Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
are now displayed in a new $20-million gallery complete with robotic racking system,
which ferries cars to the foreground and rotates them for viewing.
Other collections segue bizarrely from a 1910 Pelican hydro-airplane and a collection of
outboard motors to artifacts detailing the history of prominent Martin County citizens.
There's also the second-largest collection of autographed baseballs and baseball cards in
the country.
Florida Oceanographic Coastal Science Center
AQUARIUM
( 772-225-0505;
www.floridaoceanographic.org
; 890 NE Ocean Blvd; adult/child $12/6;
10am-5pm Mon-Sat, noon-4pm Sun)
This center is great for kids who'll be mesmerized by the four 300-gallon tropical-fish
aquariums, a worm reef and touch tanks with crabs, sea cucumbers and starfish. There's an
excellent menu of guided tours and nature programs, from guided nature walks at 10:15am
(except Sundays) to daily stingray feedings to summer sea-turtle-spotting expeditions.
Hutchinson Island
BEACH
This long, skinny barrier island, which begins in Stuart and stretches north to Fort Pierce,
features a stunning array of unspoiled beaches. All beaches have free access, and are ex-
cellent for walking, swimming and even a bit of snorkeling. The beaches get less touristed
the further north you go.
St Lucie Inlet State Park
PARK
( 772-219-1880; 4810 SE Cove Rd; admission per boat $2; 8am-sunset)
Accessible only by boat, the main part of this park protects 6 sq miles of reef in the Atlant-
ic Ocean just off Jupiter Island. Twelve species of hard and soft coral inhabit the reef, so
anchor on the sandy bottom. Snorkeling and scuba diving are permitted; depths range from
5ft to 35ft. Complementing the 2.7 miles of beaches are toilets and running water, piers
and hiking trails. From the mainland at the eastern end of Cove Rd, a 3300ft boardwalk
runs from dock to beach.
Lady Stuart
FISHING
(
772-286-1860;
www.ladystuart.com
; 555 NE Ocean Blvd, Stuart; adult/child $40/30)
