The Stuart Welcome Arch was commissioned in 1925 by the Stuart Chamber of Commerce to celebrate the…read morecreation of Martin County, with Stuart as the county seat. At the time Stuart envisioned themselves becoming even bigger than Miami. The arch was designed by Nat C. Hogdon of Pfeiffer and O'Reilly Architects, in the ornate Mediterranean Revival style that was typical during Florida's land boom years. The arch was built by A. L. Doenges and completed on February 20, 1926 at a site donated by the development of Stuart Shores. The arch was placed where Stuart's boundary on A1A met the southern limit of Jensen Beach. Businesses and individuals from both towns donated to a campaign that paid for the arch. It was conceived as a way to welcome the many motorists coming to winter in Florida on the main route to Miami. On the Stuart side the arch reads "Atlantic Gateway to the Gulf of Mexico" on the crossbeam which commemorated the 1923 opening of the cross-state Stuart to Ft. Myers canal. Great fishing on the St. Lucie River that was supposed to lure people was ruined when the state started used the canal to flush polluted overflow from Lake Okeechobee out to sea. "Jensen" appears on the south side of the arch's crossbeam. The chamber had originally planned to build gateways at both the northern and southern boundaries of Stuart but the bust of the land boom caused by hurricanes and the Great Depression prevented additional construction. During the Great Depression, the town of Jensen went bankrupt and was dissolved, while Stuart lost most of it's land north of the St. Lucie River resulting in the arch now being located in an unincorporated area of Martin County called Rio. After construction the arch was vandalized in the 1940's during WWII when the brass was stolen. A 1949 hurricane toppled the crossbeam, and a car accident destroyed the east tower in 1976. In 1977 the east tower was rebuilt and in 1994 it was painted hot pink. In 1998 the arch was again struck by a vehicle, this time a garbage truck that took out the replaced crossbeam. The arch was repaired with a new beam featuring "Welcome to Rio" on the south side and "Welcome to Jensen Beach" on the north side. On September 15, 2004 the arch was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Stuart never lived up to the it's 1920's hype and the arch saw less travelers with the building of Route 1 and Interstate 95. Even so, in 2006 Martin County paid an architectural firm in Key West $235,000 to restore the beloved landmark to the way it originally looked. A dedication plaque was installed during this time. Although arches were popular with the advent of motor travel this is one of the last few to still remain. Drive under it and remember when it was the main artery for snowbirds flocking to South Florida for the winter.

I went for an early morning walk on the Roosevelt Bridge to catch the sunrise, and it was…read moreabsolutely beautiful! The views were stunning, making it a peaceful and refreshing experience. There was a section of the bridge under construction, but it didn't take away from the overall experience--it was still an easy walk.

The Roosevelt Bridge is a major highway segmental bridge across the St. Lucie River in Stuart,…read moreFlorida. Carrying U.S. Route 1, it was built to supersede the old Roosevelt Bridge, which had twin parallel drawbridges, one for northbound traffic and the other for southbound. The bridge is only 24 years old and recently has had cracks and concrete falling. Repairs are being done.

The Jupiter Community Center is located just south of Indiantown road off of Military Trail in…read moreJupiter. I have been attending this location to play indoor basketball on occasions in their fairly sizable gymnasium. The recreation programs and community meeting space provides residents a location for adult and children events. The facility has several areas for recreational and social events; classrooms for educational events, full-sized gymnasium, multipurpose room and banquet/meeting rooms. The banquet/meeting rooms are available to rent for any particular social or business event. If one wanted to participate in an early basketball game prior to heading to their job, they have a locker room with showers.

This is a very large library, I love their large study rooms. I've been to other libraries that…read morehave a few study rooms, this one has. I think nine of them plus conference rooms that you can request or reserve. They have a very large children section, a separate teen area, and I love that they always have out recommendations of books or movies, and it usually follows a theme. The parking lot is well maintained too, but I wish there were more lights at night.

The Palm Beach Gardens branch Library is a very large, spacious County library--and nicely laid…read moreout. After passing through the bathroom/book check-in entryway area and through the security panels, an inviting middle walkway lined with dvds invites one to browse. Modern comfortable seating - living-room style - provides an inviting space to chill and peruse one's findings. There is a 'local authors' section next to the security panels when you walk in, a nice touch. There is a room just for teenagers and young adult fiction; I would have loved this room if it had existed when I was a teenager! It includes tables and computers. Awesome for teens to have a 'safe' space away from adults and small children. The children's area is quite spacious, with a large entryway and open corridors between sections. The area is placed far from the regular library-goers so that children might squeal without disturbing too many patrons. It also features: lots of lights entering from windows, whimsical wooden bookcases and chairs, and a family bathroom (complete with child-size toilet and sink). The leather seating is pretty worn out, but otherwise the space is well-kept. The parking lot features a ton of parking spaces and a drive-through book drop-off.

