hillsboro lighthouse museum tours

Visit Hillsboro Lighthouse for boat ride, Florida history & great view

By: Author Bonnie Gross

Posted on Last updated: January 24, 2024

The Hillsboro Lighthouse has the two things I love about Florida lighthouses: a great story and a stunning view.

But it takes some planning to visit this romantic spot, one of the oldest structures in Broward County.

It’s only open for tours a dozens times a year and arrival is only by boat.

Top Florida travel tips for lighthouse lovers.

Admission is $35 per person and while I consider that a lot, it’s worth it if you make a day out of the visit to this special spot, which includes a short, scenic boat ride. (You might as well join the Hillsboro Lighthouse Preservation Society, though, because dues are $35 for individuals and include free tours. Dues are $50 for families of four.)

A few tips for your visit to the Hillsboro Lighthouse

• If you want to climb the Hillsboro Lighthouse (and you should!) then don’t wear flip flops ; they aren’t allowed. Also, children must be 48 inches tall and be accompanied by an adult.
• You can bring a picnic and make a day of it.
• You can also bring beach chairs and a beach towel to make yourself comfortable. (There are chairs on the property and a gazebo.)
• The non-profit sells water but there is no food service.
• If you kayak to the lighthouse on an open day, you still must pay the admission fee . Also, private boats cannot use the dock.

For many years, Hillsboro Lighthouse had been impossible to visit. The  problem is a private club owns the land required to reach the lighthouse.

A few years ago, however, the U.S. Coast Guards approved a schedule where the volunteer preservation society can offer tours several times a year, but only if visitors arrive by boat.

Turns out, this makes this Florida lighthouse tour into a fun (if slightly expensive) day trip.

Tour boats leave from Sands Harbor Marina, so we suggest a stop at the cheerful tiki and pool bar Sands Harbor Bar & Grill , where you can get a sandwich or beverage.

Here are tours for 2024 and there are details if you follow this link:

For more information and reservations call: 954-942-2102.

The boat to Hillsboro Lighthouse takes you about two miles along the Intracoastal Waterway, offering a little sightseeing along the way.

At the lighthouse, there are informative signs, a few interesting brochures with Florida lighthouse history, and friendly volunteers from the Hillsboro Lighthouse Preservation Society, which operates the tours.

Of course, you must climb the 175 steps of the spiral staircase and ooh and aah at the view.  From there, the beaches of Hillsboro and Pompano stretch on like postcards from paradise. You can look into the clear water and see a reef that runs along the lighthouse’s Atlantic beach.

The 100-year-old wooden cottages on the Hillsboro Lighthouse grounds are beautifully preserved, and still in use. Officers in the U.S. Coast Guard can bring their families for R&R here. (Thus those properties are off limits to visitors.)

While you’re there,  you can walk and wade in the beach, clamber on the rocks at the mouth of the inlet (be careful) and generally soak up the various views of the handsome lighthouse.

You don’t get to see the Fresnel lens (pronounced fray-nel, I just learned from the Hillsboro lighthouse site.)  But this is one bright light.

The clam-shell lens, 9 feet in diameter, produces the most powerful light of any remaining lighthouse in the United States — visible for 28 miles to sea.

While visiting Hillsboro Lighthouse, you learn the story of the barefoot mailmen, honored with a memorial statue.

The mailmen walked more  than 40 miles of sandy shore each week to deliver mail between Palm Beach and Miami 1885 to 1892. One mailman died at the Hillsboro Inlet, presumably killed by an alligator. (The barefoot mailmen predate the lighthouse, built in 1906.)

Find details about visiting on the Hillsboro Lighthouse website.  You also can call 954-942-2102.

Here’s some video from our tour, including more views from the top.

Things to do near Pompano Beach and Hillsboro Beach

• Cap’s Place, a historic waterfront restaurant nearby, is actually related to the lighthouse’s history. During Prohibition, lighthouse keeper Thomas Knight’s brother built a restaurant on an island near the inlet. Called “Club Unique,” it served illegal booze brought in by rum-running boats. Club Unique became Cap’s Place and it’s still operating as a restaurant in its historic shack-like buildings.
• Good local kayaking: West Lake Park in Hollywood and Mizell-Johnson State Park in Dania Beach
• Flamingo Gardens  in Davie is a good place to enjoy the plants and animals of South Florida
• Ten favorite South Florida bike trails
• South Florida’s best parks
• Five things to do with kids in Fort Lauderdale

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This page contains affiliate links from which Florida Rambler may earn a small commission if a purchase is made. This revenue supports our mission to produce quality stories about the authentic Florida destinations at no cost to our readers.

