Thanks to the Daytona Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau for sharing with us these treasures and hosting part of our visit! We enjoyed both locations immensely. All opinions and pictures in this post are 100% mine.
Only 203 steps to the top … that’s what kept going through my mind as we climbed the narrow, winding staircase to the top of the Ponce Inlet lighthouse. As someone who hits the treadmill almost every day, this should be a breeze, right? Wrong! By the time we had ascended and walked back down those 203 steps, my legs were shaking. And they continued to do so for about an hour.
Was it worth it? The answer is a definite yes. The views from the top were amazing and I was proud of myself for the accomplishment. Even those of us in our party afraid of heights agreed it was worth facing their fear.
A short drive from our oceanfront Daytona, FL resort, the Ponce Inlet Light Station & Museum combined with a trip to the nearby Marine Science Center is the perfect respite from the beach. The lighthouse itself is a national historic landmark and was completed in 1887. It was restored in 2004 and what’s especially unique about this museum is that all of the light stations original buildings are also found right where they were when it was a working lighthouse. When you visit the Ponce Inlet lighthouse, you don’t just walk to the top of the lighthouse, you also get to see what life would have been like for the lighthouse keepers and their families. The exhibits are very well done and full of interesting artifacts and pictures portraying life at the light station. The grounds are lovely to explore with additional exhibits such as a Cuban raft exhibit (hard to believe anyone would venture across the sea in those rafts!), an oil storage building, a Lens Exhibit Building, and a garden area.
All in all, there are 14 sites to explore. Not only did we check them all out, but we also spent some time enjoying the front porches of several of the buildings while resting our tired legs thanks to comfortable and well-placed rocking chairs.
Once the kids had their fill of history, we drove just a short distance down the road to the Marine Science Center. This small but extremely interesting center exists primarily to educate the public as well as rehabilitate sea turtles. Throughout the day, the staff puts on a variety of talks sharing their knowledge about the amazing creatures housed here as well as animals one would encounter when visiting Florida. We especially enjoyed watching the stingrays being fed and learning how the center handles injured sea turtles.
The staff is quite passionate about their center and were out and about constantly talking to guests, showing them the various marine life and answering questions. While there, we had the opportunity to touch a stingray, hold a starfish and learn the difference between poisonous and non-poisonous snakes. Pretty cool.
My personal favorite exhibit was the baby octopus. I’ve always been a little weirded out by the octopus, but thanks to this center I’ve completely changed my mind. Their octopus is a young 5-month old female and we learned that the octopus is very intelligent. This one enjoyed playing ball with the staff members. You heard that right – they would float a small plastic ball in her tank and she would reach out and grab a hold of it. She’d then bat it around and send it back for them to push at her again. It was fantastic.
Next time you are in the Daytona or New Smyrna Beach area, please mix up your week by visiting these two fabulous spots. Our vacation was richer for it and everyone enjoyed the change of pace. I know we’ll be back!
Ponce Inlet Lighthouse & Museum, 4931 South Peninsula Drive, Ponce Inlet, FL (386) 761-1821
Ponce Inlet Marine Science Center, 100 Lighthouse Drive, Ponce Inlet, FL (386) 304-5545
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Love the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse!! I’ve not heard of the Marine Science Center. Sounds like we need to visit!!
You should! Both are very close to each other and a fun little area to explore.
I love lighthouses! That sounds like a fun trip!
Coming from Michigan, you can’t go wrong with a lighthouse! 😉 The Marine Science Center sounds like so much fun!!
I do love lighthouses – and since we always get to Michigan in the winter I haven’t visited many of them there – I’ll have to add that to the list.
Love the pics…adding this to the list when I make it to Daytona!
You definitely should – it was an easy 30 – 40-minute drive and we did most of it on A1A so the homes were fun to look at too.
That is the coolest picture. What a great place to go.
Thanks! It was a neat experience.
Omg, that baby octopus is super adorable! I hear they are very intelligent creatures. Love seeing them when we scuba dive.
They always kind of freaked me out – all those legs, but I do have a new appreciation for them now. Especially little ones.
That looks like a lot of fun! Love that lighthouse.
Thanks, it was a fun day.
The baby octopus is so cute! You can learn a lot from centers like these that aren’t overcrowded and you can talk with the staff.
I agree, and the staff was so engaged – I really loved that about the place.
I love this area and the sea life is beautiful! I will have to check it out the next time I am up there.
Definitely – both locations are small but very informative and well done – a perfect way to spend a long morning or afternoon.
Great article! Great pics. Florida always amazes me!
Thanks – I never get tired of visiting Florida.
Oh my goodness! Those stairs look so cool! And the octopus… He could be a pixar character.
The stairs were cool, but man was there a lot of them!
I love lighthouses! This one looks great! My kids would love this!
It was a really well-kept lighthouse, and so cool to see how the lighthouse keepers lived too.
This looks like such a good time!
It was a really nice change of pace from the beach and pool.
awwwww you made an octopus seem cuddly lol
Right? Shocked me too!
That spiral staircase is such a great picture. This just looks like so much fun!
Thanks! It was fun (but tiring!).
Touch tanks are great. It helps to learn when you get to feel what the animals.
I agree – we’ve touched stingrays before but never held a starfish – that was pretty cool.
This looks so cool! I love baby octopus!
It was super cool.
I have a lot of friends that go to Ponce Inlet every year, but for some reason we have never been! Looks like fun!
Now you need to go!
I want to go!!! Take me next time !
I love lighthouses and had the chance to visit the Ponce Inlit Light Station & Museum a few years ago while visiting family. Now, I haven’t been to the Marine Science Center, but it sounds like a fun place to visit. How cute is that – a young octopus playing with a ball!
Tina, the center was small but very well done with several engaging exhibits – it’s a great compliment to the lighthouse.