Lighthouse News
3D Tour of the Fog Signal Building
Here’s a fantastic self guided tour of the Fog Signal Building, where we store the original Fresnel lens. Enjoy and we hope to see you soon for an in person tour!
Take a 3D self guided tour of the lighthouse
This is a full self guided tour of the lighthouse. Enjoy and we hope to see you in person at the Point San Luis Lighthouse!
130th Lighthouse Birthday Video
Videographer Patrick Ang created this video in celebration of our light station's 130th anniversary. Sit back, relax, and enjoy!
130th bday from Patrick Ang on Vimeo.
Huell Howser visits St. George Reef Lighthouse
Watch a video on Huell Howser visiting St. George Reef Lighthouse, 6-8 miles off the coast of Northern California. Built in 1892, the Lighthouse is an open ocean tower resembling a medieval fortress. No longer active, the station is still awe inspiring.
Pecho Coast Trail to Lighthouse Hike
One of the most scenic hikes in San Luis Obispo County, the Pecho Coast trail takes you from Port San Luis, through the gates of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant, and onto the bluffs overlooking San Luis Bay. There you will hike with amazing views of Port, Avila Beach, and other nearby beach towns, with a birds eye view on the happenings of the active port below. The hike culminates in reaching the lighthouse, where hikers can relax and enjoy the fine views only offered on the Pacific Coast.
For an additional $10 fee, hikers are able to take a docent led tour of the lighthouse.
The hike takes a little more than an hour to reach the lighthouse. It is considered a moderate hike as the majority of the trail is flat, however there are some larger inclines which may be difficult for some. Those with heart conditions and/or difficulty walking should not partake in this hike. Children must be nine years of age or older. Please wear appropriate shoes and bring a water bottle.
To hike on the Pecho Coast Trail, you must be accompanied by a Pecho Coast Trail Guide. The trail is on private property and is considered closed unless for scheduled hikes. The Pecho Coast Trail Guides are a separate organization from the Point SLO Lighthouse Keepers.
To reserve a spot please visit the Pecho Coast website: Pecho Coast Trails!
Hikes take place on Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Please arrive at at 8:45 am at Port San Luis. The hike will commence at 9:00 am.
Meet Carlo D’Oriano, the last of the Lighthouse Keepers.
Take a look into the life of the last Lighthouse Keeper. Carlo D’Oriano operates the Punta Carena Lighthouse in the Bay of Naples, Italy, one of the last manned Lighthouses in the world. Punta Carena has been a manned Lighthouse for over 150 years, but on January 1, 2019, the Lighthouse will be automated, leaving it without its human guardian. Read his amazing story here.
Murder Mystery Dinners
Every Halloween season the Point SLO Lighthouse hosts a Murder Mystery Dinner featuring fun menus, wines, and a lively show performed by the Arroyo Grande High School Theatre Department.
In 2018 the show was Murder at the Pie Auction!
If you want to be added to a contact list for the event so we can notify you when tickets go on sale, please email PointSLOPrograms@gmail.com or call the office at 805-540-5771.
Point SLO Featured in article by iFixit!
Representatives from iFixit in San Luis Obispo came out to the Lighthouse to see some of the restoration projects going on at the station. They were able to see just what it is that the Tuesday Work Crew do around the Lighthouse, with the ongoing restoration efforts to preserve the station.
Check out this wonderful article the iFixit ladies wrote: Lit by Love: The Volunteers at Point SLO Lighthouse. Thanks Kristen for the awesome piece!
Point Slo announces partnership with Slo Safe Ride!
We are very excited to be working with SLO Safe Ride to provide safe and comfortable transportation to the Lighthouse.
Vans will be used beginning Summer 2019.
Short Video showing the abandoned West Harbour Light Station in Edinburgh, Scotland
Here is a short video showing the abandoned West Harbour Light Station in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The abandoned Western Harbour Lighthouse must be one of the most-mournful sights in the whole of Edinburgh. A beacon that once sat on the edges of the Western breakwater, jutting out into the Firth of Forth, it has since deteriorated into an overwhelming state of decay. Windows have been smashed, doors kicked in. Flooring has been torn up. Paint peels off the walls. Everything has been broken, bashed, and left to disintegrate. Few abandoned Edinburgh structures typify the word ‘ruin’ so thoroughly. Like many smaller lighthouses, this one fell out of use with the advancing decades, as changes in technology and shipping patterns rendered it obsolete. Left to fall into ruin, it has since been battered by bad weather, and attacked by bored vandals with nothing better to do. The days when it once proudly guarded vessels through the treacherous Firth of Forth are long over, and today its remembered largely in the images of urbex photographers and local historians.
