The word “lighthouse” probably conjures images of idyllic beachside scenes or historic postcards that invoke a certain sense of nostalgia. They might be seen as beacons of hope to guide those in need during challenging or stormy conditions. Every lighthouse has a story involving keepers, their families, pets and a lifestyle that could sometimes prove hard and solitary.
At several lighthouses, such as Ponce Inlet and St. Augustine , it’s possible to tour keepers’ houses to be transported into the past with a simpler way of life. Other exhibits focus on Fresnel lenses, shipwrecks or the evolution of lamps from oil to electric.
While many lighthouses have been automated, eliminating the need for a full-time keeper, these historic structures serve as time capsules that take visitors into the pages of Florida history. Along different stretches of coastline, it’s possible to climb the state’s tallest lighthouse or its most haunted tower or even to stay overnight in a New England-style replica built in the 1980s. While Florida doesn’t offer mountaintop vistas and overlooks from atop high cliffs, it does have a 175-foot lighthouse at Ponce Inlet, providing visitors who climb its 203 steps with a 360-degree view of the Halifax River, the Atlantic Ocean and nearby Smyrna Dunes Park .
In 1835, a 45-foot tower was constructed on the south side of what was then known as Mosquito Inlet, but it collapsed into the sea in April 1836 following strong storms. The current lighthous.
