Things to Do on the Treasure Coast
My wife Yami and I love exploring the area. Here are the markets, music, museums, parks and yearly events we keep coming back to, from Fort Pierce down to Hobe Sound.
Every Week
These happen on a regular schedule all year. Times can change for weather and holidays, so check the organizer’s site before you head out.
Thursday Nights
A free street party along Jensen Beach Boulevard with live music, local artists and vendors. Not held on Thanksgiving.
First Friday of the Month
The Treasure Coast’s longest running street party: free live music, food vendors and arts and crafts on the downtown Fort Pierce waterfront.
Saturday Mornings
A Saturday tradition since 1997, with 70+ vendors selling local produce, flowers, artisan foods and crafts along the Indian River. Free parking.
Hosted by the Fort Pierce Jazz & Blues Society right next to the farmers market: live jazz plus handmade crafts, stained glass and Highwaymen paintings.
Sundays
Year round market on the St. Lucie River with local produce, baked goods, flowers and handmade gifts.
50+ local vendors set up by the lake at Tradition Square with produce, baked goods, crafts and handmade items.
Free open air concerts all year in downtown Stuart: rock, country and blues. Watch from the amphitheater or tie up and listen from your boat.
By City
Fort Pierce
A historic waterfront downtown, two Saturday markets, and beaches and inlet fishing on North Hutchinson Island.
The birthplace of the Navy frogmen. Exhibits, vehicles and the history of the UDT and SEAL teams, on North Hutchinson Island.
Home of the work of Florida landscape painter A.E. “Bean” Backus and the Florida Highwaymen he inspired, on the downtown riverfront.
Exhibits on the Indian River Lagoon plus an observation deck where manatees often gather, especially in the cooler months.
A restored 1920s theater downtown hosting concerts, comedy, Broadway style shows and films.
Five acres of subtropical gardens, including a bonsai collection.
A half mile of beach for swimming, snorkeling and surfing, with jetty fishing at the inlet.
Port St. Lucie
Parks and preserves along the North Fork of the St. Lucie River, Mets baseball and the Sunday market at Tradition.
Riverside gardens with a butterfly garden, orchids and native plants, plus events throughout the year.
About three miles of free trails, boardwalks and an observation tower through hammock, pine flatwoods and riverfront.
Wide open freshwater marsh and pine flatwoods with hiking trails and an environmental education center.
Spring training home of the New York Mets since 1988, and home of the St. Lucie Mets the rest of the season, with fireworks nights.
Stuart, Jensen Beach & Hutchinson Island
A walkable riverfront downtown, Thursday nights in Jensen Beach and museums and beaches across the bridge on Hutchinson Island.
Classic and vintage cars, baseball memorabilia and Martin County history on Hutchinson Island.
The last remaining House of Refuge in Florida, built in 1876 to shelter shipwrecked sailors, set on the rocks above the ocean.
A 57 acre marine life center between the river and the ocean, with a stingray touch pool, game fish feedings and nature trails.
A near shore reef forms a calm, shallow lagoon that is great for wading and snorkeling on calm days.
Hands on exhibits for kids inside Indian Riverside Park, right on the Indian River Lagoon.
Downtown Stuart’s historic theater, with concerts, comedy and live performances most of the year.
Hobe Sound & Jupiter Island
The quiet south end of Martin County: the area’s biggest state park, rock formations on the beach and sea turtle walks in summer.
Over 10,000 acres on the Wild and Scenic Loxahatchee River, with trails, camping and boat tours to the Trapper Nelson homestead.
A Nature Conservancy preserve where waves shoot up through the limestone shoreline at high tide.
A small nature center with live animals and trails, and guided nighttime sea turtle walks in June and July (reservations required).
Through the Year
The big yearly events. Dates change every year, so follow the link for this year’s schedule.
January
- Stuart Boat Show Stuart One of the area’s biggest boating events, with 200+ exhibitors.
February
- ArtsFest Memorial Park, Stuart A weekend of fine art, live music and performances downtown.
- Martin County Fair Stuart Ten days of rides, food and livestock shows.
- Mets Spring Training Clover Park, Port St. Lucie The New York Mets train in Port St. Lucie from February into March.
February–March
- St. Lucie County Fair Fort Pierce Ten days of rides, a rodeo, livestock and fair food.
June–July
- Sea Turtle Walks Hobe Sound Guided night walks to watch nesting loggerheads. Spots fill fast.
July
- Freedomfest MIDFLORIDA Event Center, Port St. Lucie The city’s free Fourth of July celebration with live music and fireworks.
- Stars Over St. Lucie Fireworks Downtown Fort Pierce Fourth of July fireworks over the Indian River.
October
- Ghosts of Fort Pierce Past Walking Tours Downtown Fort Pierce Evening history and ghost story tours through downtown.
November
- Stuart Air Show Witham Field, Stuart Three days of warbirds, military jets and aerobatic performers, plus static aircraft displays.
December
- Sights & Sounds on Second Christmas Parade Downtown Fort Pierce Fort Pierce’s holiday parade, usually the first Sunday of December.
- Stuart Christmas Parade Downtown Stuart A Martin County tradition since 1960, held on an early December evening.
- Martin County Christmas Boat Parade Manatee Pocket to Downtown Stuart Lit up boats cruise from Sandsprit Park to the Roosevelt Bridge.
- Festival of Lights Port St. Lucie The city’s tree lighting with a parade of lights, carnival and fireworks.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to do on the Treasure Coast this weekend?
Saturday mornings, head to the Fort Pierce Farmers Market (8 AM–12 PM) and the Jazz Market next door (8 AM–1 PM). Sundays, there’s the Stuart Green Market (9 AM–1 PM), the market at Tradition Square in Port St. Lucie (9 AM–2 PM), and free live music at Rock’n Riverwalk in downtown Stuart (1 PM–4 PM). On the first Friday of the month, Friday Fest takes over the Fort Pierce waterfront.
What are some free things to do in Port St. Lucie?
The Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens, the trails at the Oxbow Eco-Center, and the Sunday farmers market at Tradition Square are all free. The city’s Freedomfest in July is free too.
What is there to do in Stuart on a Sunday?
Start at the Stuart Green Market on the riverfront (9 AM–1 PM), then walk over to the Riverwalk Stage for the free Rock’n Riverwalk concert from 1 PM to 4 PM. Across the bridge on Hutchinson Island you’ll find the Elliott Museum, the House of Refuge and Bathtub Reef Beach.
Where can I see manatees near Fort Pierce?
The Manatee Observation and Education Center on the downtown Fort Pierce riverfront has an observation deck over the Indian River Lagoon. Manatees are most common there in the cooler months.
When is Mets spring training in Port St. Lucie?
The New York Mets hold spring training at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie from February into March. The St. Lucie Mets play there for the rest of the season.
Weekends are for recharging and connecting. Get out there and make some memories! What are you most excited to do this weekend? Don’t forget to Share your experience with us on Facebook or Instagram 👇, we’d love to hear all about it!!