Originally known as the "Light Station at Mosquito Inlet'', the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse is the tallest in Florida and the second tallest lighthouse in the U.S., soaring to 175 feet. Completed in 1887, this lighthouse became a designated National Historic Landmark in 1998.
About 100,000 people visit the Ponce de Leon Lighthouse and Museum each year. Located 12 miles south of Daytona Beach, this historic monument is maintained by the non-profit Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse Preservation Association, which has restored the light station to its current state as one of the best preserved, most complete lighthouses in the U.S.
Throughout its lifetime as an operating aid-to-navigation, the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse was serviced by many keepers who lived on the premises with their families. Keepers and assistant keepers were assigned to the lighthouse until 1953, at which time it became fully automated.
In 1970, the U.S. Coast Guard, who had assumed care of the lighthouse in 1939, abandoned it in favor of a new light on the other side of Ponce Inlet. The original structure was allowed to fall into disrepair and much of it was destroyed by vandals. In 1972, it was deeded to the Town of Ponce Inlet, which proceeded to form the Lighthouse Preservation Association and gradually restore the lighthouse to its original state.
Visitors to this beautifully-maintained piece of Florida history may climb the tower on their own and may also visit the keeper's quarters and other historic buildings on the property, which now make up the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse Museum.
Guests may begin their tour at the former woodshed, now a video theater that airs a 20-minute film on the history of the structure and those who served it. The Boatyard area displays historic vessels from various eras and inside the former Oil Storage House, guests will find exhibits of small aids-to-navigation. The Second Assistant Keeper's Dwelling is now the main museum, displaying photographs, artifacts, charts, old uniforms, and many other items pertinent to the history of the lighthouse and town of Ponce Inlet.
The Principal Keeper's Dwelling is home to the Museum of the Sea, a display of ship models and navigation instruments and other items pertaining to marine biology, oceanography, exploration, whaling and deep-sea fishing.
Visitors to the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse and Museum may also take advantage of a unique guided tour known as "Climb with the Keepers.'' Scheduled several times each year, these tours are led by re-enactors dressed as former lighthouse keepers. The actors educate visitors on the specifics of history and construction and give insight into the lives of those who cared for the lighthouse. Space is limited on these tours and reservations must be made in advance.
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