This building was originally used as the public school in Fellsmere. It was added to the national…read moreregister of Historic Places in 1996 because it is the oldest masonry school in Indian river County. The building was constructed in 1915 and 1916 for a cost of $40,000. It was designed by architect Frederick Trimble and built by contractor Arthur Sander. 136 students in grades 1-12 began school in the building on Oct. 2, 1916. The school operated until 1982. When the town wanted to restore the building thirty years later they raised $650,000. A hurricane tore the roof off the building ruining everything they had done but they were able to restore it again with FEMA and insurance money. The FAU design department suggested placing city hall in the historic school building to combine Fellsmere's past with it's future. The Boys and Girl club needed a home so they moved into the building too. In 2010 the building once again reopened to the public. There is a marker out front of that relates the historical significance of the building. I had the opportunity to explore the building when I attended an event by Indian River Hauntings. We began our paranormal historic tour at the building and ended it there as well. During our initial presentation we could hear loud clanking by the elevator and no one was over there. Also the people sitting at the top of the stairs swore they could hear footsteps behind them in the hallway when again no one was there. I don't know for sure if the building is haunted but there were quite a few stories about it. In any case the building is exquisite.They don't build them like that any more. The wood work and windows were amazing. My favorite part of the building was the auditorium with the art deco detail on the side of the seats that were original from 1915. The old school is a beautiful historic building in quaint old Florida town.

What a great experience we had! From our first hello with Captain John to our goodbye, it was a…read morewonderful ride. He was super friendly, professional & considerate to all passengers. He explained what we were seeing with sounding like he was reading a script. There were some little kids on the trip & he was super nice to them & their questions. I can't wait until our granddaughter comes down so we can take her on this beautiful ride! Thank you Captain John!

Truly amazing experience. Captain John was knowledgeable and entertaining. Talked us through the…read morehistory and nature that is right in our back yard and I had no idea was so truly something to marvel at. Cannot recommend this experience with these wonderful hosts enough. Thank you! We will be back!

Our group (3) had a fabulous time on the airboat. Krista was 'perfect' in presenting everything to…read moreeveryone onboard. All together, there were two groups our (3) + (2) other people, total = 5. Krista really is knowledgeable about all the wildlife and has eagle eyes to spot and show us what to see, where to look and information about everything. From gators to birds, flowers to trees, we were both educated and enjoyed our time with her on our one hour tour. (Wish it was more time) I will repeat this same experience again and also make sure Krista is the same guide/captain as she truly deserves this Five Star Rating. Thank you for helping us escape a pandemic, bringing smiles and laughter along with knowledge that has made our trip to Florida, the best experience we had. See you again...

We had such an amazing experience. Captain JJ was super knowledgeable, finny and cared about the…read moreexperience we had. We saw sooooo many gators, saw a mom feeding her 2 baby ospreys, and many other birds and plants. Captain JJ told us about the history of where we were as well. I would highly recommend this tour.

Spent an exceptionally five hour tour stopping at four wine/brewery locations. Adam our bus driver…read morewas very accommodating , friendly and lots of fun. Each stop had something to keep our younger kids occupied while we got our drink on. We would highly recommend Indian River Tours to any family or group looking for an afternoon out ..... and best of all no DUI

From the owner: Indian River Brew Bus is here and ready to bring our guests to amazing locations along the Florida…read moreWine & Ale Trail. Jump on board our 14 passenger bus and explore the Treasure Coast with us!

Awesome way to see the St. Lucie River and its inhabitants--gators! Captain Rick is a hoot, and…read moreobviously very knowledgeable about the river and the flora and fauna of the area. He was fun, an excellent boat-handler, and shared lots of stories and info with us. Thoroughly enjoyed our adventure and saw about 15 gators, many herons and other birds, and even some turtles. I will definitely do this again.

Ricky is great. Best airboat ride in Fort Pierce area. Reasonably priced and well worth the…read moreadventure.

Coming from Los Angeles I've always wanted to do an airboat ride in Florida and this tour group did…read morenot disappoint! We got to see gators, fish, lots of different birds and trees, etc. Our tour guide was Skip and he was fantastic. Really kind and made the boat ride fun. Highly recommend him and this airboat ride! I hope to come back sometime soon.

Capt. Garrett was amazing! Super informative and knowledgeable. Super beautiful and an easy ride…read more Would recommend!

Captain Krista gives an amazing tour. Highly recommend... we…read morehad 5 & 10 year olds who received special attention. Jane

What a wonderful way to start a day . . . . Captain Krista soooo close to the gators - what fun!…read more She shared lots of info interjected with great humor & I plan to do it again with out of state visitors.

