Ponce Inlet Lighthouse

The Ponce de Leon Inlet Light is a lighthouse and museum located at Ponce de León Inlet in Central Florida. At 175 feet in height, it is the tallest lighthouse in the state and one of the tallest in the United States.  It is located between St. Augustine Light and Cape Canaveral Light. Restored by the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse Preservation Association, the lighthouse became a National Historic Landmark in 1998.

In 1927 the name of Mosquito Inlet was changed to Ponce de Leon Inlet. The lighthouse was transferred from the abolished Lighthouse Service to the United States Coast Guard in 1939, which would oversee it for the next three decades. In 1970, the Coast Guard abandoned the old light station and established a new beacon at New Smyrna Beach. The abandoned property was then deeded to the Town of Ponce Inlet. At the urging of concerned citizens, the Town of Ponce Inlet accepted the Light Station property from the Coast Guard in 1972, and the Lighthouse Preservation Association was formed to manage the museum. That same year, the lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1982 the light was restored to active service, primarily because highrise buildings blocked the Coast Guard’s beacon on the other side of the inlet. The Ponce De Leon Inlet Light Station was designated a National Historic Landmark on August 5, 1998, one of only eleven lighthouses to earn this designation.

The lighthouse and three keepers’ dwellings have been restored, and are open to the public seven days a week. The lighthouse tower is open for climbing. The original 1867 Barbier et Fenestre first order fixed lens (installed 1887), and 1860 “Henry Lepaute” rotating first order Fresnel lens used at Cape Canaveral Light Station are all on display at the museum. The 1904 Barbier, Benard, et Turenne rotating third order Fresnel lens has been restored to service in the tower, which operates today as a private aid to navigation and is maintained by the museum staff. It is just south of Daytona Beach.

Where it is:

The Ponce Inlet Lighthouse Museum and Constance D. Hunter Historic Pacetti Hotel Museum are located less than ten miles south of Daytona Beach at 4931/4928 South Peninsula Drive, Ponce Inlet, FL.

Driving Directions:
From Beachside (Daytona Beach Shores/Ormond Beach): Drive south on Atlantic Ave. until you reach the stop sign at Beach St. in the Town of Ponce Inlet. Turn right onto Beach St. and head west to the next stop sign at South Peninsula Dr. Turn left onto South Peninsula Dr. and drive three blocks south until you reach the main entrances to the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse Museum (on left) and the entrance to the Pacetti Hotel Museum (on right). Admission tickets for both museums are sold inside the lighthouse gift shop.

From the Mainland (Port Orange): Drive east on Dunlawton Ave. until you reach South Atlantic Ave. at the second light after you have crossed the bridge. Turn right (south) onto South Atlantic Ave. and follow the From Beachside directions to the museum.

From I-95 (By Way of Port Orange Exit): Take Exit 256 off Interstate 95 at Port Orange. Turn east onto Dunlawton Ave./Taylor Rd. Drive five miles east on Dunlawton Ave. until you reach South Atlantic Ave. at the second light after you have crossed the bridge. Turn right (south) onto South Atlantic Ave. and follow the From Beachside directions to the museum.

Maps:

Interactive Google Map

Use the map  + – controls to zoom in and out, click and drag the to move the map, use the Map drop-down to change to “Map”, “Satellite”, “Hybrid”, or “Terrain” views.  Drag the little man icon from the upper left corner to a map location for street level view.