Dark Of The Moon Tour
This exclusive guided paranormal tour is the only after-dark tour of the lighthouse. Guests can learn the ghostly history behind the light station and the keeper’s house, conduct their own paranormal investigation, and ascend the 219 steps for a nighttime view of the nation’s oldest city. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, Dark of the Moon tours are conducted Thursday through Monday during the rest of the year, tours are normally available Friday through Sunday, Dark of the Moon tours are not recommended for kids under 13, and do require a certain amount of physical activity . For specific times and dates, or to purchase tickets, please visit here. Warning, in addition to spooky, these tours are popular, and visitors are strongly encouraged to book the tour as they plan their trip, prior to coming to town.
Going Up The Lighthouse
Kim and I decided to climb the lighthouse first and foremost. After not being able to go up to the top of the Castillo De San Marcos the day before, we knew that we needed to prioritize anything we could go up before any thunderstorms came around!
The lighthouse is struck by lightning several times a year.
There were twisty stairs going up the lighthouse that would level off at different spots. Informational signs were painted into the white brick at each level. These signs shared factual information about the lighthouse history and about the experience of going up to the top. I will share some of this info throughout this post.
For instance, we learned from the walls of the lighthouse stairwell that we would burn 24 calories going up the 219 steps to the top.
The walk up only took maybe 10 minutes. We just had to step to the side to let others down at different points. But we would distract ourselves by reading the information on the wall or looking out the windows for a preview of the views.
St Augustine Lighthouse And Museum
Ghost StoriesThe Lighthouse has been the subject of numerous ghost stories and supernatural legends. The St Augustine Light House & Maritime Museum offers tickets for a number of Dark of the Moon ghost tours and ghost theme private events. Inquire more by visiting their website.
The lighthouse has been featured on the television series Ghost Hunters and the program My Ghost Story.
St Augustine Lighthouse is the site of the oldest permanent navigation aid in North America, dating to a Spanish watchtower built in the late 1500s.
Its easy to pinpoint the site these days: the distinctive black-and-white lighthouse tower topped by a red cap on Anastasia Island, across the bayfront from the Old City.
NOTE: Inn guests have complimentary admission to the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum plus discounts on purchases in the gift shop.
Early wooden towers on the site likely held a flame. Officially, the first light in St. Augustine was hung in a structure made of local coquina stone in 1824, known as the Old Spanish Watchtower. It was lit by 10 whale oil lamps with 14-inch reflectors. By 1870, shoreline erosion threatened this structure, and construction of the current tower, with funds appropriated by the US Congress, began in 1871. Brick from Birmingham and iron work from Philadelphia were capped by a handblown nine-foot-tall Fresnel lens from Paris, first lit in 1874.
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Keep The Light Shining
As a nonprofit organization, you make a difference with every admission, donation, membership and gift shop purchase. Your support helps us keep the light shining! It allows us to discover new stories through research and archaeology, preserve historic structures and objects, present stories through exhibitions and educational programs and keep maritime heritage alive with traditional wooden boatbuilding and support of other maritime folk arts. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!
My kids and I loved it. We will definitely be back with friends.
RJ Birsan
Great exhibits and archaeological conservation lab!
Kelsey Myers
I am a ghost enthusiast and I enjoy visiting haunted locations and doing ghost tours. I have done a handful of tours in different locations and so far the Light house ghost tour is the best I have ever experienced.
Truthsource
Loving Floridas lighthouses, and this one is so well preserved. All the buildings were so interesting but of course the climb to the top is the highlight.
shonas804
Totally worth the admission. The grounds are pretty, with nice landscaping and some cool exhibitions. Theres even a decent place to get a bite to eat. But of course, youre here for the lighthouse. Take your time climbing to the topits a lot of stairs. But the views are quite the payoff for your efforts. If you enjoy photography, youll have lots to do up there.
Cherie CLori L
Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program
The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum, as part of its ongoing mission to discover, present, and keep alive the maritime history of America’s oldest port, has funded in St. Johns County waters since 1997. In 1999, the Lighthouse formalized its research program, creating the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program, Inc. . LAMP is one of the few research organizations in the nation employing full-time professional marine archaeologists and conservators that is not a part of a university or government entity.
