This gallery is named for A. E. Backus (1906-1990). He was a self taught artist who was well known…read morefor his Florida landscape paintings. Later on he went on to teach art and a student of his and 25 other African American male artists and one woman influenced by his style became known as the highwaymen. They were a group of artists around the Fort Pierce area who quickly created Florida folk art featuring landscapes from oil paints on Uppson board used as roof sheeting. From 1950-1980 they would anonymously sell the art out of the trunks of their cars on A1A and US 1 from Daytona to Miami. The museum and gallery was established by Backus in 1960. In addition to housing the art of A.E. Backus the gallery contains the only permanent multi media exhibition of Highwaymen art. Art by Backus and the Highwaymen are available for purchase in the gallery. The museum also has four wings that display charging artist exhibits. During the year the museum hosts many events like lectures, brunch, and bingo. The outside of the building is covered in murals inspired by the Highway Men landscapes. Behind the the museum are sculptures in the park that runs along the Indian River Lagoon. Admission is $5. Students and service members with ID are free, and the first Sunday of the month is family day and it's free. A Highwaymen painting in 1950 sold for $25, now they are in demand by collectors and can command $5,000. If you can't afford to purchase one coming here to view the museums collection is the next best thing.

A small museum with some beautiful artwork and an interesting story…read more While visiting Fort Pierce, we decided to stop at the A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery and found it to be a very nice museum with an interesting story behind the artist. Admission was only $5 per person during our visit, and there is a parking lot directly in front of the museum, so parking and getting inside were both easy. The museum is all on one floor and is not particularly large, but there is quite a bit to see. The staff was very friendly and took the time to explain the layout of the museum, the different areas depicting parts of A.E. Backus's life and career, the artwork that was for sale, and the gift shop. There are numerous signs inside stating that photography is not allowed, so keep that in mind during your visit. One thing I would definitely recommend is watching the approximately 20-minute movie about Backus. It does a very good job of explaining his life, his attitude toward art, his work, and particularly his willingness to encourage and help other artists. I especially enjoyed learning about his relationship with and support of the group of African American artists who became known as the Florida Highwaymen. Backus was an excellent Florida landscape artist, but I found the story of how he helped and encouraged others to be just as interesting as his artwork. We enjoyed looking at the paintings and learning more about both him and Florida art history. Before you leave, make sure you also take a walk around the outside of the building because there is additional artwork there that would be easy to miss. Overall, this is a very nice small museum, reasonably priced, and well worth a visit while you are in Fort Pierce. Enjoy!

Katie, Lauren, and Dave were amazing. they gave good recommendations to some questions asked and…read moreoverall made the boat ride not just educational but also fun

The tour was amazing!!! Captain Lauren was the BEST! So interesting to see and hear under water.read more

I do community health screenings and am at a new place everyday so I see a lot of different…read morecommunity event rooms. This one is very nice. They have beautiful hardwood floors and the bathrooms have plenty of room for gathering with a moderate/large amount of people. It looks to be a well kept facility and is tight along the main strip in downtown Vero. There are shuffle board and tennis courts right outside the building. I would recommend this place for any type of social or community gathering.

This is a large arts and crafts fair being held at the Indian River County Fairgrounds January…read more15-16, Sat 10 am to 5 pm and Sun 10 am to 4 pm. The event is outside underneath cover. Admission and parking are both free. Dogs are welcome and the event is wheelchair accessible. The expo features 150 vendors selling food, wood, glass, plants, pottery, art, jewelry, accessories, clothing, and home goods. There were a variety of interesting and affordable things to look at. My favorites were the licorice and fudge, local honey, fruit salsa, sea glass wind chimes, and the copper bird baths. I love anything tropical themed with mermaids and flamingoes. In addition to the shopping there was also several food trucks, adult beverages, and live music. Next door to the Craft Expo, the Home Show was held in the David W. Fleetwood Exposition Center. It was also free admission. Parking was easy and plentiful and the weather was beautiful. Both events are going on tomorrow so come out and enjoy.

I've been going to Safari minigolf in Vero Beach for over 15 years - the best place to play…read moreminigolf! They offer two 18 hole courses with challenging holes on both sides. Staff is also very friendly - check this place out!

Super cute and well designed, friendly staff, would definitely return again with the familyread more

We went to summer crush on New Year's Eve. The venue was a British venue of the Beatles and they…read morecelebrated New Year's at 7 PM which is midnight in the British Isles. We had a table. We had a lot of fun and a lot of dancing, and listening to the music and singing along. You can see that the winery tries very hard to please its guests. The only problem that I found was that it was really loud and difficult to talk. All in all, we had a great New Year's Eve. We've been there before with other bands, and it's a nice place to go for a change of pace.

