Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse

The lighthouse was lit in 1860, went dark during the Civil War when Confederate sympathisers took the lamp, and has shone every night since 1866. It is 108 feet of brick painted red on a hill of shell at the mouth of the Loxahatchee, and the climb is 105 steps up an iron spiral to a gallery with the inlet, the ocean and the river laid out beneath it. The keeper’s workshop, the oil house and the pioneer home at the bottom make up the museum, which tells the story of the Seminole wars, the keepers’ families and the town that grew around the light.

Tours leave on the hour and take about forty-five minutes; the climb is the last part and is optional. Children must be at least 48 inches tall to go up, and everyone needs closed shoes. The grounds are part of a Bureau of Land Management natural area with trails through the scrub along the river that are free to walk.

Sunset tours run a few evenings a month in winter and sell out; the view from the gallery as the light comes on is the best thing on the south coast.

Good to know

• Tours leave on the hour; the last one is at 3 pm.
• Closed shoes and a child of 48 inches for the climb.
• Closed on Mondays outside the winter season; check before you drive.
• The river trails on the grounds are free and shaded.
• Sunset tours in winter sell out; book early.