| Treasure Coast The area just north of Palm Beach, called the Treasure Coast, includes Stuart, Port St. Lucie, Hutchinson Island, and Jensen Beach. This area has been rated as one of the top places to retire because it has more to offer than the Palm Beach area and yet it is far less expensive. The community has taken great pains to curb the runaway development that has overwhelmed many Florida towns. You will find many modern hospitals, upscale malls, and movie and art theaters within a radius of 15 miles. Treasure Coast offers a lot of leisure time, cultural, and educational activities for the entire family. If you want to do everything the area has to offer, you may have to move here permanently. Situated right on I95 and Florida Turnpike, and only 40 miles from the Palm Beach International airport. Okeechobee and West Palm Beach Amtrak train stations are just 40 miles away.  |
| Beaches Twenty-one miles of clean, sandy, and unspoiled beaches offer a laid-back resort vacation. The beaches with ample parking, bathroom, and showers attract a lot of surfers and swimmers. Explore the sand dunes and coral reef in clear and calm waters. |
| Fishing This area is the sail fish capital of the world. Bring your own boat or take an excursion in a chartered boat. Severaloperatorsrun charters for fishing fun. With access to the Atlantic Ocean through several inlets, you can find plenty of marine life including spiny lobsters, marlin, snook, mahi-mahi, wahoo, flounder and grouper. |
| Canoeing, Kayaking, and Boating The intracoastal waters that stretch between Jensen Beach and Hutchinson Island is great for canoeing, kayaking, and boating. The island has many public access points for launching your boats, and provides vast areas for parking your cars and vans. A place of special interest is Jonathan Dickinson State Park, the most popular area for canoeing. You can even rent a canoe at the concession stand in the park. |
| Snorkeling & Scuba Diving Three popular artificial reefs – the USS Rankin, Donaldson Reef, and Ernst Reef – off Hutchinson Island provide excellent scenery for both novice and experienced divers. The USS Rankinis a World War II ship that is 459 feet long lying in 80 feet of water. The Donaldson Reefis a group of steel tanks and barrels at a depth of 58 feet to create an artificial reef. The Ernst Reef, made of old tires, is at a depth of 60 feet. |
| Golf The island and the area have many golf courses that are not expensive. If you want to play like a pro, there are at least four Professional Golf Association (PGA) Championship golf courses. Notable are the championship courses designed by pros such as Tom Fazio (Champions Club at Summerfield) and Jack Nicklaus (Sailfish Point Golf Club). Port St. Lucie is home to the PGA Learning Center, the PGA Historical Center, and the PGA Golf Professional Hall of Fame. It is also home to the Probst Library that houses the world's premier collections of golf periodicals and memorabilia. |
| Baseball Port St. Lucie is home to Major League Baseball's New York Mets’ Spring Training headquarters atThomas J. White Stadium. Port St. Lucie is also home to Minor League Baseball's St. Lucie Mets, a Class High-A affiliate of the New York team. Both teams play at newly renovated Tradition Field. |
| Shopping& Restaurants The area boasts many malls and notable is the Treasure Coast Mall that houses major stores such as Macy’s and Dillards. You will find many boutiques, exclusive stores, and discount stores such as Wal-Mart in this area for your shopping convenience. For the fine palette, the River Road is lined with fresh sea food restaurants. The less adventurous can always find the popular chain and other fine restaurants. |
| Theaters & Museums Besides manymovie complexes, Treasure Coast is home to several theatersand museums including the cutting-edge Rave Theater. The 40,000-square-foot, 1200-seat Sunrise Theatre, built in 1923 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places is just a few minutes away. Notable museums are the A.E. Bean Backus Gallery & Museum and St. Lucie County Historical Museum. Do not miss The Navy UDT-SEAL Museum that is the world’s only museum dedicated exclusively to the elite warriors of Naval Special Warfare. |
| Nature & Wildlife – From Gators to Manatees to Turtles to Birds Jonathan Dickinson State Park- Hobe Sound Wildlife Refuge -Savannas Preserve State Park -The Indian River Lagoon Estuary - See many of Florida's unique wildlife, including alligators and manatees. This area is bird-watchers delight, where you can see rare and endangered species such as the bald eagle, Florida scrub-jay, and Florida sand hill crane. Rent a canoe and explore the park at your leisure. Or go aboard the Loxahatchee Queen, a 35-foot, 44-passenger pontoon boat in Jonathan Dickinson State Park, for an organized tour of the area's inaccessible backwaters, where curious alligators, manatees, eagles, and tortoises roam. Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center– This center is nature lover's Disney World featuring 57 acres of marine and nature adventure consisting of aquariums, touch tanks, 10,000 gallon rays on the reef stingray tank, and Game Fish Lagoon stocked with tarpon, snook, redfish and trout. Take a guided nature walk on the beautiful one-mile nature trail to the Indian River Lagoon. Manatee Observation and Education Center– Home to abundant wildlife, including the endangered Florida manatee. You can explore the diversity of the Indian River Lagoon on a 90 minute journey aboard the Manatee Center's Wildlife Boat Tour. Keep a sharp lookout for manatees, fish, dolphin and birds. |
| Hospitals Martin Memorial Medical Center, Stuart – 344 Beds, 400 Doctors, 3,000 employees. Saint Lucie Medical Center, Port St. Lucie –194 Beds Savannas Hospital, Port St. Lucie – 75 Beds Lawnwood Regional Medical Center, Fort Pierce -341 Beds Cleveland Clinic Hospital, FL is about 100 miles away in Weston, FL |
| For additional information on the Treasure Coast area, please seeFrommers' Guide. |