Cape Florida Light
Cyberlights Lighthouses - Cape Florida Light  

Cape Florida Quick Facts

Year Station Established: 1825

Is the Light operational? Yes

Year Light First Lit: 1846

Year Automated: 1978

Shape: Conical

Tower Height: 95   ft.

Original Optic: 17 Argand Lamps

Present Optic: 300mm

Existing Keepers Quarters? Yes
     Year Constructed: 1970
      Number of Stories: 2
      Architectural Style: Cape Cod
      Construction Materials: Brick



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Cape Florida Lighthouse
Key Biscayne, Florida

Cyberlights Lighthouses - Cape Florida Lighthouse

More Photos
(7 photos, 232KB total download)

Last Visited: February, 2003

History:
The Cape Florida lighthouse is one of the most celebrated landmarks owned by the State of Florida. The historic compound in Bill Baggs State Park and Recreation Area includes the newly restored, 95-foot white-brick tower and a replica of the lighthouse keeper's 1825 cottage, delighting visitors as well as residents of this subtropical island of Key Biscayne. Graceful coconut palms line the walkway toward the ocean and grand historic monument.

A climb to the lantern room affords a vast panorama of the lush island with its long stretch of sandy beaches and the ever-changing tropical seas. Against a background of aquamarine waters, leaping dolphins and giant rays, schools of colorful fishes, occasional sharks, diving pelicans, and other tropical birds may be seen. You will view ships from international ports plying the deep blue of the powerful Gulf Stream, enormous cruise ships on the horizon, and luxury yachts, deep-sea fishing boats, and bobbing sailboats riding the waves.

The tranquility surrounding the entire state park - and especially the historic compound - belies the dramatic and sometimes violent past when hurricanes, fire, and the Seminole Wars swept through the region.

The original lighthouse and cottage, built in 1825, were attacked and burned in 1836 by Seminole warriors protesting U.S. presence in the South Florida wilderness and resisting deportation from Florida to the West. When the lighthouse was rebuilt in 1855-1856, it was extended from 65 feet to its present height, and wooden stairs were replaced with 119 spiraling iron steps to the top.

Today rangers and guides on scheduled tours take visitors through the furnished air-conditioned cottage and the cookhouse (now an air-conditioned video mini-theater) as an introduction to Cape Florida lighthouse history and Key Biscayne.

The lighthouse rises on the southernmost tip of Key Biscayne overlooking the rest of the more than 500-acre Bill Baggs State Park. Visitors may want to picnic, sunbathe, swim, fish, or follow paths through the ecologically restored interior, traveling on foot or bicycle from beachside to bayside on the Key Biscayne Heritage Trail.

Source: key-biscayne.com

Latitude/Longitude: 25.666522,-80.156028

Nearest Address: 1200 Crandon Blvd Key Biscayne, FL 33149

Directions:
  • From Miami, take I-95 south to exit 1, following signs for Key Biscayne and Bill Baggs State Park.
  • At the end of the ramp, go straight through the first set of lights, then take a left at the next set of lights.
  • This road is SW 26th Rd which becomes SR 913, the Rickenbacker Causeway. There is a toll to get onto Key Biscayne via the Causeway, but no toll on the way back.
  • Stay on the Rickenbacker Causeway for about 5.5 miles when the road becomes Crandon Blvd in the town of Key Biscayne.
  • Follow Crandon for another 2.5 miles until you come to the Bill Baggs State Park. Pay the entrance fee to enter the park and follow the signs to the lighthouse.


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