We arrived in St. Augustine a little before 4:00 and wanted to squeeze in an activity on our first day. After quickly checking into the hotel, we headed over to the St. Augustine Lighthouse. Since we planned to spend the next day exploring the city on foot, a visit to the lighthouse made perfect sense for our arrival day. Located across the Bridge of Lions about 2 miles from downtown St. Augustine, the lighthouse is more easily reached in a car than on foot.
The lighthouse was open until 6:00 so we had about an hour and a half there by the time we arrived. Although some of the exhibits were closed (either due to covid or the time of day), we were still able to take advantage of much of the site and felt like it was a great time to be there. It was not crowded at all and we were able to climb the lighthouse, explore the grounds, and walk the nature trail.
Built in the early 1870s, the St. Augustine Lighthouse is 165 feet tall, requiring a climb of 219 steps to get to the top. With 8 landings along the way, there is ample opportunity to rest if needed. Each landing has a different exhibit, highlighting facts about the lighthouse.
I really enjoyed reading the facts along the way (a built in excuse to take a breather!) and I appreciated the step countdown at each landing.
Masks were required both inside the lighthouse and on the observation deck at the top. There was an employee at the door to the deck who was enforcing the mask mandate. Although it was an overcast (and somewhat chilly) day, the views from the top were still impressive. We thought it was interesting that the lighthouse isn’t actually on the water. It is on the Matanzas Bay (actually a few blocks inland from the bay), separated from the ocean by Anastasia State Park. After the original lighthouse burned down in the 1580s, the new lighthouse was built inland in the 1870s to mitigate the threat of erosion.
After enjoying the views at the top, we walked back down and then explored the rest of the grounds. There are several different buildings to explore:
- Oil Room and Keeper’s Office – two rooms at the base of the lighthouse, providing insight into the work of the lighthouse keeper
- 1876 Keeper’s House
- Heritage Boatworks – wooden boatbuilding demonstrations
- WWII-era garage
- WWII US Coast Guard barracks
- Maritime Center – hands on-activities
- Artifact Conservation Viewing – shipwreck artifacts
There were several outdoor areas as well. A ship-themed playground and nature trails with scavenger hunt-type “Quests” were great options for younger kids.
After wandering the nature trails for a while, we headed across the street to check out Lighthouse Park and the waterfront. Beautiful old trees filled the park’s green space and gorgeous sea birds waded in shallow waters of the Salt Run lagoon. We were all especially thrilled to spot a Roseate Spoonbill fishing for his dinner just off shore.
The St. Augustine Lighthouse was the perfect introduction to the area. It offers history, nature, wildlife, and incredible views all in one spot. We really enjoyed our visit (even on a cloudy day) and highly recommend spending a few hours there.
