Grantham Point is located on Tremain Street across from Gilbert Park on Lake Dora. The park is also known as Lighthouse Park. Grantham Point was created from rubble and fill.
One of Mount Dora's most famous landmarks, the lighthouse is located at Gratham Point. At a cost of $3,000, the lighthouse was paid for by civic groups and organizations. The 35 foot lighthouse was created from bricks and stucco and it was dedicated on March 25, 1988. Although many people consider it to be a fake lighthouse, it is registered to aid inland navigation, the only lighthouse of it's kind in Florida. The lighthouse has a 750-watt photocell that powers a blue pulsator that sends out a light to guide all of the boaters on Lake Dora after dusk. You can see the lighthouse from several area parks on the lake.
Also located at Grantham Point is a cannon that dates to between 1690 and 1730. It once shot off cannons from Spanish treasure ships in the early 18th century. The cannon was supposedly retrieved from the bottom of the ocean in the 90's by city council member Jim Conway who donated it to the city. In 2011 it was placed on a brick platform at Grantham Point.
Other park amenities include a boat launch, benches, fishing pier, and picnic table. I saw so many birds at Grantham Point, egrets, herons, ducks, anhingas, and common grackles. The birds gather around because the fishermen tend to feed them. I even saw a baby alligator, possibly a descendant of Old Joe swimming around. Mount Dora is very proud of their little lighthouse and uses it's image in many promotional pictures for the city. A visit to Mount Dora would not be complete without a stop at Grantham Point and it is the perfect place to watch the sunset in the hammock they have by the shore. read more