Visitors who climb the 199 steps of the tower's cast iron spiral staircase to the top of the lighthouse are rewarded with a spectacular panoramic view of the scenic Cape May peninsula.
The first known lighthouse at Cape May was built in 1823. By 1847 a new lighthouse was erected on a high bluff, however, due to the encroaching sea and poor building design it was eventually dismantled. Built in 1859, the current lighthouse used the original bricks of the 1847 lighthouse. The exact locations of the first two lighthouses are now underwater due to erosion.
For information on tours and hours of operation call The Mid Atlantic Center for the Arts in Cape May (MAC) at (609) 884-5404. MAC leases the lighthouse from the State with the mission of restoring the structure and operating it as a historic site. Admission to the lighthouse is $5.00 for adults and $1.00 for children 12 and under.