This adventure was inspired by our friend Elisabeth!. She has written about visits to lighthouses near her home in Nova Scotia. I started thinking… “I live on the coast- I wonder if there are any lighthouses near me?”
A quick google search revealed that there is a notable lighthouse in Jupiter, Florida, which is about an hour away from me. In case you’re wondering where the heck Jupiter, Florida is, here you go:
Last week my daughter had an all-day rehearsal in Jupiter, and rather than drive there and back twice, I opted to spend the day in Jupiter- I knew exactly what I wanted to do!
The Jupiter lighthouse is located at the juxtaposition of the Atlantic Ocean, Indian River, and Loxahatchee River. For $12, you can climb to the top of the lighthouse and visit the lighthouse museum.
First, the climb to the top- they warned that it’s 105 steps. No problemo! I’ve been working out. What I didn’t anticipate was climbing that narrow spiral staircase was kind of… scary. I never thought I was scared of heights before, but there was something about it that made me anxious- maybe that the steps were a metal grid, so if you looked down (eep) you could see all the way to the bottom… anyway, I made it to the top and was rewarded with this view:
I was definitely glad I went up, but the climb down was even more scary. I made it though, and made my way to the lighthouse museum. This was a small exhibit on the history of the lighthouse, which I loved. It was built in the 1860s, and one of the displays showed a timeline of the history of the lighthouse along with what was going on in the U.S. at the time. I like this little tidbit:
It was fascinating, reading about the lives of the lighthouse keepers and their families. This was a rugged and isolated area in the late 1800s, and their lives were hard. Every once in a while there was a shipwreck, and it was their job to rescue what they could of the crew and cargo.
In addition to the museum, the “Tindall Pioneer Homestead.” is located on this property. Built in 1892, it’s one of the oldest houses in Palm Beach County, and it was relocated to this area so that visitors to the lighthouse can tour the house on the same visit.
The Tindalls raised TEN KIDS in this tiny house! I loved hearing stories of their life. They cooked their meals over an open fire. The “noon meal” was the cooked meal- dinner- and anything left over was eaten for supper. There was no refrigeration, of course, so they only cooked what they could eat each day.
There was also information about the Native Americans of this area:
I loved reading about it, but I can’t imagine living in South Florida without air conditioning! These people were tough.
Near the lighthouse is a protected natural area:
I followed the path to a little beach.
I sat here for a while watching the boats go past. It was so peaceful! Visiting this area was so out of my normal routine, it was just what I needed to jolt me out of my post-holiday funk.
A few days later, my husband was working up in Jupiter and sent me this photo of the lighthouse at night:
Now I want to visit more lighthouses in Florida. Some of them are too far away, and some are accessible only by boat (ooooh…). Future adventures await!
Have you ever visited a lighthouse? Would you climb to the top? Are there any lighthouses near you?
30 Responses
Oh, this is a very cool project! What lighthouse will be next?
We live half a mile from a lighthouse and I pass it EVERY day on my runs. I haven’t been up there once!! Time to change that – thanks for the inspiration, Jenny!
I remember we once visited Thomas Edison’s winter home in Ft Myers. It was from the early 1900’s and, compared to today, surprisingly small. Also, no AC of course. I guess we are a lot more spoilt compared to our great-great-grandparents!
Yes, we are very spoiled! I go crazy if I have to live a day without AC, and these people didn’t have it at all. And yes, their houses were tiny. I’ve been to that Edison house, years ago.
Jenny, that is so cool. I love stuff like this! I really enjoy thinking about the people who lived and worked in historical places. Like, life was so hard – ten kids in a tiny house, etc. – and I think that their life could be made into a historical fiction novel. Well, everyone’s life could be made into a novel, really. But how interesting to work in a lighthouse! I would also 100% climb to the top.
Yes, a historical fiction novel about a lighthouse keeper (and his family) would be fascinating!
Jenny, Jenny, Jenny. How do I even come up with the words to express HOW THRILLED I AM YOU WENT TO A LIGHTHOUSE!!! And a beautiful one at that. I’m adding this to my bucket list of lighthouses.
My heart is just so happy right now – I’m grinning ear-to-ear in Nova Scotia.
While I’ve visited many lighthouses (50? 60?), very few where I live are open to climb up, so that is extra special and I’m so glad you took that extra step. AND YES, windy stairs freak me out. I always, always think I’m going to fall. Also, I never think of myself as claustrophobic, but they tend to be so narrow that I do start feeling a bit panicky. Wherever I do stairs like that it’s always worth the view, but takes some effort to not freak out! And agreed that coming down is worse; I always feel like I’ll lose my footing and just tumble arse over teakettle the whole way to the bottom.
You’ve visited 50 or 60 lighthouses??? Wow. And yes- I think this is the only one in my area where you can climb to the top. Thanks for the inspiration!
Lighthouses are so fascinating! I’m glad you decided to visit one. Those stairs certainly can be scary. I’m also afraid of heights but have decided to try to work on it. We have plenty of lighthouses here but not so many are open to the public, at least in my area. One of the accordion players in our music session is a retired lighthouse keeper!
On one of the peninsulas around here, there is a very interesting museum, an old signal station, where the first wireless oversea communication system (Marconi, named after its inventor) was developed and tested. The museum talks about the rough life of oversea travel in the past, about Marconi, the Fastnet (the nearby lighthouse) but also about the life of the lighthouse worker. It’s one of the most interesting places and I’d love to go back. There’s also some fantastic views out there if the weather is right. It’s called Mizen Head but most times I’ve been there the weather has made it more like the “missing” head, lol!
Wow, that does sound interesting, and I’m REALLY intrigued by the fact that you actually know a former lighthouse keeper!!!
