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TREASURE COAST GETAWAY GUIDE

It's surprising that the communities of Stuart, Port St. Lucie, Vero Beach, Jupiter, Sebastian and Fort Pierce aren't on more tourists' itineraries. You won't find long lines or over-crowded, too trendy restaurants here. Instead, you'll find some of the best beaches in the state, low-key luxury resorts and a variety of attractions worth visiting. Outdoor enthusiasts can canoe on the scenic Loxahatchee river, visit Lion Country Safari or take a balloon ride over the area.

IF YOU GO

Getting there: The easiest way to explore the entire Treasure Coast is by car. Take US 1 north and stop wherever you like, starting with Jupiter and finishing up in Sebastian.

For more information: Florida's Treasure Coast (800) 775-5936. On the Web: www.floridatreasures.com.

USEFUL LINKS

The Elliott Museum

Gilbert's Bar House of Refuge panoramic view, courtesy of i-ota.net.

UDT Seal Museum

Fort Pierce Manatee Observation and Education Center

Downtown Fort Pierce panoramic view, courtesy of i-ota.net.

FPL's Energy Encounter Center

Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge

Florida Dolphin Watch tours

More attractions

Indian River County Chamber of Commerce

September 21, 2008

Tangled up in blue: Kayaking the Great Calusa Blueway

The two-man kayaks lurched forward, backward, sideways. They spun around, bumped into one another and drifted into a thicket of mangroves.

June 8, 2008

The most amazing main street in Florida

Say "Venice" and people think Italy. Tell them "No, U.S.A.," and their thoughts move to California. Fort Lauderdale, the so-called "Venice of America," is more famous than the Venice of Florida.

March 16, 2008

Cabbage Key: An isolated travel getaway

The boat pushed away from the dock, eased past the pelican perched on a piling, and looped out into Pine Island Sound. What is it about being on water that makes you feel you're in Florida? Useppa Island swam up on our right, buff with houses reminiscent of Seaside, while we swerved left toward Cabbage Key. The Lady Chadwick from Captiva was dropping off passengers, so we sidled next to one of the outer docks. A great lawn rose up to an umbrellaed patio full of families eating lunch. There was something about the scene — the manicured grounds, the running children, the low-slung building behind — that made me think of a country club.

The hidden gems of Vero Beach

Vero Beach, a laid-back community of 18,000 residents, built on oranges and citrus in Indian River County on Florida's Treasure Coast, is best known for its pristine beaches -- where visitors sometimes seek doubloons from the Spanish fleet that sank in these waters in 1715, and where often your footprints are the only ones on the sand.

December 31, 2003

Jupiter's Loxahatchee is ideal getaway for paddlers

Jupiter is the northern-most city of populous Palm Beach County, and yet it is also home to one of Florida's two rivers designated "wild and scenic" the Loxahatchee. (The other is the Wekiva in Central Florida.) It's no surprise, then, that Jupiter makes a great place for a variety of canoe and kayak outings.

June 6, 2004