The author, Bonnie Gross, travels with her husband David Blasco, discovering off-the-beaten path places to hike, kayak, bike, swim and explore. Florida Rambler was founded in 2010 by Bonnie and fellow journalist Bob Rountree, two long-time Florida residents who have spent decades exploring the Florida outdoors. Their articles have been published in the Sun Sentinel, the Miami Herald, the Orlando Sentinel, The Guardian and Visit Florida.

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Hillsboro Lighthouse

Tours are offered year-round. See website for detailed information on dates and times. Tours leave from Sands Harbor Resort Boat Dock: 125 N Riverside Dr, Pompano Beach, FL 33062. Note that there is a museum across the inlet from the lighthouse (2700 N Ocean Blvd, Pompano Beach, FL 33062). See website for hours and contacts for the museum. Email  [email protected]  or call 954-942-2102

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The establishment of a light at or near Hillsboro Point, Florida, would be of great assistance to all vessels navigating these waters. Steamers bound southward, after making Jupiter Inlet light, hug the reef very closely to avoid the current. The dangerous reef making out from Hillsboro Inlet compels them to give it a wide berth, and to go out into the Gulf Stream. Vessels coming across from the Bahama Banks would be able to verify their position if a light were placed here, a difficult matter in case they fail to make Jupiter Inlet. The establishment of this light would complete the system of lights on the Florida Reefs.

Captain Thede Knight, brother of Keeper Thomas Knight, started a restaurant called Cap's Place near Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse. The restaurant, reached by its own launch, is still in business and would make a fun stop when near the lighthouse.

Hillsboro Lighthouse Museum

Location & Hours

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2700 N Ocean Blvd

Pompano Beach, FL 33062

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There is a tiny museum dedicated to the Hillsboro Lighthouse in Roy L. Rogers Family Park also known as Hillsboro Inlet Park. You have to pay for parking in the lot at the meter. The park offers a beautiful view of the boats in the inlet and a view of the Hillsboro Lighthouse. The Hillsboro Lighthouse Museum is around the corner from the restrooms, blink and you might miss it. The one room museum is run by the Hillsboro Lighthouse Preservation Society which was founded in 1997 to preserve the Hillsboro Lighthouse which is located across the inlet from the museum. The Preservation Society does not get any funding from the US government. All of the money that goes to keeping the lighthouse operating is provided by their fundraising and whatever grants they can get. To raise money they sell lighthouse memberships and they give tours once a month. The land the lighthouse sits on is controlled by the US Coast Guard so you can only visit during the Preservation Society's tours. They also sell lighthouse themed items while giving the tours and in the museum. They host a lighthouse gala once a year and sell tickets to that as well. The small museum at Hillsboro Inlet park is only one room. They sell shirts, lighthouse themed items, postcards, notecards, mugs, plates, and coasters. Displays in the museum focus on information about the Hillsboro Lighthouse and The Barefoot Mailmen who were eleven US postal workers who delivered the mail in South Florida from 1885 to 1893 by walking barefoot on the beach from Palm Beach to Miami. Before the mailman started the route, a letter from Lake Worth to Miami could take anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months to arrive and would be routed through Cuba. The annual salary of a Barefoot Mailman was $600 a year. The trip started on Monday and took three days to get to Miami, Then they would turn around and come back for a round trip of 136 miles. Eighty miles were walking and fifty six miles were by boat. The three day trek down the coast was not without it's danger. You can find statues and markers dedicated to them all down the coast from Lantana to Miami. Barefoot Mailman James "Ed" Hamilton mysteriously vanished in 1897 while crossing the Hillsboro Inlet. The mystery of what happened to Hamilton is fascinating. Was he eaten by an alligator, killed by native people, or did he drown? No one will ever know. The museum is staffed by a Preservation Society volunteer who donates their time. The next lighthouse tour is February 11th on shuttle boats leaving from Sands Harbor Dock. The museum is open seven days a week from 11am until 3pm and on tour days it opens at 10 am. If you love the lighthouse as I do drop in for a visit to the museum or for a lighthouse tour and support the Lighthouse Preservation Society in their mission to keep the lighthouse open and accessible to everyone.

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HILLSBORO LIGHTHOUSE

907 Hillsboro Mile Hillsboro Beach, FL 33062 954-226-3566

By   Mike Miller   Updated January 11, 2022

The Hillsboro Lighthouse guides vessels from the Atlantic Ocean into Hillsboro Inlet near Pompano Beach and Lighthouse Point.

