"Key West Lighthouse was a bright idea!"

Key West Lighthouse isn't active anymore, but in its day it was fully operational and a navigational beacon for ships trying to avoid dangerous reefs in the area.

The lighthouse was deactivated in 1969 but has been open to the public since 1989. You can climb (or at least attempt) the 88 spiraling iron steps to the top.

If you make it to the observation deck, your reward will be a spectacular view of the city and the surrounding seas. You also will have a chance to see the large Fresnel lens that was shipped from France.

Either before or after your climb you can tour the clapboard bungalow that was built in 1886. It served as the keeper's quarters and housed the keepers and their families. It has been restored with historic furniture, furnishings, lighthouse gear and photographs and has served as a museum since 1990.

This lighthouse tower was built to a height of 46 feet in 1847 and 1848 and is the 15th oldest existing lighthouse in the United States. The height was increased to 86 feet in 1894 so it could be seen above the surrounding trees. If you look at the side of the tower, you can see where the earlier portion ends and the newer portion begins.

A previous lighthouse, located closer to the coast, had been built in 1825. It was destroyed by the hurricane of 1846, which killed all six of the children of keeper Barbara Mabrity.

Barbara Mabrity would serve 6 years as an assistant and 32 years as head keeper. In 1864, at the age of 82, she was fired for making remarks considered to be disloyal to the Union during the Civil War. (Although Florida was a Confederate state, Key West remained in Union hands throughout the conflict.)

Many years later Ernest Hemingway would live across the street from the lighthouse. Legend has it that he would use the light from the lighthouse to help him find his way home after a night of heavy drinking.

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