You can walk several miles on marked trails. This coastal hardwood forest transitions into a mangrove wetland. On the west side of the Indian River Lagoon, the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area offers a beautiful hike through a forest of large live oaks full of airplants and Spanish moss with an understory of ferns and native plants. (Photo courtesy Captain Kimo)Ī highlight of Riverside Park is a landscaped man-made island turned into a veterans memorial, which has beautiful views and inspiring monuments. Veterans Memorial Island Sanctuary at Riverside Park in Indian River County. Free outdoor concerts occur most weekends at the Riverside Theatre’s driveway loop and the park has picnic tables, playgrounds, tennis courts and walking trails. ![]() Riverside Park, located on the beach side of the lagoon in the center of town, preserves a long stretch of lagoon front and is home to Vero Beach cultural institutions, including an art museum and theater. Vero Beach’s other waterfront: The Indian River LagoonĮven with such beautiful beaches, Vero Beach does not ignore its other waterfront, the Indian River Lagoon. They were so still, they looked like hairy rocks until they breathed and you briefly saw their snouts. Knowing that wildlife is unpredictable, I was dubious about that statement. But the manatees made good on the promise - three of them drifted in a lagoon area only a few feet from the boardwalk where they could be easily seen by happy visitors. I am always happy to see manatees, and everything I read said that I would see manatees here. See the lump at lower left? (Photo: David Blasco) Things to do in Vero Beach: Look for manatees at Round Island Park. There are two wonderful exceptions to that, and they are both worth a stop. The scenic waterfront trail passes through palm hammocks and coastal wetlands, although much of its eastern edge is now housing developments. We started at Wabasso Road on the northern end of Vero Beach where the Disney resort commands the beach, and drove south. The Jungle Trail is ideal for exploring on fat-tire bikes, but you also can drive (very slowly) on it, jog or walk. Indian River citrus was transported on Henry Flagler’s Florida’s East Coast Railroad (FEC), which began service here in 1893. It was constructed in the 1920s to help transport the citrus crop, for which Indian River County is still famous. This 8-mile-long hard-packed-sand road runs along the Indian River Lagoon. I am always intrigued by old roads and this is one is on the National Register of Historic Places. Things to do in Vero Beach: Slowly drive the old Jungle Trail Read a Florida Rambler story about the McKee Botanical Garden here.Ī highlight of the year is the annual Water Lily Festival. If you have kids, it’s a must: It has a wonderful whimsical children’s garden. ![]() Today, the garden makes for a delightful visit. The business partners created the garden as a tourist attraction when they realized the property they bought to turn into citrus groves was too beautiful to plow under. (Sexton also built the iconic Driftwood Inn on the beach.) Sexton came to the Vero Beach area in 1914 and became a citrus farmer, dairy farmer, business leader and developer. Waldo Sexton, an eccentric genius who left a lasting mark on Vero Beach, was the co-founder of the garden along with Arthur G. It features one of the biggest outdoor displays of water lilies in the United States, with lilies blooming in lagoons, streams and around waterfalls on paths that wind through the jungly property festooned with orchids.īefore there was Disney, McKee Botantical Garden attracted 100,000 visitors a year. McKee Botanical Garden, 350 US-1, Vero Beach, is my favorite stop in Vero Beach, both because of its beauty and its fascinating history. (Photo: Bonnie Gross) Things to do in Vero Beach: McKee Botanical Garden ![]() Things to do in Vero Beach: Water lilies at McKee Botanical Garden, Vero Beach.
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