This is a 25.57 acre beach park that celebrates the 1513 voyage of Juan Ponce de León, the first…read morewesterner to reach Florida. It is believed that he landed near Melbourne Beach, Florida on April 2, 1513. Juan Ponce de León accompanied Columbus on his second voyage to America. He was a conquistador and later became the first Governor of Puerto Rico. Legend has it that he was searching for the Fountain of Youth in St. Augustine but the research of Florida historian Colonel Douglas T. Peck leads him to believe that instead he landed in Melbourne Beach searching for gold and to conquer and colonize the land for Spain. It is believed he chose the name Florida because his arrival coincided with the Easter feast, Pascua Florida. This park has restrooms, two beach access points, and the Juan Ponce de León Pavilion. The park also has a 10 foot high bronze statue of Juan Ponce de León unveiled in 2013 and the Juan Ponce de León Landing Mural. This is a cool park to visit for those who love history and the beach.

This beach is Beautiful, the ocean waves are nice, you can sometimes see manatees or other sea…read morecreatures. There's not too many people there's restrooms and a place to wash the sand off your feet

The Historic Hardee Oak Tree is located in the Old Town of Sebastian Historic District, East. The…read morecollection of 13 buildings is a designated U.S. Historic district. The well to do Hardee family owned a mansion in Sebastian on the east side of Main Street, west of the Indian River. The family owned the Hardees Service Station, the Eagle Co. Fish dock, and citrus groves. The place where the house once stood is marked by the Hardee Oak tree which was planted by Robert Hardee in 1891 when he was 19. Captain Robert C. Hardee became a tax assessor, post master, and a Sebastian Council member in 1926. In the 1950's his daughter Meta became the first woman to serve on the council. Legend has it that when the city put in the sidewalks in 1925, Hardee's mother Emma chained herself to the tree in order to keep it from being uprooted. The tree was further endangered by hurricanes Frances and Jeanne in 2004. The City Council voted to preserve the tree. During the revitalization of the water front, water pipes were placed underneath the tree instead of taking the easy way out by cutting it down. The tree now stands as a symbol of the history and tradition of the historic city of Sebastian.

House of Seven Gables is a historic home turned visitors center in Ft. Pierce. It was built in…read more1905. In 1943 it was a house of prostitution frequented by servicemen during WWII. In 1987 it was sold at auction and used as a taxidermy studio. In 1997 the house was donated to the city of Fort Pierce and moved to its present location on June 31, 1998. In 2000 the St. Lucie Chamber of Commerce opened the house as a visitor's center providing information about things to do in the area and places to stay and eat at. The volunteers who work here answer visitors questions and also give free tours of the house. If you are in the area it is worth a stop especially since the A. E. Backus Museum and Gallery and Manatee Observation and Education Center are located on either side of the House of Seven Gables.

This nice old house, built in 1905, houses the Visitors Center for Ft. Pierce, Florida. Check it…read moreout, if you're touring the area!

The original rail line between Sebastian and Fellsmere was built in 1896. The 10 mile railway was…read morereplaced in 1910 and officially opened to the public on May 1, 1911. The line was originally used by the Fellsmere Farm Company to haul the heavy equipment that allowed them to excavate the drainage canals allowing them to build the town of Fellsmere. The Fellsmere Depot opened on January 23, 1913, and Edward Nelson Fell, the founder of Fellsmere, purchased the first ticket. The train was then used for passenger transportation. By April 1915, another 6 miles of track was added to extend to the next extinct town of Broadmoor. The Trans-Florida Central Railroad took over railroad operations on June 2, 1924. They operated the trains until November 30, 1952,when the railroad officially ceased operations after 42 years of service. The old railway corridor has now been transformed into the rails to trails project. The abandoned Trans-Florida Central Railway trails have been turned into hiking and mountain biking trails. The trail is a 2 mile hiking and biking pathway sitting in a former railroad corridor that once connected Sebastian and Fellsmere. The centerpiece of the trail is the iconic bridge over Interstate-95 where the name of the trail is displayed prominently in huge letters across the span of the bridge. It was designed to look like an old trail bridge. Though the railroad trail is about 15 miles long, only 2 miles of trail have been completed. You can enter the trail at the end of Fellsmere historic district where this marker is located. There is another entrance across from the Brookside Historical Cemetery.

