Jan-Michael T.
Yelp
**INITIAL REVIEW**
The Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse and Museum (which i will abbreviate to PLI Lighthouse for the remainder of this review) has been on my "to visit" list for some time after becoming a member of the United States Lighthouse Society (USLHS). Eventually, I was able to plan and partake on this little weekend adventure, and my friend Paula tagged along for the fun.
Given the fact I am a member of the USLHS, this visit was definitely worth my while. But what about everyone else? For the price of $6 and what you can do and observe within the museum, I would say this is definitely worth it. I will even say with the added $5 to tour the Historic Pacetti Hotel Museum which is literally right across the street, it is even worth more because the history and lore is just amazing.
Though an address is given, I will simply say that Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse and Museum is at the dead end of... well... Ponce de Leon Inlet. Take note to get there, you'll need to drive to Port Orange, head eastwardly towards Wilbur-by-the-Sea, then head south to the inlet. And to leave, you have to go back the way you came. Take that into account during your trip.
PLI Lighthouse consists of the main entrance and gift shop, numerous buildings and houses around the lighthouse, and the lighthouse itself. The gift shop has plenty of goods and wares to check out and enjoy pertaining to the lighthouse, its history, and area. The other houses around feature history of the locale including how the lighthouse operated through its time.
Then there is the lighthouse itself. The staff and notes on the official website require patrons wanting to walk the lighthouse to wear shoes and be fit for the walk. Take note the scale up the lighthouse is 175 feet, 203 steps upward. But once you get to the gallery level, directly below the lantern room, you get fantastic views of the area around Ponce de Leon Inlet, excellent for photos and videos.
Across the street is the Pancetti Hotel Museum in which Paula and I took a tour of the hotel and its history. We learned so much about how important the hotel was in the time including during NASCAR races and in MLB.
Without spoiling much, as I would love you all to at least check out the PLI Lighthouse and surrounding museums at least once, there is much to learn and much to do which can be done in a single day. As for ADA accessibility, the museum can only do so much without destroying history. For example, it would be detrimental to the integrity of the structure of the lighthouse and museum to install a wheelchair lift. That's just the reality of things. Ergo, they don't have one. But the museum tries to accomodate them with displays on ground level, like the lantern room displays, for ecample.
Given this visit is considered a one-and-done, and all else taken into account, I will give the PLI Lighthouse and Museum (along with the Pancetti Hotel Museum) a five out of five stars.
By all means, it is not perfect, but everything they do and have and the fact in can be done in one visit if given the time, Yelp Elite's kiss! The only way I see driving down to Ponce de Leon Inlet, in general, to be a more-than-once visit for the tourist and explorer is because of the Marine Science Center, Ponce de Leon Inlet Beach, and Lighthouse Point Park.
P.S. - The restrooms were cleaned and stocked and there is one letterbox on premesis. No geocaches though..