St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum - Florida

Address:81 Lighthouse Ave.
St. Augustine, Florida
Tel: (904) 829-0745

For over 500 years the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum has been proudly serving America's oldest port. Rebuilt in 1874, the lighthouse is solidly constructed from Alabama brick and Philadelphia iron. The tower rises 165 feet above sea level and contains 219 steps. Atop the tower, a first order Fresnel lens serves the beacon, consisting of 370 hand-cut glass prisms arranged in a beehive shape towering twelve feet tall and six feet in diameter.

The museum showcases special collections, offering unique glimpses into St. Augustine's past. The exhibit's 1000 photographs, letters, journals, and postcards preserve the city's lost details, beaches, boats, and beautifully shows the way of life for those who so proudly worked and lived at the lighthouse, and in the surrounding area. The collection is an invaluable preserve of historical information and beauty about the changing ships, storms, and land around the St. Augustine Light Station.

The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum also features a special exhibit featuring the United States Coast Guard and showcases materials and artifacts from the men and women who served in St. Augustine during WWII giving honor and admiration to the surviving veterans.

The lighthouse store sells a variety of items from pencils to picture frames, all emblazoned with beautiful lighthouse imagery.

To get to the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum from 195: Exit 318 and head east on US #1. Go left on King St. and cross the Bridge of Lions, proceeding south on Anastasia Blvd. Go left onto Red Cox Rd., and you'll see the lighthouse on your left.

You won't want to miss this stunning piece of history.

Archaeologists and preservationists will attempt to answer questions about the origin and exact age of an 19th-century 13-foot-by-4-foot rudder and a smaller piece of wood now in the hands of the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum staff.