By Lauren Tjaden
 

Lonely tower on an
Island near the shore,
Give
Hope
To all the
Homesick sailors --
Offer your light; send
Up a signal to guide their
Ships in the night,
Even on this dark, sullen sea. *

Florida’s coastlines boast more three dozen lighthouses, and Joe from El Monte RV Rentals came up with the sweet suggestion to take a tour of them via RV. This is the second of a three-part series on visiting them, focusing on the Atlantic coast.

Ready to roll down the road and snag a glimpse into maritime history that’s anything but boring? Read on!

Florida Lighthouses on Atlantic Coast:

The Amelia Island Light on Amelia Island features a white conical tower with black lantern, and can presently be seen from Lighthouse Circle. St. John’s River Lighthouse is on Naval Station Mayport, and is not open to the public, but can be viewed from adjacent roadways. The Naval Station is also the site of the historic ‘St. John’s Light,’ which can be seen from a nearby park.

St. Augustine’s famous lighthouse has black and white spiral stripes with a red lantern and is open to the public. It also features a museum that preserves the history of America’s oldest port as well as a gift shop.

Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse, near Daytona Beach, is Florida's tallest lighthouse. It’s open to the public and also boasts three keeper's dwellings, a woodshed, an oil storage house and a pump house.

Cape Canaveral Lighthouse is a conical iron tower with black and white horizontal bands and it’s now open to the public via free tours through Patrick AFB Public Affairs, offered the second Wednesday of each month.

Hillsboro Light in Pompano Beach is an iron-skeletal lighthouse in a restricted area and is normally closed to the public. You can view it by boat or from Hillsboro Inlet Park at the A1A drawbridge.

Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, a red-washed brick conical tower with black lantern, was built on a 48 foot Indian mound and stands at 108 feet. It is open to the public.

More tips from Joe:

Florida lighthouse fans should know about two invaluable sources for lighthouse-related information. The Florida Lighthouse Association’s website features photos as well as technical and visitor information. LighthouseFriends.com is a well-researched compilation of lighthouse data from across the country. RV campers will also appreciate the helpful campground information supplied by such sites as RVParkHunter.com.