So neat that you got to climb it, though I would have been claustrophobic too. Many years ago I climbed to the top of St Peter’s dome at the Vatican and I kept hunching away from the walls, because the angle of the dome made it feel like the outer wall was coming at me!
My nearest lighthouse, based on that map, would be Sanibel, but I’m not sure how well it’s doing after hurricane Ian. Let’s say I’m not going to plan a trip there for now. I didn’t visit the lighthouse when I was in Key West, but I loved the story they told us at Hemingway House, that he used to use the light to get home after he’d had a night out, because it was past his house from the direction of the bars. Head for the lighthouse, and you’ll find home!
How fun that the sign says Outstanding Natural Area. Way to pat yourselves on the back, BLM! I’m sure it IS outstanding.
Ha, that’s a funny story about Hemingway. I’ve been to Key West, but not to the lighthouse. And yes, I wonder how the Sanibel lighthouse survived the storm. I would think it’s pretty sturdy? Might be worth looking into.
I have an addiction to lighthouses so I do visit them wherever I go. I’ve been to that one, one in Ft Lauderdale, St Augustine, etc. Some in Maine too.
I climbed to the top of Jupiter right after I finished a half. LOL
I thought you might have been here! I’ll bet the St. Augustine one is amazing, and I want to go to the lighthouse in Ft. Lauderdale- that’s not too far from me.
I went to it by boat.
I have definitely been to my fair share of lighthouses. Living on the Great Lakes, we have A LOT. I’ve been most of the Michigan lighthouses. I’ve also been to a couple of lighthouses in the Carolinas. I never really mind the climb, but looking out over the top gives me so much anxiety. It’s beautiful to see the views, of course, but it’s SO FAR UP! Can you even imagine being a lighthouse keeper and living in one of those things? Such a tiny space with such big responsibilities.
I know. I’m pretty sure in the old days the lighthouse keeper had to climb to the top every day to light it. I’m not sure if I’ve ever visited a lighthouse before- I never really thought about it until Elisabeth talked about them.
Back when I had to climb fuel tanks (the big, round, white ones) I needed to look forward and one the way down, I would look at my feet. But also, I think the narrower spiral stairs doesn’t help.
Whoops, “look forward on the way up and on the way down, look at my feet.”
Ack! You’re giving me anxiety just imagining it. And… you used to climb fuel tanks? I’m intrigued.
Yeah, I don’t like thinking about it either and liked doing it even less! I needed to inspect the condition. Fortunately, different type of auditors do that work at my company now.
HOW FUN! You made me look up lighthouses near me and there are more than a few! I need to go for a little trip like you did.
I’ve been to a few lighthouses – I know I went to the one in St. Augustine, which was super cool!
Yes there are several on your coast. The one in St. Augustine looks amazing, but it’s so far from me.
I love this! Lighthouses are what kicked off my local tourism quest. I heard that there were lighthouses on Lake Erie which seemed crazy to me, and I finally got out and started going to them. Previously I had been to the Hatteras Lighthouse in North Carolina, which is huge. Lake Erie’s lighthouses are tiny in comparison. I’ve experienced exactly what you say that the smaller the lighthouse, the narrower and scarier the stairs are.
Really, lighthouses on Lake Erie? I guess that makes sense!
Well I definitely don’t live near any lighthouses being in the desert haha and I’ve only visited the Pacific Ocean (and technically the Gulf of Mexico in Galveston) where lighthouses don’t seem to be as common as along the Atlantic so I’ve never been to a lighthouse! The history of the lighthouse you visited and the families that lived near there is fascinating though.
As for the no air conditioning, I always think the same thing about the Native Americans who lived in my area as well! I barely survived one day last summer when I lost power! Apparently my dad had a relative who lived in the Phoenix area in the 70s and he visited her as a kid and she didn’t have A/C since it was wasn’t super common then, and I can’t even imagine that even 50 years ago people were living in hot places with no A/C.
Yes, AZ would also be miserable with no AC! I wonder if it was cooler then? Or the areas were less built up and that made a difference? It just couldn’t have been comfortable.
I have been to the Jupiter lighthouse! Isn’t Jimmy Buffet from there, or he had a bar there or something? That is actually what I remember about Jupiter more than the lighthouse! I think I also went to a nature reserve somewhere near there that had pumas and stuff. Now that you have gone there, I think there is another one in Saint Augustine that is very cool (and striped!). I know that is a bit far, but you never know, maybe after your race!! 🙂 You could make that your new mission — FL lighthouses! https://www.floridalighthouses.org/
Yes, St. Augustine is far, and it would still be far to go to after my race! It’s really far north. And, I’m wondering if the “Jimmy Buffet lighthouse” is possibly in Key West? I know there’s a lighthouse there.
What a cool spot to visit! That path to the beach looks amazing. I could have spent a long time sitting on that beach, watching the water and the boats go by. It looks so peaceful and beautiful!
I’m land locked so there are no lighthouses around me but I’ve been to some on the north shore of Lake Michigan. I tried to see a lighthouse this week in CA. One of my colleagues said you could run to a lighthouse but I got lost and gave up!
For some reason, one doesn’t think of lighthouses in Florida (or at least, I am not LOL) but this one is so cool… a red lighthouse surrounded by palm trees. I am glad you took advantage of being in Jupiter with your daughter to go on this little adventure 🙂
Oh, lighthouses! How fun. There are some on the Wisconsin side of Lake Michigan, but I have not been! I’ve been to many on the East coast, though. I will have to remedy my limited exposure to midwestern lighthouses, for sure. And I totally agree on the stairs and the winding and – even worse – the grates. That makes it really dizzying and disconcerting. I’m glad you got up and down safely!