Port Boca Grande Lighthouse Museum
Port Boca Grande Lighthouse Museum
Port Boca Grande Lighthouse Museum
4.5
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Port Boca Grande Lighthouse sits at the Southern tip of Gasparilla Island in Gasparilla Island State Park. The oldest structure on the island was built in 1890 and saw five Lighthouse Keepers and their families make this harbor-style dwelling home. The Light marks the entrance to Boca Grande Pass and is still an active aid to navigation. It currently houses a lovely history and nature museum and gift shop operated and maintained by Barrier Island Parks Society. Our mission is to Inspire, Educate, and Preserve. While there is no admission fee, it is operated on donations. Your donation at the front door and/or your purchase at the gift shop, keeps the Lighthouse Museum open to the public and provides for many educational programs throughout the four local barrier island state parks; Gasparilla Island State Park, Cayo Costa State Park, Don Pedro Island State Park and Stump Pass Beach State Park.
Duration: < 1 hour
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
222 reviews
Excellent
127
Very good
78
Average
15
Poor
1
Terrible
1
theoljohnnyboy
New Florence, PA1,528 contributions
Apr 2022
This is a nice little air conditioned museum that requires shirts and shoes, so dont just walk in off the beach in your swimwear. There is a nice bit of local history that is elaborated on in the museum, not just the standard information that is generally found in lighthouse museums. A small gift shop is located inside, and admission is free. Unless you walk in, you need to pay the $3 park entry fee and parking is limited.
Written 5 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for visiting us at the museum. We are a non-profit organization that operates and manages the lighthouse and we operate on donations. We strive to educate our visitors not only on our lighthouse history, but local island history as well. We hope you enjoyed your visit. Thank you for your review and hope you visit us again.
Written 5 August 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
BAR845
Englewood, FL443 contributions
Dec 2021
Nice little museum about the island's history and the history of the lighthouse and the keepers. Very well done and laid out. Free admission but donations are appreciated as that is the only funding they receive. The sign at the park entrance said they were open but didn't open for awhile. 11:00 am. So check times to view. Kind of difficult to get to the entrance. Nice collection of shells from a former lighthouse keeper's daughter. Small gift shop that has some nice items for sale. Well worth a look. 1/2 to an hour to look through the exhibit.
Written 29 December 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for visiting us at the museum. We are a non-profit organization that operates and manages the lighthouse and we operate on donations. We strive to educate our visitors not only on our lighthouse history, but local island history as well. We hope you enjoyed your visit. Thank you for your review and hope you visit us again. Our hours vary throughout the year, so it's always good to check social media and/or our website for current operating hours, events, and programs.
Written 5 August 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
redsnut1355
Baltimore, MD198 contributions
Sep 2021
My wife and I were in the area. I am a big lighthouse enthusiast and so we traveled to Gasparilla Island to see the lighthouse. It is located at the end of the island. The museum is great with lots of history on the area and the lighthouses there. They have a nice small gift shop. I really enjoyed being to visit the lighthouse and took lots of pictures
Written 15 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for visiting us at the lighthouse museum. We are a non-profit organization that operates and manages the lighthouse and we operate on donations. We strive to educate our visitors not only on our lighthouse history, but local island history as well. We hope to open the lantern room in November, 2022 for lighthouse climbs. We hope your visit was enjoyable and that you visit us again. We appreciate your review.
Written 5 August 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
ElisabettaR17
Tampa, FL86 contributions
Jun 2021 • Couples
Beautiful lighthouse with a small but impressive museum with great exhibits and lovely gift shop. Fantastic location at the tip of the island. The museum is free, visit and support it with a donation or a purchase at the gift shop, as they do great presentation work!
Written 16 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for visiting us at the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse & Museum. We appreciate your support of our non-profit (Barrier Island Parks Society). All donations and gift shop purchases allows us to continue our important mission of preserving our natural and historic treasures. We hope you visit again soon.
Written 25 June 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Brad M
Naples, FL744 contributions
Dec 2020
Rode our bicycles to south end for eh island to explore. Great ride and wonderful beach. The lighthouse itself was closed due to covid but still with the visit to see it and hang out on the beach.
Written 28 December 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your review. We hope you are able to visit our lighthouse museum and gift shop the next time you are on the island. We are now open Tuesday through Saturday from 11am to 3pm.
Written 27 January 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Canadian22madison
Brantford, Canada21 contributions
Feb 2020
I didn't go in the museum because it was closed. I did a walk around the area which was nice. I also walked around the centre of Boca Grande which was very nice. With the amount of money floating around the area I found most people to be down to earth, especially the elderly. Had a fish snack and ice cream. Delicious.
