VISIT FLORIDA Official Media Newsroom

The Best, the Brightest and the Restored

NEWS RELEASE TOPIC:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 21, 2009

Florida has some of the most impressive and unique lighthouses in the world. You haven’t fully experienced Florida until you’ve visited a lighthouse. The Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse, near Daytona Beach, is Florida’s tallest. Visitors who climb the 175-foot-tall lighthouse tower are treated to a magnificent view of the Atlantic coastline.

The beautiful Cape St. George Lighthouse on St. George Island represents the dedication and hard work of the people who love it the most. In 2005, after more than a hundred years of being battered by storms and falling under the receding shoreline, the lighthouse fell into the Gulf of Mexico. Volunteers, eager to bring back their beloved lighthouse, cleaned thousands of original fragments to be used in rebuilding. Now, the restored lighthouse is finished and better than ever.

Get a view of “America’s Oldest City” atop the 165-foot St. Augustine Lighthouse. After climbing down from the memorable spiral-banded lighthouse, be sure to visit the museum and the restored keeper’s house, which has rumors of being haunted.

At Cape Florida State Park, The Civil War-era lighthouse on this tropical island also features a museum in the form of the keeper's dwelling. A detached kitchen and privy act as a mini-theatre where visitors can learn the history behind the lighthouse. A climb to the top is rewarded with a lush panorama of the island and a magnificent view of the ocean.

For more information on Florida’s lighthouses, visit www.VISITFLORIDA.com.

VISIT FLORIDA is the official tourism marketing corporation for the state of Florida. VISIT FLORIDA promotes tourism to Florida through sales, advertising, promotions, public relations, new product development and visitor services programs. As a public/private partnership VISIT FLORIDA has more than 3,400 tourism industry Partners and four major strategic alliances with American Express Travel Related services, AirTran Airways, Dollar Rent A Car and The Hertz Corporation. To learn more about VISIT FLORIDA, visit www.VISITFLORIDA.org.