Not a list of links — this is the guide we hand our guests: what's worth your time, how far it is, what it costs and when to go. Almost everything here is inside a 40-minute drive of the front door.
Most guests spend at least one full day never starting the car. The dock does a lot of the work.
Snook hold under the dock lights after dark; trout and ladyfish on the grass flats at first light. Live shrimp from Whitey's (7 min) outfishes everything else here.
Kayaks launch from the seawall. Head south along the shoreline for the calmest water and the best odds of dolphins working the shallows before 9am.
Cape Canaveral is 55 miles north with nothing but water in between. Night launches light up the whole river. We text guests the schedule when one falls in your stay.
November through March they cruise the shoreline in the warm shallows. Keep the dock light on at night and look for the slow swirl at the surface.
Buy fresh-off-the-boat shrimp or fish at Crab E. Bill's or Chuck's Seafood and cook it 20 minutes later on the dock. Cheapest great meal of the trip.
Two public boat ramps within two miles (Christenson's Landing and Goode Park) and room on site for a mid-size RV or trailer.
Close enough that you're back before the ice melts.
Playground, splash area and the Sebastian riverfront walk. Free parking.
Live shrimp, licenses, and honest advice on what's biting this week.
Small free museum inside the state park on the old fishing-village history.
Old Florida in one building — the village that gives the seafood festival its name.
Sandy-floor tiki bar on the river, live music most weekends.
Addresses, hours, price ranges and the detail you only learn by living here.
The wide shallow sand island that forms on the lagoon side of the Sebastian Inlet. Weekend low tides = anchored boats, families wading in ankle-deep water, dogs off leash. Florida's version of a lakeside beach party.
Local tip · Approach from the west with less than a 2-ft draft. Anchor early — by noon on Saturday there's no room.
Pontoon (up to 12 guests), center-console, and skiff rentals at Capt. Hiram's Resort. Fuel, safety gear, and a full route briefing included. No boater ed card required for Florida rentals but a temp certificate is issued.
Local tip · The 24-ft pontoon at low tide gets you right onto the sandbar. Reserve 5+ days ahead in season.
Visit website →One of the top three snook spots in the entire state. Also produces tarpon (May–Aug), Spanish mackerel (Oct–Nov), bluefish, pompano, jack crevalle. Pier and jetty walkable at any tide.
Local tip · Fish the outgoing tide, 2 hours after high, along the north jetty. Live pilchards or big Rapalas. Snook stamp required.
Visit website →The closest full-service bait shop to the house. Live shrimp, chum, tackle, ice, honest daily reports written on a whiteboard behind the counter.
Local tip · Ask what's biting BEFORE you buy bait. If they say 'reds on the west flats' — go there.
Cold-weather manatee refuge. When Atlantic water drops below 68°F (Dec–Feb), 20–50 manatees pack into the warmer intracoastal water here. Observation deck, kayak launch, boardwalk over the mangroves.
Local tip · Best viewing is 8–10am after a cold night. Rent a kayak from the on-site vendor and paddle silently among them — never touch or chase.
Established 1903 by Theodore Roosevelt — the very first US National Wildlife Refuge, protecting the pelican colony on Pelican Island in the Indian River Lagoon. Boardwalk, observation tower, kayak launch. The island itself is only viewable by boat.
Local tip · Charter a guided kayak ecotour ($55/person) to circle the island. Roseate spoonbills, ibis, ospreys, and reddish egrets nest here.
Visit website →Uncrowded Atlantic beach next to First Peak, Florida's most famous surf break. Restrooms, showers, snack bar, snorkel spots around the jetty.
Local tip · Park at the northernmost lot for the shortest walk. Best surf is a NE swell + light SW wind.
Visit website →Quiet family beach with lifeguards, restrooms, and easy parking. Sea turtle nesting May–October.
Local tip · The Disney Vero Beach resort is next door — the beach beside it is open to the public.
Consistently rated one of America's top small zoos. Kayak-through animal exhibits, giraffe feeding, treetop zip lines, a full waterpark on the property (summer).
Local tip · Buy tickets online for a $3/head discount. Arrive at open — animals are active before 11am.
Visit website →18-acre tropical hammock garden with a bamboo pavilion, koi ponds, waterlily bridge, and rotating outdoor art. Kid-friendly, stroller-friendly, air-cooled paths.
Local tip · The gingerbread village (Nov–Dec) is worth the drive by itself.
Visit website →Sebastian riverfront classic on stilts over the Indian River. Fresh grouper, mahi tacos, sunset deck, live music Thu–Sun. Boat-up dock available if you're on the water.
Local tip · Sit on the west deck 30 min before sunset. Order the blackened mahi sandwich.
Visit website →Housed in a 1926 general store. Gator tail, frog legs, cornbread, catfish. On the National Register of Historic Places. The kind of place your uncle-in-law will still be talking about in April.
Local tip · Save room for the Key lime pie. They don't take reservations — go before 12:30 or after 7.
Visit website →The area's crown-jewel event. A 90-year-old church fundraiser that grew into a 50,000-visitor weekend. Fresh mullet, fried shrimp, clam chowder, oyster stew, and homemade pies. Craft booths, live music, tractor pulls. Ridiculously good — and one mile from our door.
Local tip · Walk from the house — parking is a nightmare. Get the clam chowder before 12:30 (they sell out most days).
Visit website →3-day riverfront festival with a Native American village recreation, chowder cook-off, boat parade, and live music. All proceeds fund local youth scholarships.
Local tip · The Friday-night boat parade at 7pm — locals string Christmas lights on their boats — is the sleeper hit.
Visit website →The best farmers market in the region. Local citrus, avocados, fresh fish, honey, bakery, live music. Beach-side setting, walk to breakfast after.
Local tip · Get here before 9:30 for the good stone crab claws. They sell out.
Monthly outdoor craft and food market on the Indian River. Local artisans, live music, food trucks. Chocolate-dipped bananas legendary among the snowbird crowd.
Local tip · Combine with lunch at Squid Lips or Capt. Hiram's next door.
40-year Space Coast tradition. 250+ juried artists on New Haven Ave, live music on 3 stages, kids' art tents, food trucks. Nationally ranked in the Sunshine Artist top 100.
Visit website →The largest birding festival in the southeast US. 200+ field trips, workshops, and lectures across Merritt Island NWR, Turkey Creek, and the Indian River Lagoon. Snowbird birders plan winter stays around this.
Visit website →Full calendar in the annual events guide →
Official state tourism guide to Sebastian, the inlet and the riverfront district.
Official state tourism guide to Melbourne and the beaches just north of us.
Hours, fees, jetty conditions and the park's fishing museum.
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