Crooked River Lighthouse

For 118 years the Crooked River Lighthouse has stood as a beacon, guiding timber ships as well as local fishermen and oystermen through the treacherous pass between Dog and St. George Islands, along Florida’s Panhandle. Built in 1895, this iron and steel structure replaced the lighthouse on Dog Island, which was destroyed by hurricane in 1873.

This is how a lighthouse museum should be run, and I can’t wait to see how they will grow and expand over time. The three ladies that were working there that day were personable and humble, which made it really easy to relax and just enjoy exploring the lighthouse and its surroundings.
To be honest, there is not much to explore outside of the lighthouse, aside from a large, playground ship. This is therefore perfect for families with younger children.
For a relatively small fee, you can climb the lighthouse and get a very informative guided tour from one of the aforementioned ladies. The view is stellar from the top and very much worth the climb.

A really neat historic landmark, tucked in the tiny town of Carabelle. This attraction is not for those with claustrophobia or the fear of heights. For a small donation of $ 5.00, you get to climb just over 100 steps, up a spiraling staircase, to the top of this lighthouse. From here, you have some great views of the gulf, and other surrounding areas. A word of caution, the steps near the very top are much smaller and steeper. Another piece of advice, they say in brochures that the gift shop poems at noon and the lighthouse at 1:00, but as long as someone is there, they typically let you go up.
Another cool part of this attraction is a playground for kids. They have a large ship they can climb all over, and some nice picnic grounds if you want to eat out there as well. If you are in the area, this is one place to definitely stop.