Ponce Inlet Lighthouse

At 175 feet, Florida's tallest lighthouse and one of the tallest in the country — a red brick tower first lit in 1887 after the original 1835 Mosquito Inlet Light was toppled by storm surge and a Seminole War raid before it ever burned a wick. A National Historic Landmark with the keeper's dwellings, oil house, and pump house all restored on site. The museum holds one of the finest collections of restored Fresnel lenses in the world, including the original first-order fixed lens made in Paris in 1867. The lantern room up top still runs an operating third-order rotating Fresnel. 203 steps to the gallery deck.

What to order

Go early — the brick tower turns into a chimney by midday and the 203-step climb is not the place to be at 2p in July. First hour after opening is coolest, and the light on the inlet is best. Skip the climb if it's storming since the gallery closes for lightning.

Hours

Daily 10a–9p Memorial Day through Labor Day; 10a–6p Labor Day through Memorial Day (last admission 1 hour before close)