5 facts about Fellsmere, a 110-year-old city on the Treasure Coast
Fellsmere was incorporated as a city 110 years ago. Here are five facts about Fellsmere.
Fort Pierce: 5 facts about the 124-year-old city on the Treasure Coast
Incorporated as a city in 1915 at headwaters of St. Johns River, the longest in Florida
Named after E. Nelson Fell, a New Zealand engineer who devised Florida development project, combined with the Old English word "mere," meaning "watery place"
First city south of Mason-Dixon Line to allow women right to vote before 19th Amendment
Home to Blue Cypress Lake, one of world's largest osprey nesting sites
'Frog Leg Capital of the World' with annual Frog Leg Festival holding Guinness World Records for most frog legs served in one business day and largest frog leg festival in world
Laurie K. Blandford is TCPalm's entertainment reporter dedicated to finding the best things to do on the Treasure Coast. Email her at laurie.blandford@tcpalm.com. Sign up for her What To Do in 772 weekly newsletter at profile.tcpalm.com/newsletters/manage.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: 5 facts about Fellsmere, a 110-year-old city on the Treasure Coast
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5 days ago
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Where to eat: 10 essential restaurants in Vero Beach include Ocean Grill, Penny Hill Subs
When in Vero Beach, eat as the locals do. Bucket-list restaurants in Vero Beach are legendary and beloved, whether it be for the food or for the views — or both. They can be found downtown, on the beach by the Atlantic Ocean, on the water by the Indian River Lagoon. When you think of Vero Beach, you think of these restaurants. The city has too many must-visit restaurants to include them all, so TCPalm plans to publish more of these lists in the future. If you have a restaurant you think should be included in the next round — for Vero Beach or any other Treasure Coast city — email Here are 10 essential restaurants in Vero Beach. Owner Casey Steil opened Casey's Place in 1981 near State Road A1A in Vero Beach. The restaurant is a block from the beach and the Atlantic Ocean. It has walk-up window service and outside patio tables with umbrellas. It serves sandwiches, fries, salads and even breakfast items, but it's best known for its burgers. Choose from seven different kinds, including chili cheese and bacon blue cheese. They're all 6 ounces of USDA choice Black Angus chuck, cooked to order, and you can make it a double or triple. Expect a wait at this popular spot, especially during season. 917 Azalea Lane, Vero Beach; 772-231-4790; C.J. Cannon's Restaurant and Lounge opened in 1984 at the Vero Beach Regional Airport, allowing diners to watch planes take off from and land on the runway. It's run by owners Chuck Cannon and his mother, Pat. It's described as a casual restaurant with an American-Southern menu specializing in comfort foods. The decor includes retro aircraft memorabilia, celebrity autographs, pictures and history scattered on the walls. The restaurant would be the best view to see the Navy Blue Angels fly during the Vero Beach Air Show, but it closes during the event, held every two years. 3414 Cherokee Drive, Vero Beach; 772-567-7727; Cobalt is an oceanfront restaurant at the Kimpton Vero Beach Hotel & Spa. It's just steps from the beach with sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean from inside the restaurant or outside, especially around one of its fire pits on the outdoor patio during its popular weekend brunch or happy hour from 3-5 p.m. daily on draft beer, house wines and appetizers. Chef Matt Lange's menu features fresh and local ingredients paired with a selection from its extensive wine list or cocktail menu. 3500 Ocean Drive, Vero Beach; 772-469-1060; Chef Mitchell Weiss and his family, who have been in the restaurant industry for over two decades, opened Fishack bar and restaurant in 2011. It specializes in what it calls "hook-to-table" seafood cuisine. The atmosphere is casual and colorful with indoor and outdoor seating. The made-from-scratch menu has a variety of seafood dishes, po' boys, tacos, chowders and raw oysters. Specialties include crab cakes, shrimp and grits, crusted sea scallops, fish and chips, and the "Shackterranean" mahi. 1931 Old Dixie Highway, Vero Beach; 772-770-0977; Linda Moore and Rick Norry opened Kilted Mermaid in 2011 on Old Dixie Highway. It's a neighborhood bar with live music where diners can choose between a warm, cozy atmosphere inside and a covered patio outside. It features over 25 local and global wines by the glass and over 80 craft and import beers. Pair them with artisan cheeses or cheese and chocolate fondues, as well as flatbreads, sandwiches, salads and small plates. It serves classic Irish staples year-round, including shepherd's pie. On St. Patrick's Day only, it doles out hundreds, maybe thousands, of Irish hot pockets: corned beef, cabbage, stone-ground mustard and Swiss cheese in a puff pastry. 