The tower was built in 1906 and is located on the peninsula on the north side of the inlet.  

A museum operated by the Hillsboro Lighthouse Preservation Society is located on the south side of the inlet across from the lighthouse at Hillsboro Inlet Park.

The preservation society was founded in 1997 to preserve the lighthouse and grounds.

A statue of the Barefoot Mailman graces the lighthouse site.  It memorializes the several postal carriers who carried mail on a mail route along the beach from 1885 to 1892.  

The 68 mile route from Palm Beach to the Miami area required the mailmen to row boats for 28 of the miles and walk the rest of the way on the firm sand beach.

One of the mailmen, James E. Hamilton, disappeared while walking the route in 1887 and was presumed to have either drowned or been killed by an alligator or shark while trying to swim across Hillsboro Inlet.

The lighthouse is open periodically for tours, and you are required to take a boat from a nearby dock to visit it.  

The fee for the boat ride and lighthouse visit is $25/person.  You are allowed to climb the lighthouse tower on these tours.  There are 175 steps on the spiral staircase that takes you to the top.

It is advisable to call the museum at 954-942-2102 for information on tour dates and times.

The museum is open Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday from 1100am to 300pm, and is open for tours on Saturday and Sunday from 1000am to 300pm.  

The park is physically located at 2700 N. Ocean Boulevard in Pompano Beach.

Places of interest near the lighthouse include Hillsboro Inlet and the nearby towns and Cap's Place, a historic restaurant in Lighthouse Point.

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The Hillsboro Lighthouse Preservation Society

Was founded in october, 1997 for the purpose of preserving the historic hillsboro light station in its original form for the safety, enjoyment, and education of the public..

Working closely with the U.S. Coast Guard

(uscg) and the coast guard auxiliary, the hlps succeeded in its original goals. see our history page for detailed information on the society's efforts..

Our mission

Today is to promote the history of the hillsboro lighthouse station and the hillsboro inlet area through preservation of structures and artifacts, education and public access tours., welcome to the hlps website.

The Hillsboro Lighthouse Preservation Society was founded in October, 1997 for the purpose of preserving the historic Hillsboro Light Station in its original form for the safety, enjoyment, and education of the public.

Our mission today is to promote the history of the Hillsboro Lighthouse Station and the Hillsboro Inlet area through preservation of structures and artifacts, education and public access tours.

The primary goals of the society at its inception were the restoration and repair of the Hillsboro Lighthouse's original Fresnel lens (pronounced: fray-nel) and its reactivation in the lighthouse beacon for the safety of the mariners on our waters; the opening of the Hillsboro Lighthouse and its grounds for the education and enjoyment of the public; and the continued support of the community in maintaining the lighthouse for future generations.

Working closely with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and the Coast Guard Auxiliary, the HLPS succeeded in its original goals. See our history page for detailed information on the society's efforts.

To take a Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse tour, one must join the HLPS.

Do you like, use, and appreciate our lighthouse & inlet webcam? Support our historic lighthouse and webcam so this service can continue into the future. Your donation will be appreciated. We are a non-profit all volunteer organization.

We would love to hear from you!   Drop us an email at

Hillsboro Lighthouse Preservation Society P.O. Box 326 Pompano Beach, FL 33060

• Preplanned tours
• Daytrips out of Moscow
• Themed tours
• Customized tours
• St. Petersburg

Moscow Metro

The Moscow Metro Tour is included in most guided tours’ itineraries. Opened in 1935, under Stalin’s regime, the metro was not only meant to solve transport problems, but also was hailed as “a people’s palace”. Every station you will see during your Moscow metro tour looks like a palace room. There are bright paintings, mosaics, stained glass, bronze statues… Our Moscow metro tour includes the most impressive stations best architects and designers worked at - Ploshchad Revolutsii, Mayakovskaya, Komsomolskaya, Kievskaya, Novoslobodskaya and some others.

What is the kremlin in russia?

The guide will not only help you navigate the metro, but will also provide you with fascinating background tales for the images you see and a history of each station.

And there some stories to be told during the Moscow metro tour! The deepest station - Park Pobedy - is 84 metres under the ground with the world longest escalator of 140 meters. Parts of the so-called Metro-2, a secret strategic system of underground tunnels, was used for its construction.

During the Second World War the metro itself became a strategic asset: it was turned into the city's biggest bomb-shelter and one of the stations even became a library. 217 children were born here in 1941-1942! The metro is the most effective means of transport in the capital.

