Florida's Indian River County: from water sports to grapefruit groves, the Vero Beach area offers everything under the sun - Brief Article

Travel America, May-June, 2002 by Alice Ross

To baseball fans, Indian River County is the spring training home of the Los Angeles Dodgers. To beach lovers, it's 26 miles of paradise. For sports nuts, it's year-round golf and tennis. To tourists, the area means a wealth of arts, culture, interesting attractions, and great shopping. And for thousands of residents, Indian River County is the best place on earth to live.

Despite all it has to offer, Indian River County retains a small-town atmosphere. Located about halfway down Florida's east coast, it's "where the tropics begin." Blessed by balmy breezes, it's comprised of five municipalities, the largest being Vero Beach. Dodgertown may be Vero's most well-known site, and besides hosting spring training games, packs in the fans during summer to cheer the Vero Beach Dodgers. Dodgertown recently opened its villas to the public so fans can enjoy the same accommodations that in the past have housed the team's greats.

For sun and fun, the county can't be beat. The beach lies between the Atlantic and the Indian River Lagoon, offering endless water-related activities. Fishing, sailing, windsurfing, and boating are a few options. Rent your own boat or sit back and let someone else do the work: Take a river cruise and watch the manatees and dolphins at play, or linger over a dinner cruise. Learn all about the lagoon ecosystem at the Environmental Learning Center on Wabasso Island.

Ocean and river meet at Sebastian Inlet, where a state park is a haven for campers and picnickers. At the recreation area, the McLarty Treasure Museum intrigues visitors with treasures from ancient Spanish shipwrecks.

Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge protects thousands of pelicans and other birds. Celebrating its 100th birthday in 2003, the sanctuary has the distinction of being the first refuge established in the United States. The Oslo Riverfront Conversation Area provides a trail system through 350 acres and boasts the largest slash pine tree in the world, the "Awesome Pine."

Vero's newest attraction is also the state's second oldest--McKee Botanical Garden. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, McKee had been closed for 25 years. Its acreage has been downsized, but the garden provides today's busy world with a little oasis, boasting an outstanding collection of palms, water lilies, and ornamental plants from around the world.

Beauty takes many forms in Vero Beach, and the arts have long been a draw for visitors. The Center for the Arts presents classes, concerts, dramatic performances, and national and international art exhibitions. Vero Beach Concert Association presents performances by renowned orchestras, ensembles, soloists, and ballet companies, and has featured such favorites as the Joffrey Ballet. The Indian River Symphonic Association, Vero Beach Choral Society, and Community Church Concert Series provide the best in musical offerings. The works of many local artists are displayed in the Artists Guild Gallery.

More recently, shoppers have been making a beeline for the area. Cash registers ring up discount prices at the 85-store Prime Outlets; major department stores, fountains, and cinemas are some of the reasons to head for Indian River Mall; home furnishings and supplies attract shoppers to Indian River Commons. The beach area features charming specialty shops, great for leisurely browsing and unusual finds.

If you've never been to the county but the name sounds familiar, you might have sampled its delicious fruit. More grapefruit is shipped from the Indian River area than anywhere else. The story is told in the Indian River Citrus Museum in Vero Beach.

Golfers have nearly 20 beautiful courses at which to play, and players of every level will find the perfect course.

Where to eat and where to stay requires some tough decision-making because the range is wide; from delis and grills to five-star dining, quaint B & B's to elegant beachfront resorts. Families are finding just about everything under the sun under one roof at Disney's Vero Beach Resort, with its charming turn-of-the-century style.

Whatever your pleasure--sun, fun, the arts, the beach--you'll find it at its finest in Indian River County.

Indian River County Tourism Division (TravelAmerica Magazine), P.O. Box 2947, Vero Beach, FL 32961; (561) 567-3491; www.indianriverchamber.com.