1937 Old Dixie Highway, Vero Beach; 772-569-5533; Ocean Grill, a steak and seafood restaurant, is one of Vero Beach pioneer Waldo Sexton's historic landmarks. It was built with mahogany, pecky cypress, wrought iron and Spanish antiques, and it opened on New Year's Eve in 1941. Three generations of the Replogle family have been running the restaurant since 1965. In addition to an upscale menu, there's a gift shop that sells appetizers, dressings, seasonings, desserts and to-go drinks. It's known to get decked out for the holidays with Christmas trees, lights and decorations. 1050 Beachland Blvd., Vero Beach; 772-231-5409; Penny Hill Subs has been serving subs, salads and gyros since 1993. The sandwich shop's location on Beachland Boulevard closed in 2022, and its location on Old Dixie Highway came under new ownership in 2024. It bakes its own bread fresh daily and uses local ingredients. Popular subs include the Italian, the California club and the Monte Carlo, as well as the "Healthy Habit" with turkey breast, alfalfa sprouts, grated carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, blended oils, vinegar, salt, pepper and its unique cherry pepper relish. 1179 Old Dixie Highway, Vero Beach; 772-567-0043; Riverside Cafe is a waterfront restaurant on the Indian River Lagoon at the base of the Merrill P. Barber Bridge, where people can dock and dine and watch the sunset. It's country music star Jake Owen's favorite hometown hangout. He got his start singing at the cafe and has remained friends with owners David and Ellen Lane. He shot scenes there for his "American Country Love Song" music video, and he often stops unannounced at the restaurant when he is in town. Its menu ranges from comfy finger foods and classic sandwiches to semi-formal entrees of fresh fish and steaks. 3341 Bridge Plaza Drive, Vero Beach; 772-234-5550; Chef Leanne Kelleher opened The Tides restaurant in 2000 on Cardinal Drive in Central Beach on the barrier island. It's moving temporarily to a new office complex next to the 7-Eleven on South A1A while her old restaurant is razed and rebuilt. The fine dining restaurant features a distinct menu of Floridian and New American cuisine with Southern, Latin, Caribbean and classical French influences for the freshest seafood and the finest quality meats, as well as locally grown and organically raised vegetables and fruits. Waldo's Restaurant & Bar, located inside the historic Driftwood Inn, is one of Vero Beach pioneer Waldo Sexton's historic landmarks. Sexton first came to Vero Beach in the 1920s and started building the Driftwood Inn out of the timbers of a dairy barn destroyed in a storm. Finished in 1935, it was supposed to be a family beach house. However, after many requests for rooms because of limited hotel options in the area, it expanded into the Driftwood Resort with an oceanfront restaurant and bar. It has indoor and outdoor seating with a guest-only pool in the middle, live music on the weekends and a wooden deck that sits on the beach. 3150 Ocean Drive, Vero Beach; 772-231-7091; Laurie K. Blandford is TCPalm's entertainment reporter dedicated to finding the best things to do on the Treasure Coast. Email her at Sign up for her What To Do in 772 weekly newsletter at This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Where to eat: 10 essential restaurants in Vero Beach for food, views
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21-05-2025
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Memorial Day weekend: 6 best beginner surf spots in Fort Pierce, Jensen Beach, Stuart
Surf's up this Memorial Day weekend. If you can find a wave during the flat days of summer in Florida, it's the best time of year to learn how to surf, or for beginner surfers to get better. It's always best to avoid crowded locations with experienced surfers such as the Sebastian Inlet and Fort Pierce Inlet state parks. Here are six of the best surfing spots for beginners from north to south on the Treasure Coast. Location: North State Road A1A, 4 miles north of Fort Pierce Inlet State Park or 9 miles south of Vero Beach Avalon is a good beach for beginning and intermediate surfers that's off the beaten path, but it's unguarded. The waves break outside and travel along a sandbar, making for a long ride. It's a good place for longboard and fun-shape boards. With a long stretch of beach available, surfers can spread out and find waves easily. Location: 3302 N. State Road A1A, Fort Pierce Pepper Park has a series of sandbars that creates a casual break. The beach's