continued charter, explore the calmer river and estuary with a local captain or take a sunset sail lasting roughly two hours. Treasure Coast Sailing Adventures allows passengers to help raise the sails or simply bring a picnic and watch the shoreline pass. Wildlife sightings may include dolphins, manatees, pelicans and wading birds, although nature has never shown much respect for a printed itinerary. A beach day requires crossing to Hutchinson Island, where the atmosphere shi s from riverfront town to open Atlantic. Stuart Beach is the easiest choice for a rst visit, with lifeguards, restrooms, volleyball courts, chair and umbrella rentals and a wide stretch of sand used by swimmers and surfers. Seaside Café sits directly beside the beach and serves breakfast and lunch from an order window. Shrimp and grits, breakfast tacos, a blackened mahi sandwich and sh tacos can be carried to a table beneath the chickee hut, sparing visitors the unhappy discovery that a granola bar has become lunch. Farther south, Bathtub Reef Beach is known for a fragile reef formed by tiny tube-building sea worms that cement grains of sand together. During calmer spring and summer conditions, the reef so ens the waves and creates the shallow “bathtub” e ect that families appreciate. e ecosystem supports hundreds of marine species, making the area interesting for careful snorkeling when tides and surf cooperate. Conditions change with erosion, storms and seasonal wave action, so visitors should check Martin County’s live beach updates before setting out. e beach may look gentle on a postcard, but the Atlantic retains nal editorial approval. e House of Refuge at Gilbert’s Bar supplies the island with one of its most dramatic historic sites. Built in 1876 to shelter shipwrecked sailors, it is the last remaining refuge station from the original network established along Florida’s Atlantic coast. Inside, keeper’s quarters, rescue equipment America Voted for Stuart
LOC INTER STO
and exhibits describe a period when this shoreline was remote and dangerous. Outside, dark Anastasia limestone meets the surf, and the wreck of the Georges Valentine, which sank during a storm in 1904, rests o shore. e setting is particularly striking early or late in the day, when the old white building, rocky shoreline and Atlantic light require very little help from a photographer. Two nearby attractions are substantial enough to rescue an overcast a ernoon or justify leaving the beach before sunburn makes the decision. e Elliott Museum is far more eclectic than its name suggests. Its permanent exhibits include vintage automobiles displayed through the ingenious Wheels of Change system, an extensive baseball collection, local history, aviation, the notorious Ashley Gang, Florida Highwaymen paintings and a tribute to entertainer Frances Langford. Rotating exhibitions add contemporary art and other subjects, creating a museum where automobile enthusiasts and their less mechanically
20 Coastal Pearl Living - TREASURE
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