of what life may have been like for someone living in a lighthouse when it was still functioning,” says Elizabeth Smith, the lighthouse and parks director for Peninsula Township.

“It means becoming a part of a group of individuals who have served for the same purpose and seen the same serene sunrises and met people from around the world in the middle of the woods in Northern Michigan.”

Started in 2008 when the lighthouse first opened its doors to visitors, the keepers program is what allows the township to keep the lighthouse open during the cold winter months. Mission Point is one of the only lighthouses in Michigan that welcomes visitors year-round.

“We have a wide variety of volunteers,” says Smith. “Most keepers are couples looking for a different type of ‘vacation.’ This is not to say that the keeper program is a vacation by any means, but it does have its very appealing aspects.”

Volunteer lighthouse keepers are expected to man the gift shop and greet guests as well as tackle indoor projects such as carpentry, painting, research for programs, writing, sewing, and more. Keepers must be 18 or older, and must be "energetic, comfortable speaking with the public and handling money, able to climb stairs, and work eight hour days." There's a $200 charge per couple per stay.

“This program is unique because we can match our volunteers’ talents and interests to needs at the lighthouse,” Smith says.

“Depending on the time of year it can be a very different experience. Wintertime is more reflective and revolves around indoor projects. Summertime is more visitor-heavy and revolves around greeting lighthouse visitors and selling tours and gift shop items. Nothing is mundane and nothing is what it seems - and each day is your own adventure. The history of the lighthouse is rich and can always be felt.”

Those who can’t spend a night or more can spend three or four hours in the gift shop or working on projects throughout the park.

The Mission Point Lighthouse is open to the public for self-guided tours in November and December on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10am-5pm. Interested? Call Elizabeth Smith at 231.645.0759.

(Across Grand Traverse Bay, the Grand Traverse Lighthouse within Leelanau State Park offers similar keepers and volunteer programs).