The Frank and Stella Heiser House is a single story blue and white bungalow on 138th Ave. The five…read moreroom, five gabled, 1,440 square foot home once belonged Frank and Stella Heiser, pioneers of Fellsmere Florida. Frank William Heiser was born in Lafayette, Indiana, in 1892. In 1912, he moved to a 20 acre farm he purchased in Fellsmere. In 1915 he married Stella Mounger who worked as the Fellsmere Sales Company secretary. Their family home was built by local builders, Shupe and Shafer. In 1918, the Heisers welcomed their only child, a daughter, Lois. Next to Fellsmere founder E. Nelson Fells, Frank Heiser, would become the second most important person in Fellsmere. He recognized an opportunity in the nutrient rich muck fields that existed west of the town. In 1923, he organized the Standard Agricultural Chemical Company which became the Ammoniated Products Company in 1924. The company processed the muck into a fertilizer base at the APC Broadmoor Muck Plant 5 miles west of town. In 1925, Heiser became General Manager of the Trans Florida Central Railroad and President of the Fellsmere Drainage District until 1946. In 1926, Heiser became APC's General Manager and the company became the largest landowner in Indian River County. Eventually high shipping costs forced the company out of business and the plant closed. During the Great depression in the 1930's, Frank William Heiser saved the town of Fellsmere from complete economic collapse. In 1927 he planted his first test crop of sugar cane in Fellsmere's muck land. After that crop was successful he planted an additional 100 acres in 1929. The sugar cane sparked his goal of opening a sugar mill and after securing a million dollars in financing he was he was able to open one. Heiser founded the Fellsmere Sugar Company in 1931 and built the mill west of Fellsmere in 1932 using materials from his muck plant and a Louisiana sugar mill. By 1933, the Fellsmere Sugar Mill was producing 2 million pounds of raw sugar and it employed 225 people. From 1935 to 1937, he converted the company into a cooperative, the Fellsmere Sugar Producer's Association, A sugar refinery, the first in Florida was added in 1936. It could produce up to 150,000 pounds of refined sugar daily. Heiser's company became the Florida Crystals brand. In 1943, Heiser and the other members sold it to Puerto Rican sugar producers. The Heisers eventually left Fellsmere and moved to Jacksonville, but Frank returned for visits until his death in Jacksonville in 1961. Stella died in 1976. From his beginnings as an orphan and a school drop out Heiser became an unsung hero of Fellsmere saving the town from financial collapse. This home is the last remaining structure related to Heiser's life and work in Fellsmere. When new owners Pat and Cornelius du Plessis, came to it's rescue the house was in disrepair and on the auction block. They knew about it because they lived next door. The du Plessises purchased the home at for $45,000 in 2016. Contractors who looked at the house recommended that they tear it down but they couldn't bear to lose such a historical structure so instead over six months, they put about $55,000 into repairing the house, restoring it to its former glory. Restoration included have wallpaper created for the front room composed of photographs from the early days of the town of Fellsmere. Photographs of Frank and Stella Heiser hang above the fireplace. The living room and dining room furniture were originally part of the home. Even the garage and the pole barn are historical too having been created putting old railroad rails from the Trans Florida Central Railroad together. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 29, 2017. Although the house is privately owned, the couple periodically open it to the public.

In 1919 when Vero Beach was incorporated, the population was 800 souls. Downtown existed primarily…read moreat the intersection of Osceola boulevard and Seminole Avenue. It is fun to check out all of the historic buildings from Vero's early years. Many of the buildings date from the 1920's during Florida's land boom years. During this time period there was a tradition of naming buildings and streets after Native American tribes like in the case with the 1918 Seminole Building. The first county offices of Indian River were located on the second floor of the Seminole building until the Indian River County Courthouse was built in 1935. Today the building houses Napier and Rollins, family law attorneys and the Treasure Coast Newspaper. Nice to see the old building still has life left in her.

I've been driving by this "historic marker" for years, like most of these markers there's nothing…read moreto see commemorating the "I Dream of Jeanie" television show. I finally turn in on the drivable lane and did a short drive through the park, the parking lot to my surprise was filled with vehicles, most were there to let their dogs run free inside the fenced in dog park. Since the sitcom ran between 1965 - 1970 a lot of today's kids are oblivious to this show which most from my generation watched religiously after school after playing outside or riding our motor-less bicycles, life was simpler. Barbara Eden is now 94 according to Wikipedia and is the only surviving member of the cast and receives no royalties since she opted for a cash payment after getting a new contract after the third season of the show...

