Charming St. Augustine, Florida is just 20 minutes from my home base in Florida and offers a wide variety of photographic opportunities including the historic St. Augustine Lighthouse. Of course this lighthouse was included in my blog: Tips of Photographing St. Augustine but it is such an amazing place that I have decided it needs its own post.

In this dedicated: “St. Augustine Lighthouse: Capturing the Light” post, I not only provide an overview of the lighthouse but also include suggestions for how to photograph the lighthouse without all the crowds. The post also includes recommendations for the best times to visit, where to stand when photographing the lighthouse, and a list of things to bring.

With all the tips in this post, even first time visitors should be able to create good keepsake photographs of the beautiful lighthouse.

Where is St. Augustine Lighthouse

Address: 100 Red Cox Dr. St. Augustine, Fl. 32080

Directions:

  • From downtown St. Augustine: Drive east over the Bridge of Lions and continue until you pass the St. Augustine Alligator Farm on your right. Turn left at the next road which is Red Cox Drive and continue for a short distance and the lighthouse will be on your left. The turn is not well marked so be sure to stay in the left lane and keep an eye out.
  • From St. Augustine Beach: Drive west on Florida AIA for about 3.5 miles to Red Cox Drive. Turn right and proceed as noted above.

St. Augustine Lighthouse Brief Overview

The St. Augustine Lighthouse is the second tallest lighthouse in Florida standing 165 feet tall with 219 steps. Its light is visible from 20 miles away and the lighthouse tower can be seen from the salt marshes of Vilano Beach to Anastasia State Park.

Today, the tower and all surrounding buildings are owned and managed by the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum Association. For those interesting in learning more please visit: St. Augustine Lighthouse.

St. Augustine Lighthouse And Museum – What You Need to Know

Hours and Days

  • Days: Open Daily except for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
  • Unscheduled Closures: The lighthouse may close occasionally for inclement weather.
  • Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Last ticket sold at 5:30 p.m. Closes at 3 p.m on Christmas Eve.

Fees:

  • Adults: $14.95
  • Seniors (62+): $12.95
  • Children (12-18): $12.95
  • Children (under 12) Not allowed on lighthouse stairs so there is no charge to enter just the lighthouse grounds. Regardless of age, children must be a minimum of 44 inches tall to climb the stairs.
  • To purchase tickets for the lighthouse, you can either purchase on site at the gift shop or skip the lines and purchase on line at:: Lighthouse tickets


Tickets may be purchased in the gift shop the day of but it is best to purchase online to avoid delays.

Parking

  • Free parking for 50 spaces is available directly in front of the lighthouse although the parking lot is a bit small and tight in areas. Actually I don’t recommend parking here in any vehicle longer than 20 feet or in any hightop van.
  • There is a parking lot directly across the street marked for trailer parking only on weekends. Weekdays you are free to park in the lot. Be aware that the lot does have quite a number of ruts but is doable in all vehicles.
  • There is also some roadside parkway available but it does fill up quickly on weekends and peak season.
  • The St. Augustine Trolley does not go to the Lighthouse, however, you can catch a ride on the Beach Trolley Bus and also receive a discount on your ticket. Insider Tip: This bus makes a lot of stops and lines to get on the bus can be long. I recommend only using this bus if you can’t park on site.
  • I highly recommend visiting during weekdays and arriving early or late in the day to avoid the crowds and the limited parking.

Lighthouse Parking Lot With Parking On Both Sides

What You Can Bring

Small cameras and cell phones.

Prohibited Items

  • Cameras/Tripods– Only small cameras and cell phones are allowed in the tower and also on the grounds and photos are subject to personal use. Commercial use requires a signed media agreement. To see the full policy, please read: Camera Use
  • Pets are allowed on the lighthouse grounds but not in the tower or in any buildings and must be kept on a leash at all times..
  • Weapons: Weapons of any kind, including firearms and knives, are not permitted inside the lighthouse.
  • Drones- Drones are not prohibited during all open hours and special event times. Arrangement must be made in advance for drones to be flown at other times.

Other St. Augustine Lighthouse Questions

Please contact:904.829.0745. 

St. Augustine Lighthouse And Museum Facilities

  • The LighthouseTower
  • The Maritime Museum
  • The Innkeeper Cottage
  • Shipyard Playground for Children- great for children to young to climb the stairs
  • Gift Shop

Access is to all buildings is included in the admission fee however special fees do pertain to certain events.

Best Times to Visit St. Augustine Lighthouse

Best Seasons

There is not a bad time to visit St. Augustine Lighthouse, just better times.

Early fall, before the peak holiday season kicks off, is a good time to visit the lighthouse. Although temperatures are still hot, the days are usually bearable and the crowds of tourist have yet to arrive.

Tip: peak holiday season usually begins with the Nights of Light Festival that starts around the third Saturday of November.

If crowds do not bother you, the holiday season is a great time to visit the lighthouse. During that time, the Lighthouse Illuminations event is underway where trees and grounds are lit and decorated for the holiday season. See the first picture in this post.

