St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum

Yes, it's 219 steps, and yes, it's worth it. From the top you can see the whole island, the inlet, and the old city, and it reframes the geography of the place in a way nothing else does. What surprises people is that the museum at the bottom is actually good rather than a gift shop with a few artifacts. If you're up for something different, the after-dark tours are the one tourist add-on around here we'd genuinely pay for ourselves.

219 steps to the top and the best view in the county waiting for you. There is also a keepers' house museum and a maritime archaeology exhibit at the base. Kids have to be 44 inches and climb on their own. The tower closes in bad weather.