The Ponce de Leon Inlet Light is a lighthouse and museum located in the Ponce de Leon Inlet in Central Florida. At 175 feet (53 m), it is the tallest lighthouse in the state and one of the tallest in the United States (North Carolina's Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is 207 feet (63 m) taller). It is located between St. Augustine's Light and Cape Canaveral Light. Restored by the Ponce de León Lighthouse Conservation Association, the lighthouse was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1998.
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| Ponce de Leon Inlet Light |
Modern Museum
In 1982, the lantern was restored to active service, primarily because high-rise buildings were blocking the Coast Guard beacon on the other side of the bay. On August 5, 1998, the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse was designated a National Historic Landmark and was one of eleven lighthouses to receive this designation. The lighthouse and the dwellings of the three keepers have been restored and are open to the public seven days a week.
The lighthouse tower is open for climbing. The museum displays the original 1867 Barbier et Fenestre first order fixed lenses (installed in 1887) and the 1860 "Henry Lepot" first order rotating Fresnel lenses used at the light station at Cape Canaveral. A third-order rotating Fresnel lens from Barbier, Benard, et Turenne from 1904 has been restored to service in the tower, which is today used as a personal navigation aid and maintained by museum staff. It's south of Daytona Beach.