MUSEUM & CULTURE
Pensacola Lighthouse & Maritime Museum
Escambia County · Panhandle & Emerald Coast
A 150-foot tower of 1859 on a bluff inside the naval air station, 177 steps up to the lantern, with the keepers' quarters as a museum.
ABOUT THIS PLACE
Pensacola got its first light in 1823, a lightship called the Aurora Borealis, then a 40-foot tower in 1825. Neither worked well: the lightship had to anchor inside the bay because of rough water, and trees blocked the tower's light. The present lighthouse was built in 1858 and first lit on January 1, 1859. It stands 150 feet tall on a 40-foot bluff, putting the light 190 feet above the sea. Confederate forces took the lens out, and an artillery duel in November 1861 damaged the tower. A first-order Fresnel lens went in during 1869 and is still there, throwing light 27 nautical miles. The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 15, 1974. The 1869 keepers' quarters beside it now holds the museum and shop, run by the Pensacola Lighthouse Association. The climb is 177 steps. It opens daily from 9 to 4 with the last ticket at 3:40, and climbers have to be at least 44 inches tall or seven years old. The tower stands on Naval Air Station Pensacola at 2081 Radford Boulevard, so a REAL ID or passport is needed at the West Gate. Sunset climbs and after-dark ghost hunts run separately, with a shuttle for civilian guests
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