Point Fermin Lighthouse

I happened upon the lighthouse after plans nearby fell through. I arrived in between tours and the next one was full, but docent Polly was able to recommend some nearby sights until the 3pm tour. I came back and lingered in the gift shop with her and talked about other nearby historical attractions. It was really nice to meet someone very passionate about her local history. She knows it all.
She led us through the lighthouse, which is full of pleasant surprises about its history. She had an answer for every small detail and really got us excited to learn.
I stayed around the lighthouse area for a while after and found myself with more questions about the other nearby buildings. I ran back to Polly and she happily explained MORE awesome history about the land. Now I NEED to come back to learn from her again. It was a great afternoon!

This lighthouse is part of a historic building that is amazingly well-​preserved and is open to the public.
The weather in this park situated upon a cliff overlooking the Pacific ocean is never bad. On a clear day, you could see Catalina Island.
Parking at this popular spot is difficult.
There’s a small playground and some picnic tables.
Park is small.

The Point Fermin Lighthouse is so charming. Not only is it open 6 days a week from 1:00 — 4:00, with tours every hour (closed on Mondays and holidays), the knowledgeable docents provide visitors with wonderful information about this beautiful piece of history.
This lovely Victorian lighthouse, built in 1874, was one of the area’s most elegant buildings at the time. Although the government provided the basics with which to live, the lighthouse keepers were allowed to bring their own furniture and personal items. While the furniture that currently resides here is not original to the lighthouse, it shows how the keepers might have decorated then.
Besides having beautiful pieces of furniture from the time period, the lighthouse is full of great artifacts. There are some lovely old photos and lighthouse keeper’s log books. The old Fresnel Lens is also in the lighthouse. It was nice seeing how these people lived during their time here. Their lifestyle was a rugged one and definitely not for the faint of heart.
What I liked the most were the wonderful volunteers that worked here. They were knowledgeable, thoughtful, and engaging. They really shared their passion for lighthouses and their knowledge about the lighthouse keepers and their families. I could also feel their frustration as well. While the interior of this lighthouse was well maintained, the outside was in desperate need of serious repair.
I would love to see this lighthouse get the care it needs. This lighthouse is a breathtaking piece of history and should be preserved for many years to come!

Been my favorite place since I was a kid! Love visiting the White House and hiking down the cliff to thee shore. The tour is great

Great place to spend a few hours. Staff was very welcoming and very knowledgable. History of this place is so interesting. We are big fans of the history of Los Angeles and this is a home run. We were nervous about the climb into the lighthouse tower but it was surprisingly easy. The view is amazing. They survive on donations so be generous.

Came for the Tea-​by-​the-​Sea event. It is a quaint, dainty lighthouse, and they’ve done a good job restoring the house and filling with era-​appropriate items from local estate sales. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a lighthouse bulb up close, and that was really fun. The gardens are well-​maintained and pretty with all the blooms.
All in all, I wouldn’t go out of my way to go here, but if I’m in the area, why not? There was free yoga-​in-​the-​park and the Korean Friendship Bell going on nearby.

What an amazing light. Great views of the ocean, Catalina and even the snow-​capped mountains. It gets a little hot once at the top but the view is worth it. Very knowledgable tour guides and a quaint little gift shop. Spectacular grounds to picnic and spend the day. Get to the Korean Bell in winter to catch the sunset.

First and foremost I would like to say this lighthouse was in the movie «500 Days of Summer.» I did not know this until after I visited that I discovered that lol it was used for the wedding that Summer and Tom go to towards the end of the movie!
Aside from that, I was sad because this isn’t your typical lighthouse. It looks like an old home. It is next to some time of community center… odd people around, that is for sure. The tours were done for the day when I went.

Nice park but you may run into strange people, like the pic attached to the review. This American white lady was moving a large Boulder for unknown reasons into another section of the park. When I went past with my little dog, she tried to grab him. Also, there was a man on a customized bike, playing child’s music. He was taunting people using dirty language. I took my leave, and exited as quickly as possible to avoid harm. Lighthouse is beautiful nonetheless, and worth the visit. Just be careful if you have valuables or little ones. Two thumbs up from lil pip.

Cool little lighthouse located inside Point Fermin Park! Apparently, there’s a history behind it too! It’s the first lighthouse to be placed in the San Pedro Bay area. Built in 1874, I’m surprised at how great it still looks! Didn’t get to go inside, but from the outside, it’s pretty cute actually.

Cute little lighthouse! Our visit timing meant we missed the tour (wasn’t open that day), but the grounds are very well taken care of, and despite the gloomy weather one had a nifty view into the sea.

