Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Slovenia mushroom foraging
Slovenia • 6 days, 5 nights
Forest to Table in Alpine Slovenia
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è pasta... E pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è pasta... E pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Tripe is fried to a crisp.
L’Osteria della Trippa
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
You don’t need to go to Turkey to see hundreds of hot air balloons rising.
Dear Atlas: Where Can I Find the Most Unusual Festivals in the U.S.?
about 7 hours ago
Located in Indianola, Mississippi, Club Ebony hosted performances by blues legends like B.B. King.
How Club Ebony Helped Keep the Blues Alive in the Jim Crow South
about 7 hours ago
Spot Gentoos and other species of penguins waddling, swimming, and diving from icebergs.
Adventure at Sea: An Explorer’s Guide to Antarctica
about 16 hours ago
Our journey begins in Texas—more specifically in Big Bend National Park.
The Atlas Obscura (Audio) Guide to the National Parks
1 day ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Florida Pensacola Pensacola Lighthouse
AO Edited

Pensacola Lighthouse

A striking lighthouse with views of the Gulf of Mexico and of a military air show.

Pensacola, Florida

Added By
Blythe Roberson
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The Pensacola Lighthouse on Naval Air Station Pensacola. “Pensacola Lighthouse”   by Coast Guard News
The Pensacola Lighthouse on Naval Air Station Pensacola. “Pensacola Lighthouse”   by Coast Guard News
By matching up these two range markers, ships can make sure they are navigating correctly.   Courtesy of Visit Pensacola.
The Pensacola Lighthouse, illuminated at night.   Courtesy of Visit Pensacola.
The top ⅔ of the lighthouse is painted solid black; this “daymark” helps ships navigate during the day. “Pensacola lighthouse”   by Photo Bungler
The Pensacola Lighthouse recommends pacing yourself as you climb all 177 steps to the top. “Pensacola lighthouse spiral staircase”   by tonya cook
Inside the lighthouse lens.   Courtesy of Visit Pensacola
The lens of the Pensacola Lighthouse’s eponymous light.”Pensacola lighthouse lens at top”   by tonya cook
The lighthouse provides a close-up look at the Blue Angels flight show.   Courtesy of Visit Pensacola.
The beach at the Pensacola Lighthouse. The beach at the Pensacola Lighthouse.   Courtesy of Visit Pensacola
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Climbing the 177 steps to the top of the Pensacola Lighthouse brings you to a vantage point 191 feet above sea level. From there, you can see the sparkling Gulf of Mexico and three historic forts: Fort Barrancas, Fort McRee, and Fort Pickens. As you stand at the top of the lighthouse, smelling the salt water and feeling the cool breeze, views stretch out for miles in every direction. But one of the next views is much closer than that: the Pensacola Lighthouse and Maritime Museum, located on Naval Air Station Pensacola, offers a front-row look at the air shows put on by the Navy’s Blue Angel flight squadron.

The lighthouse has a long history. A previous lighthouse just nearby was first illuminated (with whale oil lamps!) in 1824, more than 20 years before Florida even became a state. Before that lighthouse was erected, sailors were guided not by a lighthouse but by a lightship, the Aurora Borealis, which was positioned in the calm waters of Pensacola Bay. The lighthouse that now stands was built in the 1850s and first illuminated on New Year’s Day, 1859. Almost immediately, Pensacola became a hotly contested city in the Civil War. Union cannons struck the lighthouse in December 1861, but no major damage was sustained.

The Pensacola Lighthouse was struck by lightning in 1874, melting metal fixtures throughout the lighthouse. Improbably, it was struck by lightning again just one year later. In 1885, a group of wild ducks flew through the lens room, damaging the lighthouse’s lantern. In 1886, a three- or four-minute-long earthquake shook the tower. To compound all of this, the lighthouse went through 11 different lighthouse keepers between 1863 and 1886, nine of whom were fired for neglect or for being drunk on the job. The sheer number of unhappy keepers who have passed through is perhaps why the Pensacola Lighthouse is said to be one of the most haunted lighthouses in the country.

