Climb the lighthouse’s 109 steps to the recently restored cupola 95 feet up in the air for breathtaking views of Key Biscayne, Downtown Miami, Miami Beach and historic Stiltsville.
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THE CAPE FLORIDA LIGHTHOUSE: EXPLORE THE OLDEST STANDING STRUCTURE IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY.

Experience the breathtaking views from the cupola of the historic, 200-year-old Cape Florida Lighthouse.

The Cape Florida Lighthouse is a unique historical landmark perched on the southern tip of Key Biscayne in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It’s the oldest standing historic structure in the county and is celebrating its 200th birthday. The Friends of Cape Florida just celebrated the bicentennial of its First Lighting on December 17, 2025.

The Story: The iconic lighthouse was first constructed in 1825 to aid navigation around the Florida Reef, extending from Key Biscayne to the Florida Keys. Marking two centuries of maritime history, the Cape Florida Light, as it was called, and ‘Cape Florida’, the land surrounding it, feature importantly in the complex and layered histories of South Florida and Key Biscayne. These complex histories include: thousands of years of Indigenous stewardship, the U.S. military reservation at Cape Florida and the era of the Lighthouse in service to maritime traffic, the violence the Seminoles suffered by the hands of U.S. military leading to an attack on the Lighthouse in 1836, and Cape Florida’s role as the launching point for formerly enslaved peoples to flee from encroaching violence via the Saltwater Underground Railroad to the islands. Cape Florida Light is the focal point of many of these stories that traverse centuries of south Florida history.

The Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage Museum & Gift Shop are open. Parking is available.