Written 19 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, we had to close effective March 13, 2020. We have a lovely nature and history museum that Barrier Island Parks Society opened in 1999, and a gift shop. We offer lighthouse climbs during season as well as educational programs. We are still closed due to Covid-19, but we hope that you will follow us on facebook and/or visit our website for updates on re-opening and you are able to visit us again.
Written 7 July 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Stanley L
21 contributions
Feb 2020
Not worth the visit and the lighthouse is really used more for special events like weddings. There was a reception there when we visited.
Written 15 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, we had to close effective March 13, 2020. So, you just missed us. We have a lovely nature and history museum and a gift shop. Barrier Island Parks Society opened the museum in 1999 and we continually are growing our educational programs in the museum. We also offer climbs to the top during season. As of this date, July 7, 2020, we are still closed. Please visit us on our website or facebook page for updates on when we will re-open. I hope you are able to visit us again.
Written 7 July 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Tom T
31 contributions
Mar 2020 • Couples
If you’re even mildly interested in the history of Boca grande you will be amazed at the amount of information and insight this stop will provide. Plus the volunteers are well informed and interesting. If you want you can even climb the stairs to the top of this historic light house. A great stop.
Written 1 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for visiting our historic lighthouse and museum. We hope you enjoyed your time here. Our lantern room is open to climb on Friday's from 11am to 3pm, November to April. We hope you visit us again soon.
Written 3 March 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Marie B
24 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
We enjoyed both lighthouses on the island. The volunteers were friendly and knowledgeable. The skeletal lighthouse was open the day we visited but the museum light was not. I wish more volunteers were available so we could have climbed both towers.
Written 27 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for visiting our lighthouses. We have specific days of the week when we open the lighthouses to climb. These dates/hours can be found on our website @ Barrier Island Parks Society .org - thank you again for visiting and we hope you enjoyed your visit.
Written 28 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
slm583
Colchester, IL27 contributions
Feb 2020
This museum was a highlight of our trip! Very well designed and displayed exhibits of a really interesting history on this small island! Must say a very sad history for the Calusa Indians who's 1500 year civilization was destroyed by the Spanish. Docents welcoming and helpful too
Written 25 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for visiting the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse and Museum. We are glad you enjoyed the museum and hope you can visit us again.
Written 26 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
arojann
Ocala, FL75 contributions
Was the elevator available to use when you were there? When we tried to make use of it for me in my wheelchair, they had to call someone with the key. It was nice to be able to use it, and I enjoyed the view as well as shopping at the gift shop while there. Would love to go back someday. but would definitely call ahead. TIA
Barrier Island Parks Society
Boca Grande, FL
Yes, there is a manual elevator (or lift) at the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse, from ground level to porch level. The museum and gift shop is located on porch level.
Can you drive to the lighthouse and do you need reservations to climb the lighthouse
Sandra E
Siesta Key, FL191 contributions
You can drive down. There is a sandy parking lot. You can just walk in. It is very small and informal. I think they ask for a donation. There is also a small shop.
Diane R
jackson, nj17 contributions
How many steps are necessary to enter base Is the elevator to top operational thank you
Barrier Island Parks Society
Boca Grande, FL
There are 15 steps from ground level up to the lighthouse porch. There is an operating elevator on ground level that will also take you up to the porch. The museum and gift shop are located on porch level. I hope that helps.
Marthaboytim3
1 contribution
Where can I rent a golf cart to tour the island?
N R
Green County, WI93 contributions
boca grande vacations
Marthaboytim3
1 contribution
Where can you rent golf cards to tour the island on nova grand
248bruceg
Cleveland26 contributions
The best people and prices are Boca Grand Cart Rentals on Railroad St.and 4th
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Frequently Asked Questions about Port Boca Grande Lighthouse Museum
- Hotels near Port Boca Grande Lighthouse Museum:
- (3.88 km) The Gasparilla Inn & Club
- (7.76 km) Cabbage Key Inn
- (12.24 km) Tarpon Lodge & Restaurant
- (1.67 km) TURTLEBACK 09 by RedAwning
- (1.88 km) Very Secluded and Private House with Pool, Near Beach. 11 blocks from Village.
- Restaurants near Port Boca Grande Lighthouse Museum:
- (7.77 km) Cabbage Key Inn Restaurant
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- (4.45 km) The Outlet at the Innlet Restaurant
- (3.82 km) The Pink Elephant
- (12.26 km) Tarpon Lodge Restaurant