Despite all the drama, the lighthouse survived into the 20th century, when it became fully automated by the Coast Guard. As the building deteriorated in the 1960s, there were discussions about tearing the whole thing down, sparking a preservation movement that contributed to the establishment of the Gulf Islands National Seashore.

Today, the striking black and white lighthouse is visible from miles away. The attached Keeper’s Quarters, built in 1869, has been converted into a maritime museum, and an old carriage house is now a visitor center and gift shop selling t-shirts, taffy, and all manner of lighthouse-themed home decor.

While most visitors come for the views from the lighthouse, the grounds also reward exploration. Passionflower vines garland a white picket fence, and Southern live oaks grow wild. A curious red and white structure in front of the Keeper’s Quarters is another navigational aid called a range marker, which, when visually matched up with another marker, helps mariners navigate the channel.

Related Tags

Airplanes Nature Animals Ocean Auroras Beaches Lighthouses

Know Before You Go

Because the Pensacola Lighthouse is aboard the Naval Air Station, a government-issued ID is required for entry. International visitors must be accompanied by a U.S. citizen. Make sure to enter through the West Gate of the Naval Air Station, the only gate open to civilians. 

The lighthouse is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, and costs $9.50 for adults or $6.50 for children, seniors, and military members.

To climb the tower, you must wear shoes with a closed back. Backpacks and large purses are not permitted

Community Contributors

Added By

blytheroberson

Edited By

traceywilson

  • traceywilson

Published

February 22, 2024

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.pensacolalighthouse.org/
  • https://www.instagram.com/pcolalighthouse/
Pensacola Lighthouse
2081 Radford Blvd
Pensacola, Florida, 32508
United States
30.346185, -87.307728
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Fort Barrancas

Pensacola, Florida

miles away

Fort Pickens

Pensacola Beach, Florida

miles away

Wreck of the USS Massachusetts

Pensacola, Florida

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Pensacola

Pensacola

Florida

Places 13

Nearby Places

Fort Barrancas

Pensacola, Florida

miles away

Fort Pickens

Pensacola Beach, Florida

miles away

Wreck of the USS Massachusetts

Pensacola, Florida

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Pensacola

Pensacola

Florida

Places 13

Related Places

  • Looking down the beach at the Arecibo Lighthouse

    Arecibo, Puerto Rico

    Playa La Poza del Obispo

    This beach pool offers a spectacle of crashing waves, blue hues, and a historical lighthouse.

  • Fish and reefs in La Parguera

    Lajas, Puerto Rico

    La Parguera

    This beachside town is home to a diverse nature reserve, multiple cays, and one of the three bioluminescent bays in Puerto Rico.

  • Rock formations of Hamelin Bay.

    Hamelin Bay, Australia

    Hamelin Bay Beach

    Incredible rock formations jut from the southern end of this spectacular stingray-viewing spot.

  • One of many penguin colonies on Bertha’s Beach.

    Falkland Islands

    Bertha's Beach

    This remote stretch of sand is a penguin lover's paradise.

  • Mesetas, Colombia

    Cañon del Guejar (Güejar River Canyon)

    River raft through rural Colombia’s ancient rock formations, pristine landscapes, and towering waterfalls.

  • Cape Kumukahi Lighthouse in 2010.

    Hawaiian Beaches, Hawaii

    Cape Kumukahi

    The easternmost point of Hawai'i plays a prominent role in local legends and is home to a lighthouse that survived a lava flow.

  • The Souvenir, now the Graveyard of Lost Species

    Southend-on-Sea, England

    Graveyard of Lost Species

    A boat slowly sinking into the Essex mud flats bearing the names of the disappeared that haunt the Thames Estuary.

  • Beach at Basin Head

    Souris, Prince Edward Island

    Singing Sands Beach

    A walk along this white sand beach creates a symphony.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.