LAMP’s founding Director was William “Billy Ray” Morris, who oversaw archaeological research and educational programs until his departure in 2005. In March 2006, underwater archaeologistChuck Meide took over control of the organization as its new Director, with the assistance of then Director of Archaeology Dr. Sam Turner. Today, LAMP maintains four archaeologists on staff and works with a team of archaeological conservators, and regularly employs a large number of volunteers and student interns.
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Keepers Building & Maritime Museum
After we exhausted our time at the top, we made our way back down to explore parts of the museum. The bottom of the lighthouse has the keepers building with little artefacts and info signs.
I learned that the lighthouse has been established since October 15, 1874. This means the lighthouse will reach its 150th birthday in 2024. I imagine there will be some fun events happening throughout the year and especially in October, marking the occasion!
I also learned how the lighthouse keeper stored the oil. One room in the keepers house displayed four large metal storage units with spouts, each of which holds up to 100 gallons of oil.
The first keeper, William Russell, lit the lard oil lamp for the first time in 1874 by carrying 20 pounds of oil all the way to the top. The lighthouse was not automated until 1971.
Directly across from the lighthouse is the Maritime Museum. We still had some time, so we walked across and entered to check things out.
Inside, we found various rooms and a basement filled with artefacts, videos, and historic information.
My favorite part of the museum had to be the basement.
A TV screen mounted on the wall just before the entrance to the basement showed a live video of SCUBA divers doing an underwater excavation. An underwater vacuum of sorts was shown sucking sand off of artefacts on the sea floor.
Twisty stairs then brought us down to where all the underwater shipwreck artefacts were on display.
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Watchtower And First Lighthouse
St. Augustine became an important port following the discovery of the Gulf Stream by Ponce de Leon. The original lighthouse of St. Augustine was a wooden watchtower built by Spaniards in the late 1500s in order to protect their settlement from seafaring invaders and to direct other Spanish ships and traders to their bustling port. A flame sat atop the watchtower, but was far too weak to effectively signal ships, and served more to accompany the soldier on watch. Unfortunately, the watchtower was burned to the ground by Sir Francis Drake during an attack in 1586. Following this, a coquina tower was built on the site in 1683 from the ruins of a stone chapel. This lighthouse lasted 200 years, but fell to shoreline erosion in 1880.
Exclusive Lens Room Tour
Visitors can indulge in a premium and personal tour behind the scenes of the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum with special access to the Lens Room. Breakfast and drinks are served to participants as they experience the lighthouse in full operation, sending a stream of light across the coast of St. Augustine. 1 hr 30 min. 4 guests. $500 per person.
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Things To Know Before You Go
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The lighthouse and museum are ideal for maritime buffs and families with children.
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Admission is discounted for seniors and children.
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The 219-step climb to the top of the lighthouse may be strenuous for some visitors.
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Children must be 44 inches tall to climb the lighthouse. Carrying children up the stairs is prohibited.
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Food and drinks are available for purchase, and an on-site gift shop sells unique lighthouse-themed souvenirs.
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The ground floor of the Keepers House Museum is wheelchair accessible, but the lighthouse is not.
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St Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum
In 1994, the Lighthouse Museum of St. Augustine opened full-time to the public. A community-based board of trustees was created in 1998. The men and women of the volunteer board are charged with holding the site in trust for future generations. In 2002, under the direction of current Executive Director Kathy Fleming, ownership of the tower and historic Fresnel lens was transferred from the U.S. Coast Guard through the General Services Administration and the National Park Service to the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum, Inc. This was the first such transfer of a U.S. lighthouse to a non-profit organization. The Museum keeps the light burning as a private aid-to-navigation. In 2016 the museum changed its name to the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum.
The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum aims to preserve local maritime history, keep alive the story of the nation’s oldest port, and connect young people to . The museum board and staff also work to help save other lighthouses in Florida and across the nation, coordinating efforts with several federal agencies and volunteer groups such as the Florida Lighthouse Association. The Lighthouse employs close to 50 individuals, and is visited annually by over 200,000 people including 54,000 school-aged children.
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