outer shoals prevent waves from getting too big. It has lifeguards who watch for bad weather conditions, rip currents and marine life, including sharks and Portuguese men-of-war. Location: 10350 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach Waveland doesn't have an outside barrier reef to break down the waves when the swell gets big, but the beach typically has a soft wave during the summer. Plus, it has lifeguards. One additional benefit to surfers is that no fishing is allowed at this public beach access. Wavegarden: Treasure Coast surfer gives personal account of Fort Pierce surf park to come Staff pick: Entertainment reporter loves Fort Pierce beach for surfing Location: 9200 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach Dollman is good for beginners on small-wave days. It has small and big wave breaks that make it a great place to go during the summer. Catching waves at mid-tide — about two hours after dead low tide or two hours before full high tide — works best for all the St. Lucie County spots. Location: 4191 N.E. Ocean Blvd., Jensen Beach Jensen is used for surf for lessons, taking beginners to different parts of the beach, which has lifeguards. Near low tide, the sandbar is knee- to waist-deep, so it's perfect for smaller waves. That's when a little 1- to 2-foot wave can be found rolling through. Location: 889 N.E. Ocean Blvd., Stuart Stuart is used for surf lessons, taking beginners to the south end near the dirt parking lot. It has a little break and isn't too deep, and the beach has lifeguards. Go just before or just after low tide — a two- to three-hour window. Otherwise, the water can be too deep for 1- to 2-foot waves to break over the sandbar. Laurie K. Blandford is TCPalm's entertainment reporter dedicated to finding the best things to do on the Treasure Coast. Email her at Sign up for her What To Do in 772 weekly newsletter at This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Memorial Day weekend: Best surfing Fort Pierce, Jensen Beach, Stuart
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07-05-2025
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Why you should skip Napa and sip wine in California at these places instead
When it comes to wine tasting in California, most people immediately think of Napa Valley, with its wineries and tasting rooms around every corner. If you look beyond this powerhouse region, you'll find wine destinations across the state, where the weekend traffic isn't as intense and you can get a more personalized wine tasting experience. 1. Lodi Cool winds from the San Francisco Bay flow 90 miles east to the town of Lodi, creating the perfect environment for grape growing. The town owes its early prosperity to the Flame Tokay, a seeded variety of grape used for eating and not for wine. When seedless grapes took over the table grape market in the 1980s, thousands of acres of Flame Tokay were replaced with wine grape vines. Now, the region produces around 20 percent of California's wine grapes—more than Napa and Sonoma combined. When you walk through the quaint downtown, you'll find the iconic Lodi Arch alongside colorful murals such as "Cycles of Suffrage," commemorating the 19th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Visitors can book a free walking tour with the official town docent Alane Dashner to learn about the town's history. When you are ready for some wine tasting, you can book a ride on the Lodi Wine Trolley to make your way to wineries to taste the Old Vine Zinfandel and other varietals the region is known for. Or, you can make your way on your own to the dozens of wineries around town, such as Calivines Winery & Olive Mill. Visitors can find a shaded spot on the large patio to enjoy an olive oil and wine tasting experience. (Related: Northern California's oyster capital is a hidden gem.) During the grape harvest, a worker pours a bucket of white grapes onto a tractor-trailer. Photograph by Jordi Salas, Getty Images Just east of San Francisco, the wineries in the twon of Lodi are known for their Old Vine Zinfandel and other varietals. Photograph by Stephanie Russo via Lodi Winegrape Commission 2. Livermore Valley Just a 45-minute drive east of San Francisco, the Livermore Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA) is another easy option near the Bay Area. This is one of the oldest wine regions in the country, dating back to 1883 when Carl H. Wente and James Concannon founded the first commercial wineries in the area. The region boasts a large number of female winery owners and winemakers and a supportive community that encourages innovation and camaraderie. Not only are the wine tasting prices in the Livermore Valley in line with Napa prices 15 to 20 years ago, but you'll also find winemakers often