![]() Backus was a renowned landscape artist who notably mentored The Highwaymen, a legendary group of African-Americans who sold their artwork along Martin County highways in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. Backus Museum, Fort Pierce - A beloved son of Fort Pierce, A.E. Backus Museum in Fort Pierce on Hutchinson Island. On a rainy day, you may want to seek shelter at these places of interest.Ī.E. (Seniors are exempt but must have proof of age).īesides the magnificent beaches, there are many other things to do on Hutchinson Island. ![]() You do need a shoreline fishing license, which is free to everyone. The Snook Nook in downtown Jensen Beach is popular with anglers, but you’ll find excellent bait shops near all three causeways.īring a beach chair and a cooler for your catch of pompano, whiting or bluefish. Live bait, especially crabs, can be found on the island’s shorelines, or you can buy bait before you reach the island. In fact, bring two.īest baits are sand fleas (mole crabs) and shrimp. Cut a pointed edge on a 3-foot section of PVC pipe for a rod holder and stick it in the sand to protect your rod and reel. A long surf rod would be even better, allowing you to cast further into the surf. Your gear should include at least a medium spinning outfit, pompano rigs, pyramid sinkers and a jig to bounce along the bottom. Be aware, though, that lifeguards are not on duty at any of those pocket parks, only at the major parks.īeaches near the power plant are my usual destination for fishing because they are mostly devoid of crowds, sometimes deserted, and they offer an unmatched opportunity for successful surf fishing, aided by a near-shore reef that corrals fish in the trough between the reef and the beach. Take a leisurely drive along SR A1A and find a pocket park you can call your own. Take MacArthur Boulevard off A1A a few hundred yards from the Stuart Causeway and drive a half-mile past the House of Refuge.ĭon’t limit yourself to the beaches I’ve highlighted here. There’s a bathhouse with showers and pavilions for picnicking. The beach has plenty of parking, but arrive early on weekends. This may be the island’s most well-known beach, and has been completely restored since it was battered to oblivion during the 2016 hurricane season. (Photo: Bob Rountree)īathtub Reef Beach, Bring the family - A near-shore reef protects an idyllic lagoon, taming surf and offering shallow pools of water and easy snorkeling. Personally, I drive right on by this park for the more secluded beaches further north on A1A.īathtub Reef Beach on Hutchinson Island. There’s plenty of parking, although on weekends with nice weather, the cars overflow onto the shoulders of A1A. Jensen Beach Park, Where the action is - Possibly the most popular beach on Hutchinson Island, Jensen Beach Park has something for everyone: volleyball courts, picnic pavilions, restrooms and showers, a concession stand and lifeguards. You would never know this beach is there unless you’re looking for it. The dog beach is at the end of the road, but you can pull off before the end and find a more isolated beach access. I love this beach for its hard-pack-sand access road behind the dunes. ![]() The 24-acre beach is also popular for fishing, but get their early so your lines don’t get tangled by rambunctious dogs running in and out of the surf. Nevertheless, dogs need a place to play in the ocean, and this is the place. Walton Rocks Beach, Bring Fido - The pawfect place to bring your canine, although on weekends it gets crowded with dogs running everywhere. The busiest beaches are near the island’s three access roads, causeways in Stuart, Jensen Beach and Fort Pierce, but if you want to get your bare feet in the sand on a magnificent pristine beach, drive past the obvious to the middle of the island, closer to the power plant.īeach access road behind the dunes to Walton Rocks on Hutchinson Island. Lucie Power Plant, a nuclear facility that is the reason most of the island’s development is isolated to the north and south ends of the island. ![]() The island is anchored in the middle by Florida Power & Light’s twin-unit St. Hutchinson Island is actually two barrier islands, but the island most associated with the name is 24-mile-long South Hutchinson Island, from Fort Pierce south to Stuart. Parking is FREE on Hutchinson Island’s beaches! “I feel like I’m in Florida again,” opined my wife Kathy, even though she has lived in South Florida for almost 40 years. Many of the smaller pocket parks are deserted, even on weekends, and some are hard to discover. Warning: Blind Creek Beach on Hutchinson Island is clothing optional. ![]()
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