School and Group Tours
St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum (SAL&M) offers a variety of group tours and programs that provide fun, educational experiences for all ages. Whether you are a school group, home school group, scout troop, civic club, or Elderhostel program, we have a program to meet your needs.
Descriptions of our programs are below. Go to Plan Your Visit to book a tour. Visit our Outreach Programs page for more information on SAL&M’s Outreach Programs.
Eliza’s Club
Named after the daughter of the supervisor of construction of the current lighthouse, Eliza’s Club is an activity area that provides a safe and fun alternative to children who don’t meet the 44-inch height requirement to climb the lighthouse. The focus is on object-based learning techniques and hands-on activities to educate children about maritime culture and history. The area features a telescope pointed at the top of the tower and is in the process of expanding to best meet the needs of our tiniest guests. We also have a scavenger hunt that will amuse parents and children alike as you search for items throughout the museum exhibits and grounds.
K – 12 Lighthouse and Museum Tour
This hour-long guided tour, designed for groups of 20 or more, includes a climb up the 219 stairs to the top of the tower for a glimpse at an operating first order Fresnel lens and the inner workings of a lighthouse. In addition to the climb, this tour includes a visit to our museum located in the restored Keepers' House.
The tour emphasizes Florida Sunshine State Standards in Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies. Print out our K-12 Materials and Standards for pre and post program materials and documentation of Sunshine State Standards covered during the tour.
Specialty Tours
A number of 2-hour specialty tours are offered to groups of 20 or more school age children at the museum. These programs are available on an ongoing basis and are scheduled upon demand.
Current specialty tours include:
Why Do We Have Lighthouses?
Children discover the history of their local harbor, the science and technology behind navigation, and why lighthouses have played such an integral role in the growth of our nation and culture.
Shipwreck Discovery
Children experience being an underwater archaeologist and learn about SCUBA diving and the challenges of working underwater. Hands-on activities demonstrate how to find shipwrecks and excavate and analyze their remains.
Home School Days
Home school days are events of discovery for home-schooled students and their parents/teachers. Pre and post visit materials helping home school parents to meet Florida’s Sunshine State Standards are provided. Check our calendar [link to web calendar] for scheduled days, or contact the Education Department at (904) 829-0745 for additional information.
Adult and Senior Guided Tour
We also offer our standard Lighthouse & Museum Tours for groups of adults and seniors five times a day, Monday-Friday. The hour and a half tour focuses on aspects of maritime history as it relates to the St. Augustine Lighthouse. (Adults/Seniors may also participate in a tour through Elderhostel - a non-profit organization committed to being the preeminent provider of high quality, affordable, educational opportunities for older adults.)
Scout Patch Programs
Scouts explore the museum and grounds on a 90-minute self-guided series of activities in order to earn a merit badge. Upon completion of the requisite number of activities, the badge may be acquired from the museum store.
College-level Student Programs
LAMP Maritime Archaeology Field School
Students from across the globe receive hands-on opportunities to learn archaeological skills and methods at this 6-week intensive program. Daily dives, historical and scientific research along with artifact notation, recovery, and conservation are covered.
Internships
Archaeology, conservation, collections, archival research, marketing and education are a number of opportunities for college interns to work along with museum professionals to enhance their knowledge and skills while receiving college credits.