host the tastings, which gives you deeper insight into the wine production process. The area is keenly focused on the impact of climate change on the wine industry—vineyards are eliminating herbicides and pesticides, using drip irrigation to reduce water usage, and having sheep graze pastures in the off-season instead of using tractors. Livermore Valley winemakers and growers recently announced their designation of Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc as the region's signature varietals. They are recognized for their historical significance in the area and their ability to withstand changes to agronomic conditions such as climate, soil composition, and water availability. (Related: The ultimate Pacific Coast Highway itinerary, from San Francisco to Santa Monica.) If you're visiting San Francisco, you can drive 45 minutes east to explore the wineries located in Livermore Valley, Calif. Photograph by Stephanie Russo 3. Temecula Valley Southern California visitors looking for wine tasting options can take advantage of their proximity to the Temecula Valley wine region, located just inland between Los Angeles and San Diego. While you might expect this region to be hot year-round, mornings and nights in the Temecula Valley can be downright chilly, allowing grapes to retain freshness while still developing flavor during the ripening process. This dynamic wine region is known for its ingenuity and willingness to experiment, and you can even blend your own bottle at Bottaia Winery's blending lab. Many of the wineries in Temecula produce only a small amount of each vintage, so you'll need to visit to try them yourself. Enjoy the 90-point 2023 Viognier at Wilson Creek Winery, or go for their almond sparkling wine, a refreshing summer favorite. The best way to take in the area's beauty is on a sunrise hot air balloon ride over the vineyards. (Related: We planned the perfect day in San Diego for 3 types of travelers.) The Lodi region produces approximately 20 percent of California's wine grapes—more than Napa and Sonoma combined. Photograph by Stephanie Russo via Lodi Winegrape Commission Some California wineries, specifically in Temecula Valley, offer guests a hot-air balloon ride to get a bird's-eye view of their vineyards. Photograph by Diane Trimble 4. Santa Ynez Valley If you've watched the 2004 movie Sideways, you know all about this wine region located just inland from Santa Barbara on California's Central Coast. The mountains in the Santa Ynez Valley run east to west, funneling in the cool air from the Pacific and creating a terroir that's perfect for growing chardonnay, pinot noir, and other wine grapes. Laid-back farming communities comprise the six towns within the region, and you'll feel those vibes when visiting wineries such as Fess Parker. You can ride horseback through the vineyards to a stunning 360-degree view of the valley before enjoying a wine tasting on the shaded patio. While visiting the area, you shouldn't miss a stop in the quaint Danish town of Solvang, where you can ride the horse-drawn Solvang Trolley and enjoy Danish kringle and butter cookies at Olsen's Danish Village Bakery. If you're looking for a fragrant souvenir to take home, you should visit Clairmont Farms to walk through the lavender fields and purchase lavender-infused culinary and body products at the gift shop. (Related: Everything you should know about Santa Barbara.) 5. Santa Cruz Mountains Another California wine region with a unique topography is the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA. Nearly 300 small growers are tucked into the mountain between the ocean and the forest. Most of the area's wineries are family-owned and have limited distribution. Small tasting rooms make you feel like welcomed guests as soon as you arrive. Pull up to the little red schoolhouse at Burrell School Vineyards in Los Gatos to sip chardonnay or cabernet franc on the veranda overlooking the vines. (Dogs are allowed). Another option for wine connoisseurs is to make a trip to Cooper-Garrod Vineyards in the Saratoga foothills. Visitors can see the resident horses and sip a glass of wine while enjoying live music on the garden patio. If you want a truly California wine tasting experience, you should book a wine cruise on Monterey Bay with Chardonnay Sailing Charters. A local winery is featured on each sailing, and your cruise includes wine tasting, pizza, and a stunning sunset over the Pacific Ocean. (Related: Is this California wine region the new Napa? Its vintners hope not.) Kate Loweth is a freelance travel writer based in San Jose, California. She covers family travel, glamping, cruising, outdoor adventures, and solo travel. Her work has appeared in AAA, AARP, Business Insider, SUCCESS Magazine, Viator, and more.
