Coastal Sites: 6 of Florida's West Coast and Panhandle Lighthouses
Florida’s West Coast and Panhandle lighthouses stand watch over the sapphire blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico. These historic beacons feature all shapes and sizes, from traditional conical towers to quaint square dwellings and skeletal pyramids. If you are renting a dock slip anywhere near Pensacola, Sanibel or St. Pete, add some of these lighthouses to your day trip itinerary.
Sanibel Island Lighthouse
Located on the small barrier island of Sanibel (famously known for its shell-strewn beaches), the Sanibel Island Light is closed to the public, but the grounds are open. It’s a skeletal brown square pyramid with a staircase in the middle. Built in 1884, it’s 112 feet tall and has a museum, a gift shop and a brick oil storage house. There’s a fishing pier nearby. The area is also popular for birdwatching.
Port Boca Grande Lighthouse
Head to the southern end of Gasparilla Island, near Cape Coral, to visit the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse. It was built in 1890 and is 44 feet tall with 60 steps to the top of the tower. The light is active and open to the public. It’s operated by the Florida State Park Service.
Originally known as the Gasparilla Island Light Station, the light is a white house-style dwelling with green shutters and a black lantern tower. There’s a museum with a unique “please touch” nature room where kids can touch fossils, bones and shells to their heart’s content. How often does that happen?
Gasparilla Island Lighthouse
Like the above-mentioned light, Gasparilla Island Light is located within Gasparilla Island State Park. However, climbing is not open to the public. The white steel skeleton tower was originally built in Delaware in 1891 and moved in 1927. At 105 feet tall, the light is active and has a range of 12 miles.
Egmont Key Lighthouse
Egmont Key Lighthouse, located at Egmont Key State Park and National Wildlife Refuge, is only accessible by boat. It’s near St. Petersburg on Tampa Bay, so it’s within access to a Clearwater or Tampa private boat lift rental. The whole area is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a popular spot for swimming, snorkeling, hiking and boating.
The first Egmont Key Light was built in 1848 but was damaged by a couple of hurricanes. The current one was constructed in 1857 of iron, brick and white concrete. Egmont Key is 87 feet tall and has 99 steps. While the lighthouse grounds are usually open, the light can’t be climbed. The base is sometimes open.
St. Mark’s Lighthouse
St. Mark’s Lighthouse is found on the grounds of the St. Mark’s National Wildlife Refuge along Apalachee Bay and the St. Mark’s River. It makes a convenient day trip from a private boat dock rental in Tallahassee. The grounds are open to visitors of the refuge. It’s an active light but is not open for public climbing.
Built between 1829 and 1830, the whitewashed conical tower has a black lantern and stands 88 feet tall. It’s the second oldest lighthouse in Florida. An attached keeper’s dwelling was built in 1870.
Pensacola Lighthouse and Maritime Museum
Located at Naval Air Station Pensacola, visitors have to drive onto the base to get to the Pensacola Lighthouse and Maritime Museum. The unique black and white beacon, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was first lit in 1859. It stands 150 feet tall and offers amazing views of the Naval Air Station, Pensacola Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. If you’re lucky, the Blue Angels might be performing.
The two -story brick keeper’s dwelling was built in 1869 and now features displays dedicated to the history of the Coast Guard, lighthouse illumination and Pensacola’s various industries. You can also visit the reading room and the original 1892 oil shed. The lighthouse is supposedly haunted and has been featured on Ghost Hunters, so watch out for orbs.
What’s your favorite West Coast Florida lighthouse?
