How to Visit Cape Canaveral Lighthouse
The distinctive black and white bands of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse have marked it since 1873. It lit up the Central Florida Atlantic coast long before any astronauts took off for space. Although it is extremely difficult to visit the actual lighthouse, you can get pretty close. Here's how to do it.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Go to the Visitor Center at the Kennedy Space Center complex.
-
2
Check the bus schedule posted at the Visitor Center.
-
-
3
Obtain tickets for the Blue Line. It is the one that goes closest to the lighthouse and will give you the best view.
-
4
Get off the Blue Line and take pictures when it comes to its closest stop to the lighthouse. Extremely few, if any, visitors can get to the Cape Canaveral lighthouse grounds.
-
5
Return to the Visitor Center at the end of your bus ride.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse is the only lighthouse currently operated by the US Air Force.
The lighthouse has been mistaken for a rocket by launch-watching tourists, and it is said that Werner von Braun often watched his early rockets take off from the lighthouse's walkway.
The lighthouse has suffered damage from being only a few thousand feet from the launch pad. It nearly got hit with flying debris from the Delta launch in 1979, and the Fresnel lens has cracked because of launch vibrations.
Since the lighthouse is in a restricted area of the Cape Canaveral grounds, it is exceedingly rare that the Coast Guard will grant anyone access to the actual lighthouse grounds. Your best bet for visiting the lighthouse is on the Blue Line bus tour.
