The St. Simons Light at the southern tip of the island was built in 1872, replacing an earlier lighthouse blown up by Confederate troops in 1862 to keep it out of Union hands. The white-painted tower is 104 feet tall, with a working light and a small museum in the keeper's cottage at its base, run by the Coastal Georgia Historical Society.
The climb up the spiral staircase — 129 steps — is open year-round; the view from the gallery takes in Neptune Park, the pier, and the long line of the marshes to the west. The museum has exhibits on the island's colonial and Civil War history. Modest admission fee covers the lighthouse, the museum, and a separate exhibit at Maritime Center down by the harbour.