Home - Cape Canaveral Lighthouse

Welcome to the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse

The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse has stood on the Cape for over 150 years. Situated amidst America’s Premier Gateway to Space, the lighthouse is owned by the United States Space Force and maintained as an active aid to navigation by the United States Coast Guard. Visits to the lighthouse, museum, and gift shop are available via prescheduled tours, only. Open House for CCSFS badged personnel occurs every Wednesday from 10:00 – 1:00.

We are open for scheduled tours, but since we are located on an active military installation, you cannot drive your own vehicle onto the facility. Members of the public can only visit by taking a tour, which must be booked at least two days prior, to process through Space Force Security. Unlike most other military installations, even if you have a military ID (active duty or retired), you won’t be able to get onto CCSFS unless you also have a badge specifically for that purpose. You will have to take the public tour. Please see our Visit page for tour information. So make plans now to come visit us!

Check out our brochure.

Click Here for a 12 minute video tour of the lighthouse presented by our Historian, Barbara Moser, produced by the Space Launch Delta 45 Public Affairs Office.

Click here for a 321 Liftoff Podcast about visiting the lighthouse.

Click here for a US Lighthouse Society podcast for the lighthouse. This is an hour long podcast the first half of which is a discussion about Patos Island Light in Washington State. The Cape Canaveral Light discussion is in the 2^nd half.

Latest News

The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation conducted several Lighthouse Keeper Grave Marker ceremonies on Saturday, May 14^th. Six former keepers are buried in Brevard County but did not have the bronze medal of the Lighthouse Service at their gravesites. This program placed a marker at each grave, along with an American flag. The US Coast Guard out of Port Canaveral provided a Color Guard and a bugler for taps. Following a brief program, four of our former keepers were honored at the Crooked Mile Cemetery: Oscar Floyd Quarterman, Julius James Jeffords, John Ludwig Sturk, and Edward J. Praetorius. The great grandson of Praetorius was able to join us to honor his ancestor. The attendees then proceeded to the Cocoa City Cemetery to honor Alfred H. Trafford, and finally to Evergreen Cemetery where our longest-term keeper, Clinton P. Honeywell, rests. May they each rest in peace.

If you don’t have the time to take the regular full tour on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays (that includes space history), try our monthly special Lighthouse and Hangar C only tour. You will be able to come just to the lighthouse for a 1+ hour visit. You will also be able to see the tremendous collection of artifacts from the Air Force Space and Missile Museum Annex next door in Hangar C. Click here to book your tour.

Everyone had a great time at our quarterly member and brick holder caravan tour to the lighthouse on Saturday March 12th. If you’re not yet a member or brick holder, please considering becoming a member or buying a brick before our next tour so you can take advantage of this special FREE event, only open to those individuals.

The Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center provides their Rise To Space Tour, which will also spend an hour at the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse and Hangar C. Click here to see the details and book your tour. Please note that these tours are temporarily unavailable.

For a more personal experience, check out our small van tours.

Upcoming Events

The Museums of Brevard (MOB) is an informal alliance of interested museums and historic sites in Brevard County, Florida (including the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse). Together we: advertise and promote each other’s facilities both individually and jointly; share activity information and coordinate upcoming events; share best practices and lessons learned in museum administration and management, including fundraising, grant writing and collections management; and assist other members with special requests.

Check out the MOB Brochure and see all the sites!

Visit the MOB website for links to every member.

Like the MOB on Facebook and find out all the things happening!

Message from Our Foundation President

Another two months are gone as 2022 continues to pass so quickly. At the lighthouse we just held our annual Descendants Day and we are wrapping up preparations for our 5K/10K Race which starts and ends at the lighthouse. Also, we will be placing grave markers on lighthouse keepers graves buried in Brevard County on May 14th.

Our annual Descendants Day was held on March 24. It was attended by approximately 50 descendants. The Space Force Vice Commander Colonel Marshall welcomed guests and briefed them on the launch schedule and how it is continuing to increase. Sonny Witt our longtime friend of the lighthouse stopped by to visit with the descendants and our volunteers. A big thanks to Shawn Walleck, Bev Merrilees and Lisa Wilson for pulling the day together and making it memorable for the descendants.

Our Run is occurring as the BEACON gets published. It has truly been a challenge pulling it together. As of April 22 we have 225 participants. I want to say thank you to Shane Smith who worked all the details with the Space Force, Todd McDowell who worked both the parking and buses, Jim Underwood who helped with parking, Mary Anne Moore who coordinated the volunteers, the Space Force, the Cape Canaveral Port Authority and Jacob Davis our race director and, of course, all our volunteers. We will report in July on the success of our event, but you will also see pictures on our Facebook page after the race.

On May 14th the Foundation will be placing grave markers at 3 cemeteries and on 6 lighthouse keepers graves for more info go to https://canaverallight.org . One of the graves is Clinton Honeywell’s who is buried at the Evergreen Cemetery in Cocoa. Clinton tended the light at Cape Canaveral Lighthouse longer than anyone else for a total of 39 years, starting as 2nd Assistant Keeper in 1891 and was head keeper from 1904-1930.

Our brick paver program over the last 10 years has quietly reached the 500 brick milestone with having sold 36 this year. It is a great way to honor a loved one, celebrate a milestone or memorialize your visit to the lighthouse. Please consider adding a brick.

As always, a final thought I want to say thank you to our members, the brick owners, and our sponsors who provide the funding to keep the light shining. I hope each and everyone of you take advantage of the opportunities to visit the lighthouse and muse-um which continues to evolve and exist due to your generosity. If you are not a member please join and if you are please renew. All of you are key to the mission – “to preserve, protect, promote and interpret the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse and its historical significance”to others.

Please visit our website https://canaverallight.org for additional information.

Have fun, be safe and let’s keep the light shining bright.

Larry