On the campus of Indian River State College you can visit the historic 1910 home of Florida poet…read moreand author Laura Riding Jackson. She was a famous author, critic, poet, and novelist. Laura was born to immigrants on January 16, 1901 in New York City. Her first husband was history graduate student Louis Gottschalk. The couple moved to Kentucky where Laura began to publish her poems in The Fugitive, a literary magazine founded by writers from Vanderbilt University. During this time she began corresponding with an English writer Robert Graves who was also published by the magazine. In 1926 she went to England to work with Graves on his book a Survey of Modern Poetry. That same year her first book of poetry, The Close Chaplet was published. Over the next ten years she published 20 volumes of fiction, essays, and poetry. Laura and Roberts moved to Mallorca and their house became a gathering place of some of the most celebrated writers of the time. The Spanish Civil War caused Laura to return to the United States where she met her next husband Schuyler B. Jackson, a poetry critic for Time magazine. Today Laura Riding Jackson's papers are at her alma mater Cornell and Harvard Universities. In 1968 Laura completed Rational Meaning: A new Foundation for the Definition of Words which she worked on with her husband Schuyler and finished after his death. Laura continued to live in this house until her death on September 2, 1991. The simple but beautiful home is an example of the cracker type of vernacular architecture that was popular in Florida during this time period. The term cracker came from the sound whips would make as pioneers drove cattle. The home was originally built a few miles north of Vero Beach in Wabasso, Florida in a hammock near the railroad tracks. The home features a wide and deep screened in porch with some of the original furniture and lots of oversized windows for cross ventilation to cool the home before air conditioning was a standard feature. Another cooling feature is that the house faces east to catch ocean breezes. The oldest part of the house is the center portion made of Florida pine. In the 1950's Jacksons later added the North bedroom and bathroom and installed indoor plumbing. The second floor of this house was used as a guest room. Laura's bedroom is in the front of the house off of the sitting room where you can see the remains of her personal library. Many of her belongings are still in the room. Like all cracker homes, this house has a tin roof that was pitched so the rain could run off. Today the house is propped off the ground on cinder blocks but when it was built it sat on wood logs. This helped the air to circulate under the house cooling it. Chickens could get protection in this area and when the floor was swept the dirt would fall through the area where the floorboards came together, allowing it to escape from the house. Until 1989, Laura lived in the home without electricity. She relied on kerosene for heat and light and propane for cooking. In the back of the house is a pole barn that was part of the Jackson's organic citrus business. Here they would pack fruit and send it by train up north to their clients. Today it a welcoming area to enjoy a picnic lunch or the area can be reserved by groups. Surrounding the barn is a garden. The home is registered as a Friends of the Library USA National Literary Landmark and is listed on the Florida Literary Map. After Laura Riding Jackson passed away in 1991, a group of individuals created the non-profit Laura (Riding) Jackson Home Preservation Foundation to save the home because of its important connection to literature, history, architecture, and the environment. On August 9, 1994 this home was moved to the Environmental Learning Center. After they decided they wanted to use the land for something else, Indian River State College stepped up and donated the land the house now sits on. On July 14, 2019 the home was moved to it's current location on the Mueller Campus. The Foundation raises the funds to preserve the home. One way they do this is by opening for public tours and requesting a $5 donation. This year the house is open for tours from November through April each year on the second Sunday of each month from 1pm-5pm and every Tuesday from 1pm-5pm. You can also arrange for private tours from the foundation. As a fan of famous literary writers, history, and architecture I really enjoyed my visit to this historical landmark. It is the little touches like the cans in the kitchen cabinet or seeing Laura's actual slippers laid out in front of her bed that make you feel like you stepped back in time.

Had a great time cruising through the marsh in search of gators. Learned a lot, saw quite a few…read moregators ranging from babies to big boys. So much fun definitely would recommend Capt John!

10/10 experience. Captain John, aka The Swamp Shepard, knows the marsh and the gators know him…read more Great wildlife sightings, top-tier gator action, and fire Marsh Beast merch. Would follow this man into the swamp any day.

We did the tour in Sebastian and our tour guide was Debbie. Thoroughly enjoyed the food, friendly…read morenature of the restaurant owners and the beer tasting. Highly recommend it.

We loved this walking tour. Our guide was Jennifer and she was wonderful. We made four stops on our…read moretour and the food at all four stops was delicious. We started at Baci followed by Taco Dive, Ono Luau and finally Italian Kitchen. My favorite stop was at Taco Dive where we had Shrimp Tacos and a sampling of craft beers. I would definitely do this again.