"I Dream of Genie" was an extremely popular television show that was set in Cocoa Beach, Florida…read moreand the city of Cocoa Beach chose to honor this television show by naming what is really a driveway to a park as a street in Cocoa Beach. This is a cool little tidbit to come across in Cocoa Beach. I love finding thes llittle roadside attractions that in my opinion give a town a bit of personality. If you find yourself in Cocoa Beach, Florida, I definitely recommend seeking this sign out.

I came here with my homeschooling co-op, they did a free mini class event for us. Very nice of the…read moreteacher to take the time to teach the kiddos all about navigation and she made it really fun for them as well as broke it down for them to understand in game form. I think it lasted about 25 mins or so. Only wish I would have walked more into their trail to see the water view if there is one I didn't get to see it. In all a cool spot to get a bit of history and sight seeing.

Wow! What a cool place. My husband and I have been choosing a different nature sanctuary in…read moreBrevard county to explore and walk, today we chose Sams house and Pine Island sanctuary. We decided to park at the Pine Island end of the trail, there are a couple of rustic areas to park. The trail head for the Pine Island loop which is about 3/4 of a mile is near the manatee viewing area and kayak launch. The walk from parking area to the start of the garnet trail which takes you to Sam's house is a wide open green area that is used for walking or horseback riding, there is no shade but if you're lucky there is a beautiful breeze along the lake. The trail to Sam's house is very rustic with some boardwalks and lots of root covered ground. The path is clear but some areas a a little soft due to the surrounding canals. Sam's house is one of the original homes in Merritt Island. There are areas with explanations and examples of what was grown and sold in the area. Apparently there were prehistoric animal remains found in the area as well as the burial mound of Indigenous people. This is a definite place to revisit and explore the other trails and bits of history.

**INITIAL REVIEW**…read more The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Tour (which I will shorthand simply to the Lighthouse Tour) has been one of those "backyard adventures" I've been wanting to go on for the longest time. Eventually, I was able to partake in said adventure with my friends, Nate and Chops. Afterwards, I have to say that even for a probably "one-and-done" for a tour, it is definitely worth every penny spent. This tour was everything I wanted and loved, and it delivered. First and foremost, the actual business building for the Lighthouse Tour is nothing you have to worry about. According to all the tours, you will meet up at the Sands Space Museum and take a charter van to multiple locales on the tour. Before we get to the actual tour I partook in, it should be noted there are numerous tour options such as the museums alone, the lighthouse alone, or the full experience. Prices range from $35 (lighthouse only) to $65 (full tour). I went with the latter which includes numerous museums, historic launch sites, and the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse. It should also be noted that the more you do, the longer the tour. The full tour is four hours long. Please take note the things you need to check before the tour such as wearing shoes if you plan to walk up the five floors of the lighthouse, small bags allowed with small closed-contained foods and drinks only. Finally, you need to fill out a clearance check as all the stops, with the exception of Sands Space Museum, is on the Cape Canaveral Air Force Military Base. With those in mind, the full tour - known as the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse and Space Flight Tour - is all the stops if possible. I say "if possible" because some stops may be closed for maintenance or upgrades. For us, The Sands Space Museum, where the tour stars, was closed for renovation. However, the museum is free and not on protected property so I can go back and check it out. We visited four different launch sites, three museums, and the Cape Canaveral lighthouse. I personally loved the lighthouse and Hanger "A" which housed some of the larger historic rockets and jets that have helped bring NASA and the U.S. military where it is now. I personally was surprised that the first drone was used as target practice. I can't really detail everything I saw or this would become one my longest reviews, longer than I usually do. Just know that, like I said earlier in the review, for a possible one-and-done, it is worth every penny. However, if you really want to make sure the tour is a one-and-done, pay for the full tour. You'll have enough time to visit everything within the four hours, and if anything is closed, they'll take you to the Canaveral National Seashore, which was amazing because it is literally almost "untouched" by tourism. I will give this tour four out of five stars. I am not going to say consistency will earn the fifth star because only a super fan will take this tour numerous times... or work for the tour company. I will say that the lacking star has to do with the price. It can be high overall especially if stops are closed for some reason.

Great experience an excellent adventure for all in the family. Make sure add to you agenda.read more