Article from: The Edinburgh News.
Avila Beach History Tour! Learn everything there is to know about Avila Beach History!
Thanks to the Avila Beach Community Foundation, the Avila Beach Historical Tour APP was funded to create an online presence that details the history of Avila Beach!
Click here to download for free!
Did you know the Chumash native peoples had one of their largest Central Coast settlements in Avila?
Did you know the first European buildings in Avila were adobe structures built by Friars from Mission SLO?
Did you know the city of San Luis Obispo became the hub of the Central Coast because of commerce that came through Avila?
Did you know that Avila Beach was the largest oil exporting port in the United Stated for over 40 years?
Did you know that during World War II in Avila, logs were painted black and put in the hills to look like cannons?
From the “ladies of the night” at the Avila Hot Springs in the 1920s, to See family who are the namesake of See Canyon, to Don Miguel Avila and his family, John Harford of the Harford Pier, Luigi Marre of the famed Marre home, learn more about the wonderfully storied past of this small community and see how such a small place can have such a large impact on the Central Coast!
Download the free app at any google or iTunes store. It costs you nothing, but will teach and show you everything!
Take a Trip to Eddystone Lighthouse
An amazing journey back in time to see the different renditions of Eddystone Light. Located off-shore at Rame Head, England, the first of four lighthouses built at the site was constructed in 1699. Learn the wonderful history of this station in this short video.
Youth Field Trip Program at Point SLO Lighthouse
Volunteer Marcia Bess presenting on Lighthouse history wearing period attire from the 1890s!
Since 2011 The Point San Luis Lighthouse has operated a Youth Field Trip Program generously funded by the Harold J. Miossi Charitable Trust.
Thousands of students and youth on the Central Coast have benefited from this program that promotes local history in a fun and lively setting.
The program has many different lessons:
Flora and Fauna presentations showcasing local wildlife (usually with a visit or two from some of the local animals: whales, dolphins, otters, sea lions, red tailed hawks, and rabbits).
The Calligraphy lesson helps students learn about the Japanese community of the Central Coast and their fundamental addition to the local historical narrative.
Students learn stem related subjects when they are presented on the Lighthouse's original Fresnel Lens (constructed in 1872) this historic piece of technology is as much a marvel of engineering as it is a work of art.
The Fresnel Lens presentation includes using prisms and lasers, so student can see in a hands-on fashion how prisms bend light.
And last, but not least, the youth take a tour of the historic Point San Luis Lighthouse with a docent in period attire!
The 2019-2020 season is already booked.
Sambro Island Lighthouse interview with Chris Mills
Sambro Island Lighthouse is the oldest Lighthouse in North America. Located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the station was constructed in 1759 during the Seven Year’s War. Thats an old Lighthouse! Learn more from this wonderful documentary interview featuring Sambro Island historian Chris Mills.
Interview with Earl Farris
In the late 1930’s, Earl Farris helped Robert Moorefield to install the radio tower that sits on the hill behind the lighthouse. Robert Moorefield was the last Lighthouse Keeper at Point San Luis Lighthouse before it became a Coast Guard station.
In the 1990’s, local Avila Beach resident Keith Kelsey made a short interview of Earl out at the lighthouse. Hear Earl’s first hand account of putting up the tower.
The Last Lampist: Featuring Jim Woodward
This is the story of Jim Woodward, the last Lampist in the United States. Jim is the specialist who works to maintain lighthouse lenses, a profession whose numbers have fallen off over the years. Watch the video and hear his story about being one of the last of his kind.
Continuing into the 2018-2019 Season!
The Point SLO Lighthouse will host specialty tours for paddlers! Every Saturday at 10 am.
Arrive shortly before 10 am, and leave your kayak/board at Lighthouse Beach. You will need to walk up the beach steps and up the path to the lighthouse.
Make sure your feet are dry and you have booties or shoes.
Tour size is limited to ten paddlers so reserve your spot early.
Tickets are $5 plus tax.
Although dogs are permitted on Whaler’s Beach, they are not allowed on Lighthouse property. Please leave your pet pal at home.
That’s all! See you there, paddlers!