Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse       This month I got a nice surprise and I was able to take a trip to Florida and see the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse. I had a very nice weekend, a free airline ticket, good hotel rate and a full size car. I went into West Palm Beach and stayed on Singer Island, which is just a few miles from Jupiter. I was really excited because the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse is a very good lighthouse to visit. It is the original lighthouse at Jupiter Inlet and it is still in operation today. It has a First order lens, a lot of history, and they have recently finished a renovation of the lighthouse and it is now open for tours. I stayed at the Singer Island Hilton which is about 20 minutes away because I wanted a hotel on the beach. Singer Island is a long narrow island just across a very small intercostal waterway. The water there is green at the shore and dark blue in the distance. Of course the sand is typical of the Atlantic beaches, coarse, brown, and full of small shells. I think one of the reasons I like lighthouses is because they are always next to some beautiful place. When I got to my hotel Friday night it was late so I could not tell what the area around me looked like. The next day it rained hard all day but I managed to find a large outlet mall about an hour away to keep busy. I had to wait until Sunday to visit the Jupiter lighthouse because they are only open Sunday through Wednesday from10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sunday when I got up it was clear and hot, the lighthouse gods had smiled again. It was just 15 or 20 minutes to Jupiter from my hotel and I took highway AIA. AIA runs into Highway 1 and once they join, you just have one more bend to go around and then you can see the lighthouse. To this day I still get excited when I come upon a lighthouse and even in the car alone I heard myself gasp! Photo of shuttle launch from Kennedy Space Center over Jupiter Inlet (taken by James Prichard for the Palm Beach Post) When it was first being built, the work on Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse started and stopped several times, because of the usual problems with Indian and mosquito attacks, and of course, the Civil War. Because of this, when it was finally finished, the red bricks were of all different shades. In 1910, they painted it a red brick color to give it a more uniform look. During the recent renovation, they chose the 1910 era as their restoration point. They began researching to find the right paint color and found the same paint company where the original paint was purchased still in business in Germany. Now the lighthouse looks exactly as it did then and not the Fire Engine Red it had been painted recently. The double wall brick lighthouse is 108 feet tall and sits on a mound that is 48 ft tall. Check out the "More Information" button to read more about the archaeological information from recent excavations at the mound. Because they could use this mound, the lighthouse could be built with less material and still be seen from a great distance away. It is still stable today without the erosion problems some lights have. It has the original First order Fresnel lens and this lighthouse is still an active aid to navigation. It is so rare to find an original, operating light. You will be taken to the lighthouse by one of the volunteers as the station houses several Coast Guard families just down from the light. They ask that you stay with the guide, and that you stay on the path to the light so that their privacy is not invaded. They also have a volunteer at the top of the tower to answer any questions, or give mouth to mouth if you need it. On the way up, you will notice one of the steps has a glass piece inserted in a corner. This is because at one time a piece of equipment fell and went through the metal stair to the bottom. In the lens, there is also one bullseye that has been repaired X marks the spot of the repair on the lens The story of the broken lens has to do with the 1928 hurricane. The assistant keepers left with their families and the head keeper was on his own. The power was knocked out sometime during the storm and the backup generator eventually failed also. The keeper managed to install the old oil lamp unit in spite of having a badly injured hand that had become infected. During the storm his 16-year-old son turned the lens by hand so that the light kept the same pattern for any ships that were out in the storm. During that hurricane, the wind caused the tower to sway ( some say up to 17" ) and one of the lens pieces fell out and broke. It was sent out to be repaired and today you can see where the X brace was put in the pane to help keep it together. Until this renovation was finished, the lighthouse was only open one day a week. I feel really lucky that my visit came when it did. They have done a beautiful job and it is a nice lighthouse. Of course the view from the top is worth the climb. There always is a breeze at the top and you want to just stay there for a while. From there you can see the ocean, the inlets, the coast guard houses and lots of water activity. Next to the lighthouse is the oil house. It is air-conditioned inside and they have a few historical items on display. I recommend you save it for after the climb so you can cool off. In front of the lighthouse, they have built a small arbor for people who want to get married there. They have also had people marry at the top of the lighthouse. There is also a large Banyan tree where the keeper house used to be. They won't allow children less than 4 ft to climb the tower, and they ask that you wear closed back shoes or sandals with straps. The price of the tour is $5.00. They don't have public restrooms at the site but they did share their restroom in the gift shop. They have a soda machine at the gift shop that also had water among the selections. The gift shop carries a lot of Jupiter Lighthouse gifts. I ended up with a patch, a shot glass, a thimble, a screen saver disk of the renovation, a pin and of course a few postcards. I also bought a lighthouse necklace for my granddaughter and a Jupiter flashlight for my grandson. If you have several days to spend here, there are a couple of other lighthouses in driving distance. The Hillsboro Inlet lighthouse is just 45 minutes away. It is not open to visitors but I understand you can get nice pictures from the beach across from it. Cape Kennedy Space Center is about 2.5 hours away. They have bus tours that take you by the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse, but be sure you ask for the right tour as only two go by the lighthouse. They are at 10 and 12, I think. See more information for phone numbers. The tours are $45.00 but you can spend the whole day and visit a lot of different things. Ponce Inlet is about 3.5 hours away and it is a very good lighthouse to visit and is one of the most complete light stations that exist today. It has almost all of the original out buildings and keepers dwellings. It also has the most wonderful gift shop. When I visited there about 10 years ago, I could not buy anything because I could not decide what to buy, or what to leave depending on how you look at it. But then, that is another story.