There are almost 200 stations 196 at the moment and trains run every 90 seconds! The guide of your Moscow metro tour can explain to you how to buy tickets and find your way if you plan to get around by yourself.

Moscow Metro Tour

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Description

Moscow metro private tours.

• 2-hour tour $87:  10 Must-See Moscow Metro stations with hotel pick-up and drop-off
• 3-hour tour $137:  20 Must-See Moscow Metro stations with Russian lunch in beautifully-decorated Metro Diner + hotel pick-up and drop off. 
• Metro pass is included in the price of both tours.

Highlight of Metro Tour

• Visit 10 must-see stations of Moscow metro on 2-hr tour and 20 Metro stations on 3-hr tour, including grand Komsomolskaya station with its distinctive Baroque décor, aristocratic Mayakovskaya station with Soviet mosaics, legendary Revolution Square station with 72 bronze sculptures and more!
• Explore Museum of Moscow Metro and learn a ton of technical and historical facts;
• Listen to the secrets about the Metro-2, a secret line supposedly used by the government and KGB;
• Experience a selection of most striking features of Moscow Metro hidden from most tourists and even locals;
• Discover the underground treasure of Russian Soviet past – from mosaics to bronzes, paintings, marble arches, stained glass and even paleontological elements;
• Learn fun stories and myths about Coffee Ring, Zodiac signs of Moscow Metro and more;
• Admire Soviet-era architecture of pre- and post- World War II perious;
• Enjoy panoramic views of Sparrow Hills from Luzhniki Metro Bridge – MetroMost, the only station of Moscow Metro located over water and the highest station above ground level;
• If lucky, catch a unique «Aquarelle Train» – a wheeled picture gallery, brightly painted with images of peony, chrysanthemums, daisies, sunflowers and each car unit is unique;
• Become an expert at navigating the legendary Moscow Metro system;
• Have fun time with a very friendly local;
• + Atmospheric Metro lunch in Moscow’s the only Metro Diner (included in a 3-hr tour)

Hotel Pick-up

Metro stations:.

Komsomolskaya

Novoslobodskaya

Prospekt Mira

Belorusskaya

Mayakovskaya

Novokuznetskaya

Revolution Square

Sparrow Hills

+ for 3-hour tour

Victory Park

Slavic Boulevard

Vystavochnaya

Dostoevskaya

Elektrozavodskaya

Partizanskaya

Museum of Moscow Metro

• Drop-off  at your hotel, Novodevichy Convent, Sparrow Hills or any place you wish
• + Russian lunch  in Metro Diner with artistic metro-style interior for 3-hour tour

Fun facts from our Moscow Metro Tours:

From the very first days of its existence, the Moscow Metro was the object of civil defense, used as a bomb shelter, and designed as a defense for a possible attack on the Soviet Union.

At a depth of 50 to 120 meters lies the second, the coded system of Metro-2 of Moscow subway, which is equipped with everything you need, from food storage to the nuclear button.

According to some sources, the total length of Metro-2 reaches over 150 kilometers.

The Museum was opened on Sportivnaya metro station on November 6, 1967. It features the most interesting models of trains and stations.

Coffee Ring

The first scheme of Moscow Metro looked like a bunch of separate lines. Listen to a myth about Joseph Stalin and the main brown line of Moscow Metro.

Zodiac Metro

According to some astrologers, each of the 12 stops of the Moscow Ring Line corresponds to a particular sign of the zodiac and divides the city into astrological sector.

Astrologers believe that being in a particular zadiac sector of Moscow for a long time, you attract certain energy and events into your life.

Paleontological finds 

Red marble walls of some of the Metro stations hide in themselves petrified inhabitants of ancient seas. Try and find some!

• Every day each car in  Moscow metro passes  more than 600 km, which is the distance from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
• Moscow subway system is the  5th in the intensity  of use (after the subways of Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul and Shanghai).
• The interval in the movement of trains in rush hour is  90 seconds .

What you get:

• + A friend in Moscow.
• + Private & customized Moscow tour.
• + An exciting pastime, not just boring history lessons.
• + An authentic experience of local life.
• + Flexibility during the walking tour: changes can be made at any time to suit individual preferences.
• + Amazing deals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the very best cafes & restaurants. Discounts on weekdays (Mon-Fri).
• + A photo session amongst spectacular Moscow scenery that can be treasured for a lifetime.
• + Good value for souvenirs, taxis, and hotels.
• + Expert advice on what to do, where to go, and how to make the most of your time in Moscow.

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