Treasure Coast

The Treasure Coast is served by Interstate 95, the Florida Turnpike, and U.S. Highway 1. Popular alternative routes include US A1A along Hutchinson Island, the barrier island bordering the ocean, and Indian River Drive, which runs the length of the Indian River Lagoon.

I-95 reaches the Treasure Coast from Bridge Road in Hobe Sound to Fellsmere Road in Fellsmere.

If you want to go here from or around Lorton, Virginia (or the Washington DC area), you can also take the Auto Train to Sanford and drive from there. (see above)

• 🌍 Orlando-Melbourne International Airport (MLB ^IATA), 1 Air Terminal Pkwy, Melbourne, ☏ +1 321-723-6227. Is the major airport in Florida's Space and Treasure Coasts with domestic passenger and air freight services located in town, in Melbourne. TUI also fly into Melbourne from several cities in Great Britain. 
• 🌍 Orlando International Airport (MCO ^IATA), 1 Jeff Fuqua Boulevard, Orlando, ☏ +1 407-825-2001. The next nearest major airport closest to the Treasure and Space Coasts (Melbourne, Daytona, Cocoa Beach, etc) with connections from other US cities, Canada, Mexico, Central America, South America and Europe. It is the focus city for Jetblue, Frontier and Southwest Airlines. 
• 🌍 Orlando-Sanford International Airport (SFB ^IATA). A secondary airport which serves the Orlando, 28 mi (45 km) northeast of Orlando (via SR 408 and I-4 and 417) in Sanford. The airport is served by Allegiant Air and Flair on a regularly scheduled basis. 
• 🌍 Palm Beach International Airport (PBI ^IATA), 1000 Turnage Blvd, West Palm Beach, ☏ +1 561-471-7400. The nearest commercial airport to the Treasure Coast cities of Port St Lucie, Fort Pierce, Jupiter Beach, Vero Beach from most the U.S. and Canada. 
• 🌍 Miami International Airport (MIA ^IATA), 2100 NW 42nd Ave, Miami, ☏ +1 305 876-7000. Nearest international airport from South America, Central America, Caribbean, the Middle East, Europe, Cuba, Mexico, Canada as well as the U.S. with a wider range of airlines. It is the hub for American Airlines and gateway city to Latin America and the Caribbean. (updated Mar 2016)

Most of these airports are outside of the region, but they are the closest commercial hubs. Airports in the region are general use airports, so bring your own plane! General airports in the region are:

• St. Lucie County International Airport
• Martin County at Witham Field
• Vero Beach Municipal Airport (VRB ^IATA) Breeze Airways is the only commercial airline to Vero Beach and directly in to the Treasure Coast.
• Sebastian Municipal Airport

The closest Amtrak station is in West Palm Beach; within the next few years this region will get one. The Florida East Coast Railroad has plans to remake its historical passenger line and allow Amtrak trains; the FEC's main line hasn't heard the rumbling wheels of passenger trains since the 1970s by the consolidation of passenger lines to form Amtrak. The proposed stations are to be located in Fort Pierce, Stuart, and Vero Beach. In the meantime the below are the next closest stations to the treasure coast. From the train stations, travelers would still need to rent a car to continue to the Treasure Coast.

• West Palm Beach, 209 South Tamarind Avenue, West Palm Beach, toll-free: +1-800-872-7245. Two routes going two directions. They'll take you from Miami to Orlando or Jacksonville. The station itself is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 
• Okeechobee, 801 N Parrott Avenue, Okeechobee. As of 2015, Okeechobee is just a stop without a ticket booth or waiting area. (updated May 2015)
• Kissimmee, 111 E Dakin Ave, Kissimmee, toll-free: +1-800-872-7245. 30 mi (48 km) south of Orlando. with connection with local commuter train. This station is the south end of the line for the local commuter train. 
• Orlando, 1400 Sligh Boulevard, Orlando. Amtrak service and local commuter trains served at this station. (updated Jun 2015)
• Sanford, 600 S Persimmon Avenue. Served only by the Auto Train with direct service to Lorton, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, DC. This is train available only for travelers planning to put their car on the train and offers direct service to Lorton from Sanford without any stops in between (updated Jun 2015)

• Greyhound/Flixbus, toll-free: +1 800 231-2222. Greyhound passes through the Treasure Coast along Interstate 95; through West Palm Beach, Jupiter, Port St Lucie, Ft Pierce, Vero Beach, Sebastian, Rockledge and Titusville. From Titusville some buses go west into Orlando while others continue north towards Jacksonville. Passengers transfer in Jacksonville, Miami or Orlando to reach additional cities. Check Schedules. (updated Dec 2020)

The specific bus routes listed are those that get travelers across the county end to end on US 1 or on another road:

• For the big cities of St. Lucie County (Fort Pierce and Port St. Lucie), there is a bus service. The Area Regional Transit (ART) serves the southern and central Treasure Coast from the Treasure Coast Square Mall in Jensen Beach to Downtown Fort Pierce. The routes of the TCC include: US-1 from Jensen Beach to Fort Pierce, PSL City Hall to Tradition, a downtown "trolley" in Port St. Lucie, two routes in Fort Pierce, a route through St. Lucie West, and a new route from Fort Pierce to south Vero Beach.

