Lighthouse Illuminations: Tides, Tidings & Trees runs through Jan. 21, so there’s still time to see the 21 uniquely decorated trees on the grounds of the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum.
Daytime general admission tickets get visitors in the door to enjoy the seasonally decorated grounds and buildings. As the sun goes down, visitors can purchase after-hours Lighthouse Illumination tickets for an extraordinary experience.
Here’s a chance to explore the Keepers’ House and grounds illuminated by lights and garlands and enjoy a view of the lighthouse’s night mark.
Tickets are available at store.staugustinelighthouse.org/SelectEvent.aspx?eventid=1000137. To see a video about this event, go to youtube.com/watch?v=LL-ram8nVZ4&t=2s.
The museum is located at 81 Lighthouse Ave. in St. Augustine. For more information, go to staugustinelighthouse.org.
Here’s a look at the featured trees:
- Welcome Tree: This tree on the visitors’ center front porch, decorated in black, white and red to match the tower’s iconic candy-cane stripes welcomes visitors to the museum.
- Shells From The Sea: This tree at the visitor’s center is adorned with a variety of local shells and seaside treasures.
- Keepsake Ornaments: Handpicked ornaments on this tree in the gift shop capture the spirit of the season at the museum. All ornaments on this tree are available for purchase.
- Shadows In The Light: The St. Augustine Lighthouse’s long history of things that go bump in the night is highlighted by the dangling decorations on this tree in the visitor’s center. Whether it’s the glow of a full moon or the shadowy darkness of the new moon, you’ll find it here.
- Old Florida Tree: This evergreen in the breezeway evokes the nostalgia of Florida’s past. Iconic attractions, some long gone, join Santa at the beach to celebrate a Florida that once seemed “just perfect.”
- Lighthouses of America: This tree in the tower oil room pays tribute to America’s lighthouses and the welcoming light they provide.
- Tower Expressions: A magnificent evergreen in the tower rotunda stretches upward toward the beacon nearly 150-feet above. Climb the spiral staircase for a unique look at this tree from high above.
- Outhouse Tree: This tree in the keepers’ privy behind the tower is decorated with all “the essentials,” including corn cobs, newspapers and happy reminders of days and nights gone by.
- 1880’s Victorian Tree: Return to the early days when the keeper and his family gathered here in the Keepers’ House parlor to celebrate the season. This tree is decorated with classic ornaments that summon the splendor of the Victorian Age.
- Scarlet Victorian: This tree on the Keeper’s House porch is steeped in history – fashion, decorating and even the uniforms of the British Empire adorned with red.
- Reflections: This tree in the “Wrecked!” exhibit captures the flash of silver and blue in the underwater world of the starfish.
- Sunset & Moonrise Dreams: This tree in the “Wrecked!” exhibit captures that dreamlike time when the last gold of the day’s sun meets the midnight blue of the coming night. For the Lighthouse keeper, it was the time for the lens to be lit and its light to shine.
- Under The Sea: Just yards from the beach, there is an underwater world teeming with life. This tree in the “Wrecked!” exhibit features fish, octopuses, jellyfish – and maybe a few sharks – to bring this world indoors.
- Diving Deep: The museum’s dive team participates in the season with this tree in the “Wrecked!” exhibit, celebrating SCUBA diving and its role in exploring the underwater past.
- Shrimpin’ Ain’t Easy: This tree in the Keeper’s House pays tribute to St. Augustine’s gift to America: fresh shrimp. Once the center of the nation’s shrimp industry, the city helped make this tasty crustacean a popular addition to American cuisine.
- Toys of The Past: For children, gifts beneath the tree create lifelong memories of the past. This tree on the Keeper’s House porch reflects those special moments with a variety of vintage toys and games.
- Nature Around Us: Outdoor Florida and the creatures that live there have always provided a vibrant background for the lighthouse. This evergreen on the front lawn gives local birds, bees and squirrels their very own tree.
- Sweet Treats: This little tree at the Tin Pickle Café offers a reminder of seasonal goodies.
- America The Great: This tree in the coastal lookout building is a reminder of the men and women who served here in the U.S. Coast Guard and how their world was brightened by a tree just like this one.
- High Seas: This tree on the maritime center porch looks beyond the horizon. Whales, cruise ships, cargo ships, sailfish, submarines, sea monsters, long-distance birds like the albatross and frigate, Neptune – they’re all here. And … wait … is that an iceberg?
- Nautical Adventures: This tree in the maritime center is the perfect way to display the donations made to the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum. Donated by members and other people nationwide, these decorations show the generosity of visitors.