If you are not careful, you can easily pass by this place without knowing. For one, it is not shaped like your traditional lighthouse tower; it looks more like a historical house. Secondly, it is not perched up right on the cliff (but rather at the edge of the park) so when you look at it from the street, you can’t quite tell a lighthouse is there until you walk around to the front of the house. I love the that this lighthouse is different from all other lighthouses but at the same time, it can be a bit underwhelming to visit (I say this mostly because of its location). Nonetheless, it is definitely worth a stop for those lighthouse lovers out there.

This is my 100^th Unilocal.With so many wonderful places and things I have experienced, I did not know who or what or where to mark the distinction of Unilocal #100.
I noticed the Point Fermin Lighthouse is included in the Point Fermin Park, so I decided to Unilocal the Lighthouse on its own. It is a truly remarkable, meaningful, historical, and majestic part of San Pedro and Southern California. For Michiru’s Birthday I finally decided to take the one hour tour of the Point Fermin Lighthouse (also called «Light Station). It is offered every few hours most weekends. What a great tour, and our tour guide was really cool. I never distinguished between «types» houses before. Point Fermin Lighthouse is just that… a light with a house where people can and did live fairly comfortably. Of our three lighthouse in the area, Point Fermin would most likely be the most comfortable for its many residence who occupied it over the decades. The Point Fermin Lighthouse was build in 1874… now that’s old. Recently I have noticed I am starting to see Historical Landmarks younger than me. I am not entirely comfortable with that. I am not say in any way I love the Point Fermin lighthouse because it is older than me, but that was nice to know.
On the tour Michiru and I learned several new things I did not know both about the Lighthouse and San Pedro. In 1874 the water had to be brought in, and the lenses – a true piece of art and craftsmanship – was lost for several years making it way in to someone’s private collection then finding its way back home. You will see just really cool stuff as: a actual ice box, waffle maker, original Iron, bun warmer, chamber pot, and a really awesome view of the San Pedro Coastline. It is a view which I don’t think you can see anywhere else along our coast. It is really fun walking up the narrow winding stairs four stories to the top,
As most know I love San Pedro and, as most now I truly believe it is the center of the Universe. So I answered the usual «where,» and that was easy. What was infinitely more difficult was selecting a place was «jewel among jewels.» Reconciling this was difficult because with my life in San Pedro it is truly impossible to separate the places for the memories if not «spirit» behind them. It is truly an impossibility for me, so I cannot be objective about anything, that is to say. When it comes to San Pedro, I will never be an outsider looking in, but an insider looking out… inwardly; retrospective based on intense experiential input for a life time of just «getting totally off» on the city I love.
The Point Fermin Lighthouse is an old friend of mine. We have three lighthouses in the San Pedro area, Point Vicente, Angels Gat and Point Fermin. I love them all. When you think about it, where else can you find three fantastic and very distinct light houses within five miles «as a crow flies.» I never understood how a crow flies, except I love birds, and we have too many crows flying around. So I guess «as a crow flies» at once point meant straight without encountering obstacles.
The crows I see from my balcony fly all over the place seemingly aimlessly squawking. There are several generations of doves who have tried desperately to build their nest in the clay tile rafters in the home across from mine. For several of these generations, countless, I have watched a dove family meticulously build a nest in the small recess provided by the half tube of a single clay tiles. Almost the moment they lay a single egg, a crow flies and unceremoniously devours the «next generation.» My heart aches, yet I fully recognize the crow as an opportunist feeder, who «squeezes» a dove egg in between road kill and a stray French Fry at a fast food restaurant. I don’t think I like care for opportunist feeders in our animal or human kingdoms, but I guess it is a matter of survival and just that survival. Maybe this is the part of Darwinism I don’t really like, I mean on those TV shows where a cheetah is chasing down a Impala, or a shark a seal, for whatever strange reason I always cheer for the prey. In this case I route for the dove, to no avail, the outcome is always the same, like watching the same movie over and over again and hoping the ending will change. It never does, so I reconciled to just write my own «movie» with a different ending, happy, positive, closure-​giving. Incidentally, I am in no way blame Darwin, he is just the messenger.
So the three light houses are about five miles as a «dove glides… I am glad I was able to Unilocal the Point Fermin Lighthouse as number 100.
See:

This gem is hidden at the end of the 110 Freeway. As others mentioned, the lighthouse visitor center is only open Tuesdays to Sundays from 1pm to 4pm. Tours of the lighthouse are offered at 1pm, 2pm, and 3pm.
My tour guide was a lovely elderly woman who really enjoys volunteering here. She was very thorough with each room visited. She even let us touch a couple of the artifacts such as coal from the 1800s. My favorite part of the tour was going to the top of the lighthouse to get a 360 view.
Parking is easy, location is convenient. After this tour, I walked across the street, up the hill and checked out the Korean Bell.
I hope this historical gem will not be closed. LA County has put this lighthouse up for sale and I hope whoever buys it will preserve and continue these awesome tours.

