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    Home » Travel

    St. Augustine Lighthouse in Florida

    Published: Mar 19, 2013 · Modified: May 18, 2021 by Kelly Stilwell · This post may contain affiliate links 8 Comments

    The St. Augustine Lighthouse is standing tall in St. Augustine, Florida, and I love the story of this beauty.

    When the St. Augustine Lighthouse was built in 1874, it was one of the tallest lighthouses in the country at 165 feet tall.

    I love happy endings, and the St. Augustine Lighthouse in St. Augustine, Florida, certainly has one.

    Why You Should Visit

    Listed as one of the best lighthouses in Florida, St. Augustine Lighthouse stands on a foundation of coquina rock. The lighthouse is constructed of granite, cast iron, brick, and bronze.

    As with most lighthouses, there was a keeper living on the property at one time. The last keeper resigned in 1955, and the lighthouse deteriorated over the next 15 years.

    Sadly, in 1970, a suspicious fire gutted this majestic structure. Fortunately, that was not the end of the story of the St. Augustine Lighthouse.

    A group of women in the local Junior Service League prevented a bulldozer from destroying this historic landmark in 1980.

    A small group of these women signed a 99-year lease with St. John's County and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars over the next nine years.

    The restoration was finished in 1988. That same year, the museum opened to the public. As I always say, put a group of women on a task and you'll have success!

    The Lighthouse provides a wonderful educational opportunity. We learned about the Fresnel lens and how the signature lighthouse beam of light is created, as well as how heavy the fuel bucket was at the beginning and again on one of the landings as we climbed to the top.

    Can you imagine carrying that hot oil up that many steps?

    IMG_4728

    It wasn't until the 1920's that a pully system was designed to make the job easier. Toting the oil was only one of the many jobs that had to be done.

    In fact, in a journal from over the years, keepers had to deal with birds damaging windows and lenses, earthquake damage, and many other weather-related issues.

    The view from the top was worth the climb, which was not as bad as I thought it would be.

    View from St. Augustine Lighthouse

    The view looking down the St. Augustine Lighthouse steps showed how far we had climbed. Yikes.

    IMG_4724

    What to See at the Lighthouse

    Touring the St. Augustine Lighthouse museum, we were fascinated with the shipbuilding section. The gentleman who was working on a replica was kind enough to show us around, taking a break from his work.

    St Augustine Lighthouse shipbuilder collage

    The replicas were so beautiful. You can't imagine the hours that go into it.

    St Augustine Lighthouse ships

    Children of all ages will enjoy seeing the Lighthouse dollhouse.

    St Augustine Lighthouse dollhouse
    St Augustine Lighthouse dollhouse

    How Many Steps to the Top of the Lighthouse?

    There are 219 steps to the top of the St. Augustine Lighthouse. It sounds like a lot, but the climb is not bad as long as you don't have any issues that would prevent the little bit of exertion.

    For the youngest children, there are some interactive exhibits they will also probably enjoy. They must be able to climb the lighthouse with no help, so be sure they are ready for that.

    For the younger kids, the playground may be a better idea.

    Be sure to visit the gift shop, featuring local fudge, Lighthouse wine, decor items, and beautiful architectural drawings of the Lighthouse and home.

    We spent some time just browsing, leaving with one of the drawings.

    I can't get the fudge out of my mind, so please let me know how it is if you go!

    St. Augustine Lighthouse is open from 9a.m.-6p.m. 7 days a week. Tickets are $9.75 for adults, $7.75 for children 12 and under and seniors. Visit the website for more details and special tours.

    For golfers (or wanna-be golfers!) check out the World Golf Village St Augustine. It's a gorgeous resort with so much to do for everyone.

    The two championship golf courses are amazing to play, and the World Golf Hall of Fame is truly a must-see.

    I could have spent all day looking through the old photos of Jackie Gleason, Frank Sinatra, Arnold Palmer, U.S. Presidents, and more.

    Please come back and let me know about your visit!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Amy N.

      April 05, 2013 at 6:09 pm

      My son loves lighthouses, I'll have to put this one on my list of go-to places.

      Reply
    2. Debra C

      April 05, 2013 at 3:14 pm

      Beautiful! I could never make it up all the stairs, maybe 10 years ago!

      Reply
    3. Stephanie

      March 22, 2013 at 8:37 pm

      Beautiful pictures! I used to live only a few minutes from St Augustine and the lighthouse was always such a beautiful sight!

      Reply
      • admin

        March 22, 2013 at 9:03 pm

        It was a really fun day. I have four other posts coming soon about our visit. We love it there! Thanks, Stephanie!

        Reply
    4. Jessica Wyneken

      March 21, 2013 at 11:48 am

      Hello Kelly!
      Great Article! It was great to meet you and your family and look forward to your reviews of the rest of your trip. This is great information to pass on to future guests:)

      Reply
      • admin

        March 21, 2013 at 9:24 pm

        Thank you, Jessica! It was great to meet you, too! The review of the hotel and World Golf Hall of Fame coming soon! We had such a wonderful time there. I'll be sure to direct people to you for activity planning! Can't wait to come back!

        Reply
    5. MADDIE K

      March 19, 2013 at 11:43 pm

      I LOVE ST. AUGUSTINE! And clearly I have not seen enough of it because I was unaware of the lighthouse. That will be remedied the next time I go however.

      Reply
      • admin

        March 19, 2013 at 11:44 pm

        You will love it. Stay tuned! I have 5 more reviews of the area I hope to have done this week, Maddie! Thanks for visiting and commenting!

        Reply

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