Florida Lighthouse Day

From Amelia Island to Pensacola, Florida’s a big state with the second largest coastline in the nation. That’s some 8436 miles to navigate, and that mileage doesn’t include barrier islands.

It’s also a dangerous coast, with very shallow waters, thanks to the continental shelf. Before modern technology, all a ship’s captain had were charts, skill, and Florida’s forty-nine lighthouses to get to safe harbor or avoid a hazard. To celebrate the latter, the National Historic Landmark Ponce Inlet Lighthouse and Museum invites all on Saturday, April 22nd from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm to enjoy a day of historical celebration of those unique sentinels of the sea, Florida’s light stations. The Ponce Inlet Lighthouse staff and its docents will offer challenging and inspiring presentations, fun hands-on workshops, and children’s take-home crafts to observe, highlight and commemorate the day, all included with regular admission to the lighthouse.

“Florida’s historic lighthouse styles are as varied as its people, and its geography. From Brick Giants like our Ponce Inlet, to the skeletal screw-piles of the Keys, Florida has just about every type of lighthouse ever built,” said Mike Bennett, Ponce Inlet Director of Operations and an officer of the Florida Lighthouse Association. “The state-of-the-art engineering, technology, and the human story of our keepers and their families, adds so much to our chronicle,” he concluded. All day long, keeper-docents in United States Lighthouse Service uniforms will answer questions and conduct orientation tours at the lighthouse station. Climbing Florida’s tallest lighthouse tower with its breath-taking view from the gallery is always a special treat. In addition, the station’s many historic buildings now museums, are devoted to the narrative of the American lighthouse service and the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse story. Each building houses interesting exhibits and artifacts, and are now museums devoted to the chronicle of the American lighthouse service and the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse story. Each building houses interesting exhibits and artifacts, and a nationally acclaimed Lens Museum features an unparalleled collection of rare Fresnel Lenses, one of the largest collections among maritime museums in the world.

Special activities will be held on site from 10:30 AM to 2:30 PM, included with regular admission.