Visiting during late winter to early spring St. Augustine you will encounter see fewer tourists, although it is still a bit crowded. Also the weather is usually mild during that time of year.

Since Florida summers are hot and humid, July and August would not be my top choices for time to visit the St. Augustine Lighthouse.

Times of Day

To photograph the front of the St. Augustine Lighthouse, it is best to visit in the early to mid morning hours. Also in the early mornings there are fewer people on the lighthouse grounds and parking will not be a problem.

In addition to the morning hours, predawn and nighttime are good times to photograph the lighthouse. When standing on the actual lighthouse grounds, afternoons and evenings are not the best time to photograph the lighthouse since its entrance faces east. Also be aware that all photography must be done outside the fenced lighthouse grounds when the lighthouse is closed.

Full moons are also a wonderful time to photograph the St. Augustine Lighthouse, especially when a full moon sets in the predawn hours. I must admit that, although I have seen the photos of the lighthouse with the full moon, I have never successfully captured my perfect image due to morning fog.

When Not to Visit

  • Avoid weekends if possible
  • Avoid midday visits. The lighting will not be good and the lighthouse grounds will be packed with tourists.
  • Do not visit during adverse weather conditions, especially when thunderstorms are in the area.

Photographing the St. Augustine Lighthouse

The St. Augustine Lighthouse is so photogenic from so many locations that it is difficult to narrow down the best places to photograph it. That being said, we have to start somewhere so here are my thoughts on the best ways to photograph the St. Augustine Lighthouse.

Lighthouse Photos from Lighthouse Grounds

As I already mentioned, early mornings hours are a great time with photograph the lighthouse. In fact, I suggest being one of the first to arrive when it opens at 9:00 A.M. Quickly head to the front of the lighthouse and capture the building and tower with compositions similar to this one.

.

Work the front of the lighthouse from both sides as well as the front. If you look at my above photos, you will notice that two photos are quite similar. However, one image was taken from the side while this image was taken directly in front of the lighthouse. Be sure to play around with different compositions of the brick walkway.

After you finish the lighthouse exterior, head inside and take your time climbing the stairs to capture a variety of images of the staircase.

Inside the St. Augustine Lighthouse Tower

There are 219 stairs in the St. Augustine Lighthouse with 8 landings with one landing having a bench in case you need to stop. From each landing, you are able to lean over the railing and photograph both the stairs below and the stairs above so be sure to take time to capture photos of the stairs both looking up and also looking down.

Looking Down

Looking Up

Once you reach the top of the lighthouse, you will step onto a narrow and high catwalk with wonderful 360-degree views of the entire area including downtown St. Augustine and the Atlantic Ocean.

Lighthouse Grounds

The lighthouse grounds themselves are very picturesque as old oak trees frame the entrance and museum.

St. Augustine Lighthouse Other Photo Locations

The St. Augustine Lighthouse can also be photographed from a number of locations throughout the St. Augustine area besides directly on the lighthouse grounds. One of my top places to photograph the lighthouse is across the street by the St. Augustine Yacht Club.

St. Augustine Lighthouse Special Events

The Lighthouse offers a number of special tours including ghost tours, moonrise tours and more. Be sure to visit the Lighthouse ticket page at: Tickets for the latest tour offerings. Also be sure to visit the Lighthouse Facebook Page for all special events.

For photographers, remember that even after hours, tripods will not be allowed. Prepare to photograph in very low light with no tripod to be sure you capture the best sunset images from the tour.

What to Bring to St. Augustine Light and Museum

Hat: Hats with brims of 3-4 inches work great for sun protection without being obstructive in small spaces such as the lighthouse stairs.

Comfortable walking shoes: Although the lighthouse grounds are grassy and easy to walk on, I strongly suggest comfortable non slip shoes for the tower climb.

Bug Spray- Seriously don’t leave home without it.

Camera: Be sure to bring a wide angle lens. If you have a telephoto lens in the range of 17-35mm that will let you capture more images you will take when you are on the lighthouse grounds. When photographing from other locations, you will need to also use longer focal length lens in the range of 70-200mm. Tip: Leave your tripod in the car as it is not allowed in the tower.

Other Great Lighthouses to Photograph

For those of you who love photographing lighthouses, you may also want to read a few of my other lighthouse posts.

Yaquina Head Lighthouse
Photo Guide
Getting to Know
Tybeee Island Lighthouse
6 Oregon Lighthouses
Road Trip

Final Thoughts On Photographing The St. Augustine Lighthouse

I hope this “St. Augustine Lighthouse; Capturing the Light” post has equipped you with enough information to have a great time photographing the St. Augustine Lighthouse. If you have any additional questions or comments to add, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Please check out my Portfolio of select lighthouses at: Bridges and LIghthouses to view select lighthouse photos. To view my entire collection of Lighthouse images, available as fine art prints, gift items, and home decor products, please see: Lighthouses.

Thanks for joining me on another Photo Destination adventure and stay tuned for upcoming posts about Nights of Light.

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