by | May 15, 2026
Florida Lighthouse Bucket List
Ten lookout legends to mark on your must-visit list
Key West Lighthouse
Location: Key West
Height: 90.5 feet
Current tower was first lit: 1895
Notable event: The Key Lime Pie Drop is part of the annual Key Lime Pie Festival in July and invites competitors to try and drop their pies from the top of the lighthouse without sustaining damage.
Alligator Reef Lighthouse
Location: Four nautical miles off the coast of Islamorada
Height: 136 feet
Current tower was first lit: 1873
Notable event: Swim for Alligator Lighthouse is an 8-mile open-ocean course from Islamorada’s Amara Cay Resort to Alligator Reef Lighthouse and back in November.
Cape Florida Lighthouse
Location: Key Biscayne
Height: 100 feet
Current tower was first lit: 1847
Notable event: The Full Moon Party in March is an after-dark celebration with live music, dancing and fire shows against a coastal backdrop and the lighthouse.
Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse
Location: Jupiter
Height: 108 feet
Current tower was first lit: 1860
Notable event: The Wild & Scenic Film Festival in April is a weekend of outdoor screenings pairing environmental shorts with local food trucks and conservation groups.
Egmont Key Lighthouse
Location: On an island at the mouth of Tampa Bay
Height: 87 feet
Current tower was first lit: 1858
Notable event: Around Egmont Key Classic in February is a sailing race in which skippers loop around Egmont Key State Park on either a 65-nautical-mile long course or a shorter 35-nautical-mile course.
Ponce Inlet Lighthouse
Location: Ponce Inlet
Height: 176.5 feet
Current tower was first lit: 1887
Notable event: On Independence Day, the lighthouse hosts an all-day, family-friendly event with food trucks, entertainment and historic reenactors.
St. Augustine Lighthouse
Location: St. Augustine
Height: 165 feet
Current tower was first lit: 1874
Notable event: Luminary Night in December features more than 2,000 luminaries covering the lighthouse grounds, along with live music, craft stations and seasonal decor.
Amelia Island Lighthouse
Location: Fernandina Beach
Height: 67 feet
Current tower was first lit: 1839
Notable event: Lighthouse Loop in October is a 5K foot race with a course that runs along the lighthouse grounds and through the streets of historic Fernandina Beach.
St. Marks Lighthouse
Location: St. Marks
Height: 88 feet
Current tower was first lit: 1842
Notable event: Monarch Butterfly festival in October celebrates the southern migration of monarch butterflies, with thousands gathering to cross the Gulf.
Pensacola Lighthouse
Location: Within Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola
Height: 190.75 feet
Current tower was first lit: 1859
Notable event: The Blue Angels Homecoming Airshow in November fills the skies near the lighthouse as spectators cheer from the Angels’ hometown shoreline.
To discover the winding history of Florida’s most storied lighthouses, click here.
Illustrations generated using Adobe Firefly.
About the Author
Nila is an award-winning journalist and editor whose work has appeared in Condé Nast Traveler, Garden & Gun and The New York Times, to name a few. Simon has written for Flamingo since 2017, with profiles on tennis star Sloane Stephens, the unique South Florida community of Stiltsville and the state’s best wellness resorts.
