These coastal towns and islands are hidden gems for families. Shhh, keep it on the down low.
St. Lucie County in Florida is often referred to as the Treasure Coast. While we were visiting this region on the Atlantic, we heard several local legends that explained the nickname and all referred to the pirate treasure that was found or is still buried in the area. My family left though with another reason for the designation — we think St. Lucie County is named the Treasure Coast because it truly is a gem of a destination for vacationing families.
DAY ONE
Upon arrival in St. Lucie County, the first thing that you’ll want to do is check into your hotel and check out the beach. Our family stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott Hutchinson Island (10978 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach), which is located on an island (as the name implies) with spectacular ocean views. Our room had two queen-sized beds as well as a sleeper sofa. While the rooms don’t have balconies, the large windows facing the beach do offer an opportunity to view the Atlantic. The hotel sports has an outdoor pool and hot tub, plus the beach is located just steps away. My boys were fascinated by the sea turtle nests that were marked off on the beach by volunteers, but the off-limit area proved to tempting for my toddler! For that reason, we spent more time in the pool than I had anticipated, but I didn’t hear any complaints from my older boys.
After settling in, drive to the mainland for dinner. St. Lucie County is actually comprised of several islands and towns on the mainland, so travel can take a bit longer than anticipated; but remember, most of your drive will feature ocean views! My sports-obsessed boys were thrilled to head to dinner at Duffy’s Sports Grill (1608 NW Courtyard Circle, Port St. Lucie), a Florida chain. The restaurant has huge televisions showing sports of all kinds as well as a menu with options besides wings and hamburgers. My husband and I enjoyed homemade meatloaf and a chicken rice bowl, while the kids rushed through dinner to get to dessert. The kids’ menu offers a make-your-own ice cream sundae or cupcake option. The sundae was fairly standard with ice cream, chocolate sauce, gummy bears, and whipped cream, but the cupcakes stole the show. Each of my two younger boys received three (yes, three) cupcakes with two kinds of frosting and gummy bears. If I had known how big the cupcakes were, I wouldn’t have ordered two! In the end, everyone shared in the fun.
After dinner, head to the ballpark. The St. Lucie Mets are a minor league affiliate of the New York Mets and play their home games at First Data Field (525 NW Peacock Boulevard, Port St Lucie). The season kicks off in April and runs through early September. In addition to great baseball, minor league games are known for between-innings entertainment and zany antics; the St. Lucie Mets are no exception. Our family was entertained with different contests as well as fun crowd songs like the YMCA. Another hallmark of minor league baseball is the opportunity to interact with the players. My boys spent several innings perched near the dugout, trying to catch a foul ball or a tossed ball after the inning. Sadly, they didn’t catch one, but they still enjoyed being that close to the players. When we were visiting, former NFL quarterback-turned-baseball player Tim Tebow was on the St. Lucie Mets’ roster, and we got swept up in Tebow-mania. Cost: Tickets start at $7; Kids (2 & under) are free.
