Visit historic lighthouses at four Florida State Parks

Egmont Key lighthouse

There's plenty to do for RVers in Florida, but one popular pursuit is visiting its lighthouses.

Florida's first coastal navigational aid was a 1586 Spanish watchtower at St. Augustine in northeast Florida. The first true lighthouse was a 73-foot harbor light built there in 1824, although it fell into the sea in 1880. The current 165-foot tower was built in 1874. Six flights of stairs offer access to a spectacular view of the coastline and Anastasia State Park, although the lighthouse is not part of the state park.

Four historic lighthouses can be found at state parks
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park is the home of a historic lighthouse built in 1825 and reconstructed in 1846, and is the oldest standing structure in Miami-Dade County in southeast Florida. Guided tours of the lighthouse and lighthouse keeper´s cottage are given twice daily, Thursdays through Mondays, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. A climb of 109 steps is required to access this unique view of Key Biscayne.

The centerpiece of Gasparilla Island State Park is the restored Boca Grande Lighthouse built in 1890. The lighthouse is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, November through April. From May through July and September it is open Wednesday through Sunday. The lighthouse is closed during August. The Boca Grande Lighthouse Museum and Visitor Center houses exhibits about the lighthouse and southwest Florida.

Accessible only by private boat, Egmont Key is home to a lighthouse that has stood since 1858. The Egmont Key Lighthouse is 133 foot tall and can be seen for 22 miles. The light flashes every 15 seconds and a foghorn operates during poor visibility. Located at the mouth of Tampa Bay, the island serves as a wildlife refuge. The lighthouse is not open for tours.

Accessible by private boat or ferry, a picturesque 1887 lighthouse stands as a sentinel on the southern end of Anclote Key Preserve State Park just west of Tarpon Springs. Two ferry services leave from Tarpon Springs' historic Sponge Docks. The lighthouse is not open for tours.

To learn more about Florida’s lighthouse, visit the website of Florida Maritime Heritage Trails.