While visiting the area, I decided that lighthouses are pretty neat and cool to check out. Plus they’re near wonderful ocean views, which I love. Love, love, love.
The lighthouse itself is very cute and has a nice garden, but the really neat thing was arriving just in time for a free tour led by a volunteer. She was a very nice older lady that knew a lot about the building/​area history, and did a fabulous job even though it was her first tour.
The history lesson was great, but seeing the view from the top was probably the best part.
If lighthouses, ocean views, old houses, and/​or history are your thing, check out Point Fermin!

After three years living in San Pedro, I was finally able to make time to take a quick tour of the lighthouse. Tours are available Tuesday-​Sunday at 1, 2, and 3 pm. Reservations are not necessary, but you can leave your name and a sticker with your time will be given to you to ensure a spot. There is no cost to visit the lighthouse, but a donation would be generous.
Inside, the rooms are decorated with donated, antique furniture. According to the docent, not much of what is displayed is original, except for some personal belongings, tools, instruments, clothes, etc. The society in charge of the lighthouse did an excellent job of replicating how it may have looked inside 80 – 120 years ago. The rooms are smaller than I expected, but there are many. It’s three levels, but if you have young children, the docent won’t let you go up to the very top since it’s quite steep. If you come on a sunny and warm day, strolling around the garden and lawns surrounding the house will be picturesque.
The gift shop is where you gather for the tour. The shop is small and quaint with all your basic souvenirs. I was happy to purchase a nice Point Fermin ornament and postcard to display at home.

I like history and this lighthouse does not disappoint. I showed up on a very quiet weekend, and just in time for the afternoon guided tour. There is no admission charge to enter, however I highly recommend leaving a donation to continue funding this wonderful opportunity, should you visit.
The historical items inside give you a nice look back in time. None of it is original to the lighthouse, but was donated by the local community to provide the look and feel of the lighthouse in it’s prime. You get a good sense of what life was like many years ago and I learned a few things, including the significance of the old saying «sleep tight».
The lighthouse itself is small and can be explored on your own very quickly, but a lot would be missed. The guided tour is highly recommended since it gives you an opportunity to talk to the folks that know the history of the lighthouse and the surrounding area. Keep in mind that they are all volunteers from the local area. My guide was very nice and was able to answer all my questions.
It is no where near the most amazing historical landmark I have ever seen, but it is a definite must if you are visiting the Los Angeles neighborhood of San Pedro!

During our coastal tour on Tuesday, we stopped here to check out the lighthouse.
Point Fermin Park surrounds the area and there are great trees of interest and a lovely view of the ocean.
We didn’t take a tour but tours are available. Lighthouses are a great and important piece of our history so they’re always fun to check out.
I love the park area. Lots of big beautiful trees provide great shade for picnics and parties. Just don’t use the restrooms. They are not properly maintained.

My 25 year old daughter and I visited this wonderful location during one of our «field trip days» yesterday (June 9, 2011). This time we visited San Pedro, primarily because she wanted to see the Korean Friendship Bell across the street.
When I was a child 40 years go, I went on many school field trips to the Point Fermin Lighthouse. But it was always closed to the public. Imagine my surprise yesterday when I discovered we could tour the structure!!! Yeah!
Needless to say, it is beautiful. The gardens are even more beautiful in public (my daughter just LOVED the gardens) and there is a vegetable garden the gives the White House Kitchen Garden a run for its money ;)
The entire experience was marvelous.
Our tour guide was KRISTEN. She was well informed and articulate. She allowed plenty of questions and frankly, her tour was so well organized and her answers were so on point, my daughter and I agreed we would not be surprised if she was an actual teacher/​professor.
She said the house has been open for tours since 2003.
There are spotless bathrooms and outdoor seats to use while you wait for your tour to begin. There is a small gift shop/​museum.
This is a must-​see for out of town guest and for locals, too.

The lighthouse and the park are gems! I was there on October 5, 2010, a day which had a fair amount of rain. Even so, I was able to see much and enjoy the history of the place. I was unable to stay for the next tour, but I will return when I have more time and don’t need to get back to downtown Los Angeles so quickly.
I cannot recommend this lovely place more highly.