Lighthouse Point, FL: the canal city next door

A small city built on the water

Lighthouse Point is the next city north of Pompano Beach in Broward County. It was incorporated in 1956 and is almost entirely built out, with more than 95 percent of the city developed. What makes it different is the water. The city counts 18 miles of waterways, and many of its single-family homes sit right on a canal with a boat at the dock.

Its east side opens onto the Intracoastal Waterway, and Federal Highway (US-1) runs along its west side. The canals connect to the Intracoastal and out to the ocean through Hillsboro Inlet, which is why so many boaters choose to live here. The city is named for the Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse, which stands just across the inlet.

Getting there from Pompano Beach

Lighthouse Point is a short drive north. Most visitors take Federal Highway, which is lined with shopping centers, restaurants and the city’s businesses. There is no public beach in Lighthouse Point itself, so think of it as an afternoon or an evening out rather than a beach day. The beach stays a 2-minute walk from your door at Pompano Breeze.

You can also arrive by water. The Water Taxi’s Pompano Beach route runs up the Intracoastal to a stop at Lighthouse Point Marina, which turns the trip into a short cruise.

Water taxi stops and schedules change during the year. Check the operator’s site before you plan around it.

Cap’s Place: dinner by boat

The best-known reason visitors come to Lighthouse Point is Cap’s Place. It is Broward County’s oldest restaurant and sits on a small island in the Intracoastal. It began in the 1920s as a rum-running speakeasy and casino, built from wooden shacks attached to an old barge that was floated up from Miami. Cap’s was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

You cannot drive to it. You park on the mainland at Cap’s dock, 2765 NE 28th Ct, and ride the restaurant’s own launch across. The menu leans on local fish and seafood, and the wooden rooms are covered in old photographs. It is the kind of dinner people still talk about on the drive home.

Cap’s Place is open only some evenings of the week and the boat runs on the restaurant’s schedule. Check capsplace.com or call before you go.

Parks and getting outside

For a city its size, Lighthouse Point has a lot of green space: about 20 acres of parks and mini-parks, including Dan Witt Park for sports and the Lighthouse Point Tennis Center. There are about 13 miles of sidewalks and bike paths, so the residential streets make a pleasant early-morning walk or ride past the canals. The city also runs its own library.

Boating and fishing

This is a boater’s town. Its canals lead straight to Hillsboro Inlet, where charter and drift fishing boats head out to sea. If you want a day on the water, our guide to fishing charters from Hillsboro Inlet is the place to start. For the lighthouse itself, read our Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse guide.

A simple Lighthouse Point evening

• Late afternoon: walk the beach in Pompano Beach, then shower and change at home.
• Golden hour: drive north and stop at Hillsboro Inlet Park in Pompano for a look at the lighthouse.
• Dinner: cross to Cap’s Place on the launch, or pick a spot on Federal Highway.
• After dinner: back to the courtyard and an early night before sunrise on the sand.

What Lighthouse Point feels like

Drive off Federal Highway onto the side streets and the city changes quickly. The roads are quiet, lined with low homes, palms and docks, and you catch glimpses of boats tied up behind almost every house. Many residents are boaters, and on a weekend morning you will see them heading out toward the Intracoastal and the inlet.

There is not a big tourist scene, and that is the appeal. It is a place for a slow drive or bike ride, a waterfront dinner and a look at how people live on the water in South Florida. For a guest staying in Pompano Beach, it is an easy evening outing that feels different from the beach.

Pompano Beach or Lighthouse Point?

Lighthouse Point is residential and on the canals, and Pompano Beach has the ocean, the pier and the public beach. If your trip is about the sand, stay in Pompano and visit Lighthouse Point for dinner. Our location page shows exactly where we are.

Staying nearby

Lighthouse Point is mostly residential. Pompano Breeze, just to the south in Pompano Beach, gives you the beach on foot and the canal city a short drive away. Our suites sleep 4 to 5 and studios sleep 2 to 3, all around a courtyard pool with free parking. For more nearby towns, see our Deerfield Beach guide and our Pompano Beach, FL guide. When you are ready, check availability and book direct.