perch, perfect for yoga or meditation, Rockwell Lighthouse has every detail guests need to relax and feel comfortable. And it all has a thoughtfully and gracefully appointed feel.
The lighthouse reminds Teal of the feeling she had visiting her grandparents in Minnesota as a kid.
“It was very comforting. You go in, and Grandma’s cooking you pie in a beautiful home that’s well taken care of, with a history to it,” she remembers. “That's the feeling I wanted to give others, but in a way that’s very clean, classic and well-thought-out. I want every guest to enjoy it to the fullest and feel at peace.”
Teals offer her guest book as evidence of a job well done. Sketches, poems, notes and memories fill the pages, with guests recounting the Alaskan wildlife they spotted and breathtaking views they enjoyed while at the lighthouse. But the families, weddings, celebrations and businesses that visit Rockwell often report something deeper, the same shift that Teal felt that first day she stepped foot on the island.
One gentleman called her while on vacation at the lighthouse, inquiring about Wi-Fi. Deliberately, Teal did not put internet services on the island, and this guest in particular wondered how his sons would fare without it. On day three of that family’s stay, she heard from him again. He said, “We’ve traveled all over the world. We’ve been everywhere you can think of. This is the most magical, most incredible vacation because, for the first time since they got cell phones, the boys are engaging with me and their mom. We're reconnecting as a family, and we’re building that foundation to connect.”
“That’s why I’m doing this,” Teal says. “The experience I’m creating is going to give them these moments of magic as a family.”
It’s a fun coincidence, Teal believes, that the island is named Rockwell. She says looking at Norman Rockwell’s art depicts the genuine, back-to-basics feeling visitors have at the lighthouse. From kayaking near neighboring wildlife, watching the eagles swoop overhead while lounging on the deck to preparing a delicious meal together in the gourmet kitchen, painting-perfect moments abound on this little island, bringing loved ones closer together while they share a one-of-a-kind experience.
“No matter the weather, they’re going to have an amazing time in Sitka,” says Teal. “They’re going to leave with an experience they’ve never had before. They’re going to leave making connections they never knew they’d make, a sense of peace they probably haven’t felt in a long time. Then, they can bring it back to their day-to-day lives with a different outlook and perspective.”
Connect with Teal and learn more about visiting Rockwell Lighthouse at www.rockwelllighthouse.com
While Mike and Teal were buried in the renovation and spending long hours on the island thinking over every detail, they took photos documenting their progress and celebrating the completion of each project. They joked that someday those photos could become a coffee table book titled Reviving Rockwell.
It wasn’t until they were awaiting the arrival of their first guests that the enormity of their project hit Teal.
“We did not revive Rockwell, Mike. Rockwell revived us,” she remembers telling her husband.
Stopping in his tracks, Mike had looked at her and agreed, “That’s exactly what happened.”
Teal hopes the sanctuary she and Mike created on this little one-acre island about a mile from town will give her guests a heightened sense of what she believes is the best part of Sitka: the feeling.
“I feel grounded here at all times,” she says of Sitka.
“I really feel that I’m aligned. My thoughts are clearer being near the ocean and nature. The beauty of it really speaks to me. Hearing the ocean soothes the soul.”
When her guests arrive at Rockwell, they are immersed
in that soothing atmosphere, enveloped in a warm space Teal describes with a laugh as Alaska-farmhouse-lighthouse. With a hot tub and fire ring outside, local delicacies like jarred salmon and homemade caramels waiting in the kitchen, and a third-floor glass perch, perfect for yoga or meditation, Rockwell Lighthouse has every detail guests need to relax and feel comfortable.
And it all has a thoughtfully and gracefully appointed feel.
Teal offers her guest book as evidence of a job well done. Sketches, poems, notes and memories fill the pages, with guests recounting the Alaska wildlife they spotted and breathtaking views they enjoyed while at the lighthouse. But the families, weddings, celebrations and businesses that visit Rockwell often report something deeper, the same shift that Teal felt that first day she stepped foot
on the island.
One gentleman called her while on vacation at the lighthouse, inquiring about Wi-Fi. Deliberately, Teal did
not put internet services on the island, and this guest
in particular wondered how his sons would fare without
it. On day three of that family’s stay, she heard from him again. He said, “We’ve traveled all over the world. We’ve been everywhere you can think of. This is the most magical, most incredible vacation because, for the first time since they got cell phones, the boys are engaging with me and their mom. We're reconnecting as a family, and we’re building that foundation to connect.”
“That’s why I’m doing this,” Teal says. “The experience
I’m creating is going to give them these moments of magic
as a family.”
“No matter the weather, they’re going to have an amazing time in Sitka,” says Teal. “They’re going to leave with an experience they’ve never had before. They’re going to leave making connections they never knew they’d make,
a sense of peace they probably haven’t felt in a long time. Then, they can bring it back to their day-to-day lives with
a different outlook and perspective.”
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Aspen Suites Hotel Sitka aspenhotelsak.com/sitka / Fisherman’s Quay fishermansquay.com / Longliner Lodge & Suites longlinersitka.com / Rockwell Lighthouse rockwelllighthouse.com / Sitka Hotel sitkahotel.com / Sitka Super 8 wyndhamhotels.com/super-8/sitka / Totem Square Hotel & Marina totemsquarehotelmarina.com / Westmark Sitka Hotel westmarkhotels.com/destinations/sitka-hotel