• 1 Treasure Coast Mall - Wal-Mart @ SE Lennard Rd & US 1 in Port St Lucie to Ave 'D' & 8th in Ft Pierce
• 7 Ft Pierce to South Vero Beach

• For Martin County (Stuart, Jensen Beach, Indiantown), there is a brand new bus service serving the major cities and communities of the county. The Marty transit system takes you from southern Port St. Lucie to south Stuart via the Treasure Coast Connector and two separate routes serving two cities; one route runs through Indiantown, and the other city route runs through Stuart, mostly in the downtown area. The following routes traverse connects Palm Beach County, through Martin County, to St Lucie County along US 1:

• 20x Palm Beach Gardens Mall in North Palm Beach to Hobe Sound (Martin Memorial Health & Indian River State College)
• 1 Hobe Sound (Martin Memorial Health & Indian River State College) - Stuart - Port St Lucie Wal-Mart @ SE Lennard Rd & US 1

• For Indian River County (Sebastian and Vero Beach), serving almost the entire county with major hubs at the Vero Beach Airport, the two local malls, and another hub at US-1 and Oslo Road, the GoLine Indian River Transit system takes you from the Vero Beach Airport throughout Indian River County, even serving the IRSC Main Campus in Fort Pierce. The best part is no fares.

There are connections between each transit system at: the main Indian River State College campus in Fort Pierce, South Point Plaza in Vero Beach, and the Treasure Coast Square Mall in Jensen Beach. The Treasure Coast Connector is the system that links the GoLine IRT to the "Marty", from Indian River to Martin counties.

In the region, everything is within driving range, from the city hospitals to the local malls. Major highways in the area include: I-95, Florida's Turnpike, US-1 and State Roads A1A, 60, and 70. The Turnpike's rough paralleling of I-95 ends in Fort Pierce, after which it diverts northwest, eventually crossing I-4 and ending at I-75 in Wildwood. I-95 continues up the region, not exactly on the East Coast of Florida, but through flatlands.

On most of the Treasure Coast, you can get from town to town via the Intracoastal Waterway. This waterway can also be used to reach Hutchinson Island, on the other side. From one end of the coast to the other (Stuart to Sebastian), it should be 2 hours at the most. There are many marinas along the coast if you plan to launch a boat.

Stuart and Jensen Beach have downtown areas worth visiting. Downtown Stuart is centered around a giant sailfish statue and contains several beautiful buildings, great food and lots of fun shops, and holds great parades around Memorial Park for national holidays, while Jensen Beach features an artistic beachy downtown which was once an old college town and still retains the college town feel.

Fort Pierce's booming downtown is full of many beautiful Spanish colonial and Mediterranean revival style buildings, and its close location to the coast makes great views from the sidewalks.

Port St. Lucie City Center is a soon-to-be downtown in PSL, and there is a civic center building, a small amphitheater, a parking garage and a bus service. Plans are going into effect to build office buildings and hotels on the empty blocks around the civic center. Also in Port St. Lucie is the Town of Tradition, PSL's main shopping center, featuring the local Target, Kilwins, and the Taste of Little Italy Festival; and Tradition Field, the spring training home of the New York Mets, is close by: the stadium is in Port St. Lucie. St. Lucie West is one of the best known neighborhoods in PSL, home to many "strip malls" and a wide variety of restaurants and food choices to suit anyone's taste, from barbecue to pizza and everything in between.

Downtown Vero Beach is made up of varied businesses from eclectic shops like those in the Pueblo Arcade to Vero’s government buildings. Enjoy a quiet breakfast at one of the many cafes or treat yourself to lunch or dinner at one of the many ethnic restaurants. Most downtown buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Stuart Beach has facilities and good waves, and is a beautiful family beach. Bathtub Beach, enclosed in a reef, is a great place to find crabs and other small aquatic animals during low tide this; however, it does not have facilities. Jensen Beach, with more adventurous waters, is great and includes facilities.

You can stroll through the amazing park at the Oceanogaphic Center and learn about, and see, ocean creatures and plants

Bathtub Reef and the Indian River are great places to learn to snorkel. Both are protected waters with a great deal of sealife. Ask at the Oceanographic Center or St. Lucie County Aquarium (at the north and south ends of Hutchinson island, respectively, for tips on conditions and locations.

Dive for sunken treasure. The Treasure Coast wouldn't be called such a place without the 1715 wreck off the middle of the coast. People have been hunting here since the 1900s, and much treasure has not yet been uncovered.