Cape Canaveral, FL – January 2017 – SunWard Tours, an established provider of historical, educational and adventure excursions; along with the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation and the 45^th Space Wing, are pleased with the first year’s response to the guided tours of the historic Cape Canaveral Lighthouse and the iconic launch sites on the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Over the past year guests from all over Florida and the United States have expressed their delight with the fully narrated and guided tours and a glimpse of our maritime and space exploration history.

Public Access to the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse was halted in June of 2013 due to sequestration and the heightened security status required at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It was only January 2016 that the Air Force, the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation and SunWard Tours were able to offer tours to the general public.

The tours begin from the Exploration Tower in Port Canaveral where guests board a comfortable, air conditioned bus with a SunWard/Lighthouse Foundation guide. The primary focus of the tour remains the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse. Following a one hour stop at the Lighthouse the bus continues past other historic sites on the Air Force station pausing at many iconic launch sites which will be pointed out and described by your guide.  Leaving the Air Force Station, the bus makes a brief stop at the Sands Missile History Center and then returns all guests to the Exploration Tower where they have the rest of the afternoon to enjoy the tower’s exhibits, history and views.

The cost of the tour is $27.00 per guest and reservations must be made at least 48 hours in advance. Since the tour is on a secure Air Force Station, a detailed manifest is sent to the Air Force Security Office for review. They require that we submit the full legal name, date of birth and driver’s license number for each guest that is a US citizen. Non-US citizens must also provide their passport number, country of issue and expiration date, as well as their place of birth. For more information about tours to this iconic lighthouse, please call 321-543-3994. Reservations may be made online at www.CanaveralLighthouse.com.

Rocky Johnson, chair of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation, is delighted at the response of residents and visitors over the past year. “The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse and the 45^th Space Wing are important pieces of Florida’s rich history and this tour is a way to share their respective roles in history with guests from all over the world.”

Sunward Tours is well known for escorting visitors to the Space Coast on adventure and educational tours. We offer guided tours to the Kennedy Space Center, local and Orlando attractions as well as many different nature based excursions. We are recognized by the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex as their single largest seller of guest passes and guided tours. We have also been recognized by local Chambers of Commerce as well as the Tourism Development Council for our commitment to our community and for providing outstanding service to guests on the Space Coast.

Submitted by Ron Thorstad, Sunward Tours, on January 17, 2017; phone – 321-453-3994; email: CanaveralLighthouse@gmail.com

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U.S. Lighthouse Society News is produced by the U.S. Lighthouse Society to support lighthouse preservation, history, education and research. Please consider joining the U.S. Lighthouse Society if you are not already a member. If you have items of interest to the lighthouse community and its supporters, please email them to candace@uslhs.org.

Candace Clifford

Candace was the US Lighthouse Society historian from 2016 until she passed away in August 2018.  For 30 years, her work involved lighthouse history.  She worked with the National Park Service and the Council of American Maritime Museums. She was a noted author and was considered the most knowledgable person on lighthouse information at the National Archives.  Books by Candace Clifford include: Women who Kept the Lights: a History of Thirty-eight Female Lighthouse Keepers ,  Mind the Light Katie, and Maine Lighthouses, Documentation of their Past.