Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse & Museum

• 4931 S Peninsula Dr, Ponce Inlet, FL 32127
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  (386) 761-1821
  
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  https://www.ponceinlet.org/
  

The Ponce de Leon Inlet Light is a lighthouse and museum opened in 1887. At 175 feet tall, it is the tallest lighthouse in Florida and one of the tallest in the United States.

The Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse Preservation Association took over the site in 1972 to help preserve the decaying landmark and eventually opened the museum in 1977. Over the years, they have continued to make improvements and in 1998, the Ponce de Leon Inlet Light Station was officially declared a National Historic Landmark. It is quite an honor as only 11 of the estimated 760 surviving lighthouses in the United States have been distinguished in this way.

Visitors to the clean and beautiful historic site have many things to see. Obviously, a highlight is climbing the lighthouse’s 203 steps to see the incredible 360 degree view from the top of the surrounding waterways. It is definitely quite a hike, but well worth it once you get there.

Besides the lighthouse, there are several outbuildings to tour, each very informative either about the lighthouse itself, or the lives of the lighthouse keepers who had demanding jobs that made it necessary for them to live onsite. They range from the Woodshed Theater where you can watch a 20 minute video about the history of the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse to the Lens Building where you can view the original lens that was retrieved from the Coast Guard Museum and restored in 1973. There is even a Cuban raft display of a raft intercepted by the Coast Guard in 1996 off the coast of Volusia County.

Admission to the site is $6.95 for adults (age 12+), $1.95 for children (age 3-11) and infants (age 0-2) are free. There are also free admission offers for students, members and residents so check their website for more details.

The hours vary according to the season. Summer hours (May 30, 2022 – Sept. 5, 2022) they are open from 10:00 AM until 9:00 PM. Winter hours (Sept. 6, 2022 – May 28, 2023) they are open from 10:00 AM until 6:00 PM.

Although the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse & Museum is not located directly in New Smyrna Beach, it is still worth a visit because of it’s beautiful site, rich history and proximity to NSB.