The sunny, Spanish-style city of St. Augustine is a true tourist treasure. There are so many things to do during your Crescent Beach vacation, that one can explore the area for weeks and still not uncover all the history and natural beauty that St. Augustine has to offer. One local attraction you don’t want to miss is the Lightner Museum.
About Lightner Museum
Founded in 1948 by Otto C. Lightner, a Chicago publisher, collector, and professional hobbyist, the Lightner Museum in St. Augustine has long been dedicated to enriching the lives of visitors. Its aim is to “inspire curiosity, excite minds, and enrich lives” through its unique collection, exhibitions, events, and educational programs.
Here, you will find an immersive experience of art, architecture, history, and design. The collection includes everything from lamps to Victorian mechanical instruments. You’re guaranteed to find a little bit of everything among the Museum’s rich, eclectic collections!
Lightner Museum History
In 1948, the museum was originally founded as the Lightner Museum of Hobbies. Around this time, a collecting craze swept the American landscape as the country emerged from the Great Depression.
Besides the sudden impulse to save everything, there was also a significant expansion of leisure time for the American worker.
Working hours were reduced, initiating Saturday half days, and employees received regular vacation times. Certain interest groups – educators, ministers, and government officials – became concerned with how leisure time was used. Hobbies were encouraged as a way to reinforce the work ethic. Magazines of the time made claims like, “You will rarely find a man who has a hobby getting into trouble,” and it was even believed that crime could be wiped out entirely if every boy developed a hobby from a young age.
Lightner became a key figure promoting the hobby movement.
Though he died just two years after the museum was founded, it has continued to honor his legacy through its grand collection on display to the public. The museum itself occupies the former Alcazar Hotel, a Gilded Age resort hotel commissioned by a railroad magnate. Its distinctive Spanish-style architecture is unmistakable and now serves as a cultural destination for visitors from all over the world.
Lightner Museum Tours
Groups of all sizes are welcome! Whether you are traveling with friends or chaperoning a school group, Lightner’s skilled guides will know just what to show you. All tours are greeted by a trained docent in the museum’s Grand Lobby. Here, they will receive an introduction to the museum’s history and gallery spaces. The museum’s education programs cater to all ages, and you are guaranteed to walk away a lot more knowledgeable than when you came!
To book a tour or learn more about pricing, contact 904-824-2874 x102 or reme@lightermuseum.org.
The Collection
Lightner’s collection comprises all kinds of art and objects, a large part of which was acquired from Chicago’s grandest Gilded Age mansions during the Great Depression. This includes light fixtures, stained glass, sculpture, artwork, architectural fragments, and more. Lightner even encouraged readers of Hobbies magazine to donate their collections, which means there are coffee grinders, typewriters, salt and pepper shakers, cut glass, and even ticket stubs on display!
While many of these items remain permanently in the museum, there is a rotating display, which means that each time you visit, you are guaranteed to see something entirely different! If you visit between now and April 2022, you will get to view Picturing a Nation: American Art from the Lightner Museum, which is a new installation of late-nineteenth and early twentieth-century American paintings and sculptures from the museum’s permanent collection. Paintings display America’s great vistas and natural wonders, as well as intimate scenes of St. Augustine.
Another current exhibit is Tom Schifanella’s Faces of the Alcazar, which provides a compelling insight into the lives of working-class employees at Henry Flagler’s Alcazar Hotel. The exhibit features large photographic prints from early-twentieth-century motion picture magazines, giving a glimpse into the lives of the immigrant staff who lived and worked at the hotel while serving the wealthy visitors wintering in St. Augustine at the dawn of the twentieth century.
Coming in April is War and Pieces, a monumental contemporary craft installation that presents Dutch artist Bouke de Vries’s interpretation of an eighteenth-century tablescape. De Vries is a former conservator of art objects, and as such, he tries to breathe new life into traditional material, creating provocative works of art that blend historic porcelain with modern plastic elements. This is the dramatic culmination of the combination of past and present items.
Lightner Online
Lightner Online provides stories and videos for the culturally curious, and it is designed to showcase the extraordinary talents of artists who live in the Northeast and Central Florida regions. You may have visited the museum, but it’s unlikely you’ve had a chance to hear from the artist directly. After you visit the museum, consider checking out the Lightner website for talks about the exhibits you have just witnessed. For example, Suburban Echoes artist Ericka Sobrack shares the secrets about her small-scale landscape paintings, which focus on domestic scenes of suburban America. For the complete Lightner experiences, don’t miss the online platform!
Lightner Museum Store
While the museum’s eclectic collection is not for sale, you can still find something unique to take home as a souvenir in the museum store. It displays a carefully curated selection of specialty items inspired by the museum’s collections and location in the former Hotel Alcazar. Items for sale include Lightner Museum-style gifts, art and science specimens, clothing and accessories, and local jewelry.
The store is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and guests may stop by the store without having to pay admission to the museum.
Memberships
Consistent visitors will benefit from year-long membership to the Lightner Museum’s exhibitions. All members receive unlimited free admission to the museum for a full year, including special exhibitions; invitations to members-only previews of special exhibitions; 10 percent discount at the Museum and at Café Alcazar; 10 percent discount on admission tickets for up to two guests; advance sign-up and selected discounts on programs, camps, classes and workshops; and monthly members e-news.
Not only will you have access to all these impressive benefits, but your membership will support the museum’s maintenance and K-12 education programs.
Plan Your Visit
Contact us today to start planning your dream St. Augustine vacation.
Weddings
As one of the most iconic spaces in St. Augustine, the Lightner Museum has served as a venue for many important events over the decades. A Lightner Museum wedding is certainly an event to remember!
The site offers multiple indoor and outdoor venue spaces for weddings or other important events. These unique spaces provide the ability to accommodate intimate wedding ceremonies for 40 guests or grand events for up to 250 people. All in all, the Lightner Museum is one of the most elegant and versatile wedding venues in St. Augustine! Contact the museum team online for information about availability and pricing.
While enjoying your stay in sunny Florida, consider booking our world-class vacation rentals accommodations. Each suite is unique, and you can select from a range of St. Augustine suite rentals, balcony suites, and beachfront suites. Each rental is completely renovated and modernized, and all include a balcony overlooking the water!