The Old Point Loma Lighthouse sits atop the end of Point Loma about 422 feet above sea level.? For 36 years, beginning in 1855, the light welcomed ships and sailors into San Diego Bay.? Built of local sandstone with a squat tower, the lighthouse was home it its keeper and his family as well as beacon. However, the lighthouse had one drawback, it was often lost in the fog swirling around the headland of Pt. Loma.?

The "new" Point Loma lighthouse was built at the bottom of the hill closer to the water's edge in 1891 and the "old" Point Loma Lighthouse was retired.?

The National Parks Service has refurbished the building to its original 1880s decor.? Tourists can climb to the top of the tower, and see the same spectacular views the lighthouse keeper saw each night when he lit the beacon.? The original lighthouse was one of the first on the California coast and was also the highest in the country.

Today, the "old" lighthouse is part of the Cabrillo National Monument and offers guests a chance to see how life was lived in the latter part of the 19th century in San Diego.