Getting to the top of the Cape Florida Lighthouse in Key Biscayne requires being in good shape to climb 109 steps. You’ll have only one window on the journey, but the view from the top is worth the climb. Take a tour of the structure and learn about its colorful past dating back to the early 1800s.
Located in Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, the lighthouse looks out over the park and Key Biscayne, with Miami in the distance. The watery vista takes in the Atlantic Ocean, ending at a beach near the base of the lighthouse. Relax on this beach, which has been ranked as seventh in a list of the top 10 beaches in America.
The current lighthouse is not the original one built in 1825, but a reconstruction made in 1846 after the area’s indigenous people burned its predecessor in a raid. Visit the accompanying keeper’s cottage, also a duplicate of the original destroyed in the same fire. The original structure gave the lighthouse recognition as being the oldest building in Miami-Dade County, and the initial light keeper and his family members were identified as the first Americans to live in the area.
After Florida seceded from the United States in the 1860s, the 95-foot (29-meter) lighthouse entered a period of neglect for a number of reasons, including hurricanes and insufficient funding. In 1970, with renewed interest in the structure, it was put on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Hike through the 400-acre (160-hectare) state park and approach this dominant landmark, which has become a popular wedding venue and filming location.
Visit the Cape Florida Lighthouse in Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park located in Key Biscayne, south of Miami. The park has an admission fee, with entrance to the lighthouse included. The lighthouse is accessible and open only on certain days during the week find information on Florida’s state park website. Have a meal at one of two establishments in the area offering authentic Cuban cuisine or reserve a grill facility on the beach.
