Ponce Inlet Lighthouse

Completed in 1887, the Ponce de Leon Inlet Light Station was built when the area was known as Mosquito Inlet. After decades of restoration by the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse Preservation Association, it stands today as one of the best preserved, most complete Light Stations in the nation.

Visit Florida's tallest lighthouse

Visited by over 100,000 people each year, the Ponce de Leon Inlet Light Station was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1998. The lighthouse tower and museum are located 12 miles south of Daytona Beach and are open to the public year round. The lighthouse is close to Orlando attractions, historic St. Augustine and the Kennedy Space Center. The Ponce Inlet Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in Florida and one of the tallest lighthouses in the nation. Visitors who climb the 175-foot-tall lighthouse tower are treated to a magnificent view of the Florida coastline and Halifax River from Daytona Beach to New Smyrna Beach.

Fresnel Lenses and Florida history

The lighthouse keepers' dwellings and other historic light station buildings are now home to our lighthouse museum, which features exhibits on lighthouse life, Daytona Beach and Florida history, lighthouse and Fresnel lens restoration, shipwrecks, and the lighthouse keepers and their families. The Ayres Davies Lens Exhibit Building houses one of the finest collections of restored Fresnel lenses in the world, including the rotating first order Fresnel lens from the Cape Canaveral lighthouse and the restored original Ponce Inlet lighthouse first order Fresnel lens.

Climb with the Keepers

Have you ever imagined living the life of a lighthouse keeper, climbing the tower to care for a magnificent Fresnel lens? This experience is now available at the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse through a new program called "Climb with the Keepers."

Our volunteer historic reenactors, dressed in 1930s white uniforms, will meet you and escort you to the very top of the tower. During the climb, they will share the secrets of the tower's construction and history, and give you behind the scenes look at the duties of a lighthouse keeper. You and your guides will enter the historic lantern room to observe the details of lens construction and maintenance. The Third Order Fresnel Lens will be opened, and you will observe first-hand the inner workings of our 1933 beacon.

This unique tour is limited to a maximum of eight people in order to give everyone the chance to interact with the keepers and learn as much as possible about the beacon. In order to give visitors as much flexibility as possible, we have designed this special tour to take place at the visitor's convenience, however, reservations are necessary at least two weeks in advance. The cost of this very special tour is $50 per participant ($45 of total fee is tax deductable). Payment is due at the time of reservation. Cancellations must be made at least two days prior to the scheduled tour. Please contact Bob Callister at (386) 761-1821 ext. 18 or by email at http://www.ponceinlet.org/bobcallister@ponceinlet.org for more information regarding this very special behind the scenes tour. .

Our Mission

The Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse Preservation Association is dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of the maritime and social history of the Ponce de Leon Inlet Light Station.