Admission fee and prices are high. Do not bother waiting around for the prize raffle. My prize was…read morea hat.

This year was the 28th annual Pelican Island Wildlife Festival. The festival is held from 10:00 AM…read more- 4:00 PM in Riverview Park in Sebastian to commemorate the birthday of the refuge on March 14, 1903. Pelican National Wildlife refuge was created by one man's determination to protect the birds he loved. Paul Kroegel was a German immigrant and Sebastian resident and conservationist. He arrived in Sebastian in 1881 and homesteaded on the west bank of the Indian River across from Pelican Island. As he watched the birds on the island he fell in love with them and became increasingly disturbed by the hunters killing them. He took to protecting the birds by guarding them with his shotgun during a time when they had no lawful protection. Paul enlisted the help of the American Ornithologists Union and the Florida Audubon Society to help protect the birds. They joined together to pass legislation for protection of non-game birds. The Florida Audubon Society hired Paul Kroegel along with three other wardens to protect the birds from plume hunters and the sports hunters who would shoot at the birds while passing by on boats. During the time Paul served, two of the other wardens were murdered. Naturalist Frank Chapman and his fellow advocate, William Dutcher went to Theodore Roosevelts New York home to plead their case for the protection of the birds. In response President Roosevelt made Pelican Island the first National Wildlife Refuge in 1903. Paul Kroegel was hired as the first national wildlife refuge manager. He passed away in 1948. Since then the land was threatened in the 1960's developers attempted to buy the surrounding wetlands but local citizens stopped them. The Indian River Area Preservation League made up of local citrus growers, commercial fishermen, and sportsmen, joined with the Florida Audubon Society to convince the State to include the islands as a part of the refuge. In 1963, Pelican Island was designated as a National Historic Landmark by the Secretary of the Interior. Since then the refuge has gained over 500 more acres to help protect it from encroachment by development. There is a large parking lot with free parking adjacent to the park. Entrance to the festival is free. The event has live wildlife shows, food, environmental exhibitors, arts & crafts, a rehabilitated pelican release, raffle, amateur photography contest, native plant sale, educational presentations, historical reenactments with President Theodore Rossevelt, and for a fee boat tours to Pelican Island. I specially loved seeing all of the birds brought by the Treasure Coat Wildlife Center. Sadly because of their injuries, these birds can't be released into the wild and I was happy to donate to them. President Roosevelt is the Master of Ceremonies and is portrayed by Theodore Roosevelt interpreter, Joe Wiegand. He gave a wonderful presentation that taught about the history of Pelican Island and his efforts to protect its birds as well as other events in the life of President Roosevelt. The 2020 Pelican Island Wildlife Festival celebrated the 117th anniversary of the Pelican Island National Wildlife Reserve. The event is hosted by the Pelican Island Preservation Society and the City of Sebastian. It is a fantastic way to bring awareness to the refuge. Even though the festival is only held one day a year, you can visit the refuge 365 days a year.

It is a beautiful location. Parking lot was hard to walk in with formal dress and shoes.read more

We had multiple venues set up to go see, and The Lake House was the first one we actually went to…read more After stepping foot into The Lake House we knew immediately this was the one, and we never had to go anywhere else. This place met a lot to me because my husband grew up in Fort Pierce. We were greeted by Barb who was so welcoming and friendly, and showed us the whole venue with all of the options we had. Not only did Barb take care of us that day, but she was always there for us answering questions throughout the whole process and even gave us another tour of the venue so my mother could see it. Jen, who was our month of and day of coordinator was nothing short of amazing as well, she made sure everything was perfect for the day of and made sure everything ran smoothly on our actual big day. Jen was so patient and kind and really took care of us. I also want to say thank you to Susana and Kyle for being there for us that weekend. Kyle took such good care of the grounds when we were there for the 3 days, and Susana was a huge help along side Jen...right before I walked down the isle Susana made sure I had everything I needed. This venue is absolutely STUNNING, and you can tell the staff loves what they do. Throughout the year we had them booked they made multiple upgrades to the venue including the ceremony spot which was breathtaking. Our guest had nothing but amazing things to say about The Lake House and also some of the vendors that they recommended to us. I wish I could relive our special day over and over again. I do not think I will be able to thank the staff enough for all that they did for us the year leading up to our wedding, and on our wedding weekend. I would 10/10 recommend this venue to anyone I know, and it always makes me happy to see all the couples after me who get to spend their special day there. I hope in the near future I will be able to attend a friend or families wedding here to relive all of the amazing memories!! Thank you Lake House..we love you!! - The Martin's 2.12.22