Yikes! I'm living in Stuart over 2 years & this was the first time I was diverted to this crazy…read moreroundabout due to road closures, & yes - was thoroughly confused & highly intimidated by that railroad track being in the heart of it all! My IMAP stopped talking and if matters weren't bad enough, (when I decided which exit to follow after my brain finally unscrambled) some jerk started honking madly as I carefully drove straight ahead to reach US 1..It was unnerving at first but worth the adrenaline rush once I calmed down & laughed it off. Realistically though- future navigators -- please pay close attention to & avoid that RR track and ignore those nasty honkers!

What makes Confusion Corner in historic downtown Stuart Florida so confusing? It is the eight…read moreroads! that come together in one intersection. Hold your breath and say a prayer as you attempt to make it safely through Flagler Avenue, East Ocean, West Ocean Blvd, Colorado Avenue, A1A both North & South, and Dixie Highway where they join in a roundabout, creating a Stuart landmark. If that wasn't enough, throw a train track in there too. How do you know you are at Confusion Corner? Stand in front of the April Daze boutique and watch the show. You will know you are in the right spot as you watch the cars swing around and hear the horns honking. If you have driven in downtown Stuart, you have passed through Confusion Corner. This intersection is so famous that the legendary Charles Kuralt came to Stuart in 1979 to film an episode for his popular "On the Road" series. There is even a song about it on You Tube by Clifford Buckosh & Okeechobee Records and if you survive the drive you can purchase a T Shirt to commemorate it at Harbor Wear. Despite all the confusion, the only deadly accident to happen there took place in the 1940's. So buckle up that seatbelt, as you swing yourself around Stuart's Confusion Corner.

I grew up coming to the library for tutoring for SATs in high school since it's right across from…read morethe high school. And most recently on one of my trips I came here to do some work. They have a few private rooms that you can take test in or take meetings in in. I was able to get a private room while I was here, but it did take a while because all of them were occupied, but we finally said something to one of the workers and he was able to help us get a room really quickly. It seems like an interesting set up where some people just stay in there for a very long time watching shows or something. So we were grateful that we were able to get a room. They also had a free seed Library that you could get seats from so I took a few and I'm so excited that some of them are already growing in my garden. Definitely a great library just to do some work and get stuff done.

This is a great little library! Friendly staff, central location…read more Not as small as the Tequesta branch, but definitely smaller than Palm Beach Gardens. The children's section is nicely laid out and a decent size, with plenty of windows and light, and a large, adjacent activity room. I've enjoyed the children's classes I've attended; I can't believe how many they have scheduled for this fall! Everything is cozy and easy to find, with computer areas tucked away in the back. The used book area is a cozy corner where treasures can be found; I've picked up author-signed books and coffee table art books here.

The Battle of Loxahatchee took place on Jan. 24, 1838, There is a recreation of the battle every…read moreyear in January at Riverbend Park in Jupiter. The battle was fought between the United States Army and the Seminole Indians joined by former slaves. The government had already forced the Seminoles into Florida from Georgia and they were trying to move them again to Oklahoma along the Trail of Tears. The Seminoles were not willing to go and were very adept at avoiding the army by hiding in the Everglades. After the battle Major Lauderdale who Ft. Lauderdale is named for took his Tennessee Volunteers and pursued the Seminoles that had escaped after the battle. In a neighborhood in Jupiter is a small plaque and American flag that marks the site where the Tennessee Volunteers camped out while pursuing the Seminoles. They did not get along with the regular army so they established their own camp instead of staying at the army fort one mile to the west. Their animosity with the army was so great that they refused to follow Colonel Jessup into battle at Loxahatchee leading him to get shot in the face when he entered the battle thinking they were behind him. After that Jessup swore never to use volunteers again. The camp was discovered in 1989 by Richard Procyk, an hobby archaeologist who had recently moved to Jupiter. Unfortunately the area was being developed for housing. Only a little excavation took place before the site was built on although a granite marker was placed to mark the camp. At the time Palm Beach County did not have laws to protect historical sites but what happened here caused preservation ordinances to be passed.

Initially built as a two-lane drawbridge in 1966, the PGA Boulevard bridge was expanded to four…read morelanes in 1982. In between, it earned the nickname of the "Please Go Around Bridge" due to construction delays and frequent closures. It's better now. It is a bascule bridge manufactured with prestressed concrete in a stringer/girder design. The main span has a length of 142 feet (43 meters) and a width of 50 feet (15 meters). There is 20 feet of clearance from the deck to the Intracoastal Waterway below. The bridge opens often during season and can definitely be a cause of traffic backup when that happens. PGA is a very busy road! The next bridge south is the Parker Bridge over US-1 at Safe Harbor and the next north is at Donald Ross Road. Like other Intracoastal bridges in Southeast Florida, there is no toll to cross. [Review 470 of 2025 - 2113 in Florida - 24032 overall]