On Saturday, Ron and I drove down to Gasparilla Island to climb two lighthouses - the Port Boca Grande and Gasparilla Island Lights. In honor of Florida Lighthouse Day, the Barrier Island Parks Society was hosting a special event with both lighthouses open to the public.
Since we weren’t sure how long the drive would take, we left home early and had plenty of time to explore the island before our first lighthouse climb at 11:20. Gasparilla Island is filled with Old Florida history. We stopped to take pictures of the Gasparilla Inn built in 1911, the original train depot (which now houses shops and a restaurant) and Banyan Street, a street lined with hundred-year-old banyan trees. Golf carts seemed to be the most popular mode of transportation around the island. I wished we’d thought about renting one for the day. They looked fun.
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| Gasparilla Inn |
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| banyans on Banyan Street |
Our first reservation was for the Gasparilla Island Lighthouse. The 105-foot steel tower was placed into service in Delaware in 1881. After it was decommissioned, it was brought down to Florida to act as a rear range light for the deep-water Boca Grande Port, with a front range light located offshore. Front and rear range lighthouses worked together to help guide boats into port. When the two lights were aligned, captains could tell they had reached the shipping channel.
On our last trip to Gasparilla Island, the lighthouse was in rough shape, rusted and falling apart. But in 2014, the Barrier Island Parks Society acquired the lighthouse and surrounding property from the Coast Guard and began a $1.7 million project to restore it. The final phase of the restoration, completed in February 2019, was the lighting of the new replica fourth-order Fresnel lens. There were 134 steps to the lighthouse gallery, but the views were worth the effort. Miles of white sand and blue-green water stretched out below. It was beautiful!
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| Gasparilla Island Lighthouse |
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| the lighthouse on our last visit in 2005 |
We had about 20 minutes to soak in the scenery. Once we were back on the ground, we ate lunch at the South Beach Bar and Grille before heading on to the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse at the southern tip of the island. Built in 1890, the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse is the oldest structure on Gasparilla Island. Its square tower sits atop a picturesque one-story cottage that served as the lighthouse keeper’s home. There were only 60 steps to the top of the lighthouse, and my legs appreciated the much shorter climb. :-) Clouds were starting to thicken by then but the views were still lovely. We even spotted two manatees swimming close to shore.
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| Port Boca Grande Lighthouse |
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| lighthouse porch |
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| the assistant lighthouse keeper's cottage |
It was a special day for me, getting to climb two lighthouses and seeing the Gasparilla Island Lighthouse returned to its former glory. Thank you to the Barrier Island Parks Society for preserving these priceless pieces of history!
Travel tips: There is a $6 toll to cross the causeway onto Gasparilla Island, and admission into the state park is $3 per vehicle. The Port Boca Grande lighthouse is open daily from November through May and on Wednesday through Sunday from June through October. It is closed during the month of August and on major holidays. The Gasparilla Island Lighthouse is open for climbing on an occasional basis. Contact the Barrier Island Parks Society for additional information and reservations. https://www.barrierislandparkssociety.org/hours-of-operation/
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