Extending north from Palm Beach County until reaching the Space Coast in Brevard County, is Florida’s magnificent Treasure Coast, comprising Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties. The Treasure Coast has both cities and an abundance of smaller towns, offering that Old Florida feel. Martin County boasts a beautiful natural landscape filled with water from ocean, to river, to lake. Fort Pierce offers some of the best surfing in Florida. The coast offers many kinds of activities for a wide range of interests, from rodeos to high-end shopping, art galleries, and one-of-a-kind museums to eco-friendly sea turtle adventures. Some of the best billfish sport fishing in the world is found along the Treasure Coast.
These centrally located counties are highly accessible from both north and south: both Miami and Orlando airports are within two hour drives, and Palm Beach International Airport is even closer. Many people choose the Treasure Coast for its convenience to the cultural and urban life of the Palm Beaches and Miami, while yet retaining a smaller, hometown comfort combined with an appealing sense of privacy and space.
Popular towns include Port St. Lucie (the largest), Fort Pierce, Hutchinson Island, Jensen Beach, Stuart and Vero Beach. Stuart and Jensen Beach are known for their extensive and beautiful beaches. The towns straddle the Indian River and the barrier island that is also home to Hutchinson Island and continues northward into the town of Fort Pierce.
Hobe Sound, just south of Stuart, is one of the most beautiful natural areas in Florida, as well as a location providing the seclusion and privacy many celebrities seek. Medalist Village and Golf Club is an exclusive housing and golf development where one might bump into nearby residents Tiger Woods or Dan Marino on the course. It is also home to several natural preserves including the Blowing Rocks Preserve, the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, and the Hobe Sound Nature Center. Jonathan Dickinson State Park is one of the best outdoor activities areas in Florida, offering a wide range of activities from canoeing to camping.
Actual gold can be found on the beaches of the Treasure Coast. Eleven treasure ships of the Spanish fleet sank near the Sebastian Inlet during a hurricane in 1715, giving this area its name. To this day, Peruvian gold in the form of Escudos Lima and Mexican silver in the form of Reales from the lost fleet can be found along the coast’s intertidal zone. Fans of the Caribbean pirate television series Black Sails will be familiar with the ship Urca de Lima, which is a real shipwreck off the coast of Florida near Fort Pierce. In 1987, the Urca became the first shipwreck in the Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserves, which now has 12 ships from all stages of America’s maritime history in an underwater museum extending the length of the Florida coastline.
The beauty of the Treasure Coast is unparalleled. A string of barrier islands lays like a golden necklace along the Atlantic coastline, separated from the mainland by the Intracoastal Waterway, the boating lane that reaches 3000 miles from New Jersey to Key West and around the Gulf of Mexico to Brownsville, Texas. From one of the only areas in Florida where one can go horseback riding on the beach, to intense sport fishing excursions in the waters of the Gulf Stream, to some of the best golf courses in Florida, to the fragrant citrus groves of the Indian River, the Treasure Coast has much to offer a new resident, in some of the most beautiful natural settings in the state.
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