A One-Stop Fisherman’s Paradise in Vero Beach

From fishing tackle to boat slips to guided fishing charters, Vero Tackle and Marina has it all. Family owned and operated by Brian and Tiffany Williamson, Vero Tackle and Marina and Vero Tackle Charters have been sharing their love of fishing with the community and tourists for more than 27 years.

The store features quality tackle, rods, reels, live and frozen bait, artificial bait and fishing licenses.

Vero Tackle Charters will take you out on the exciting fishing adventure of your choice. Their 18-20 foot flats boats will safely take you inshore fishing on the scenic Indian River Lagoon or along the beaches and inlets. Inshore trips are for 1-3 anglers, but up to six anglers can be arranged. Corporate and multi-boat trips are available. Deep-sea adventures in the Atlantic Ocean are also offered. With 10 guides and up to 10 boats, Vero Tackle Charters can accommodate large corporate groups or single boat charters for 2 to 6 anglers. Tuna fishing and nighttime swordfishing are also available.

Vero Tackle and Marina is open from 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday – Friday and  6 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday & Sunday. Call for charter reservations.

The shop is conveniently located under the east side of the Merril P. Barber Bridge at 3321 Bridge Plaza Dr., Vero Beach, FL 32963. Phone: (772) 234-9585.

Vero Beach’s Green Lodging

Established in 2004, the Florida Green Lodging Program is a voluntary initiative of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection that designates and recognizes lodging facilities that make a commitment to conserve and protect Florida’s natural resources. The program’s environmental guidelines allow the hospitality industry to evaluate its operations, set goals and take specific actions to continuously improve environmental performance.

Designated hotels must have complete a minimum set of best management practices in the areas of communication, water conservation, energy efficiency, waste reduction and clean air to receive a “One Palm” designation. Hotels must progress to “Two Palm” and “Three Palm” designations through continued improvement to retain the right to use the Florida Green Lodging Program designation in their promotion.

Vero Beach has two hotels that have received the Green Lodging designation: Disney’s Vero Beach Resort and the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Vero Beach – Oceanside.

Disney’s Vero Beach Resort
9250 Island Grove Terrace
Vero Beach, FL 32963
Phone: (800) 500-3990

Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Vero Beach – Oceanside*
3384 Ocean Drive
Vero Beach, FL 32963
Phone: 772-231-2300

*This hotel is located just 350 yards south of the fabulous Village Spires.

Sea Turtle Nesting Season Underway in Vero Beach

Each May in Florida, sea turtle nesting season begins as female sea turtles emerge from the ocean to dig a nest in the sand where they lay their eggs. Nesting season continues throughout the summer and ends around October 31.

Mother turtles come ashore in the dark, dig a hole using their flippers, and lay 100-150 eggs at a time in these “nests”. During the course of a season, a single female lays multiple nests, usually 3-8. After a 45–70 day gestation period, hatchlings emerge from the nest under the cover of darkness and follow the light of the moon reflecting off the ocean.

Vero Beach provides critical nesting grounds for threatened and endangered sea turtles, including green sea, Hawksbill, Kemp’s Ridley, Leatherback and Loggerhead.

Here are some basic rules for turtle-friendly behavior:

• Shut off or shield lights that are visible from the beach. Close drapes or blinds after dark. Use 25 watt yellow-bug lights where exterior lighting is necessary. Avoid using flashlights or fishing lanterns on the beach.  
• Remove beach litter. Balloons, plastic bags, foam and other non-degradable pollutants cause the deaths of many sea turtles who mistake them for food. 
• Quietly observe a nesting turtle from a distance. Do not shine any lights on or around her — she may abandon her effort to nest. No flash photography. Stay behind the turtle so that she cannot see you.
• Do not harass a turtle by touching her or prodding her to move. Stay out of the way as she crawls back to the water.
• Stack or remove beach furniture.
• Keep pets on a leash, away from sea turtles and their nests.
• Leave sea turtle nest identitication markers in place on the beach.
• Leave nest sites undisturbed.
• To report dead or injured sea turtles, or, if you have accidentally hooked a sea turtle that is small enough to rescue, contact: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission 1-888-404-FWCC.

Photos #1 and #2, Chris Gent/Flickr; Photo #3: Walt Disney World Public Affairs

Historic Homestead: Vero Beach’s Hallstrom House

The Hallstrom House (also known as the Hallstrom Farmstead) is a historic home in Vero Beach. Beginning as a 40-acre pineapple plantation in 1909 the main house was erected by Swedish horticulturist Axel Hallstrom. With help from Norse and Swedish craftsmen, the structure was completed in 1918. Axel eventually moved from the cultivation of pineapple to the citrus business and was a charter member of the Florida Citrus Exchange, and served as the group’s president in 1927.

After Axel Hallstrom’s death in 1966, the house was willed by his daughter Ruth Hallstrom for preservation purposes in July 2000. On June 6, 2002, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

The Hallstrom House is located at 1723 S.W. Old Dixie Highway.

Vero Beach Quiz #2

Q. Vero Beach is home to more retired what than any other location in the world?

A. Vero Beach is home to more retired Fortune 500 CEO’s than any other location in the world and has the fourth highest concentration of wealthy households in the country. Most of these residents live on the exclusive barrier island — Orchid Island — that is divided from the mainland by the Indian River. You can be part of this exclusive community by purchasing this fabulous oceanfront condo currently for sale on Orchid Island.

Sept. 11 victims to be remembered in Vero Beach

The Vero Beach Firefighters Association Inc. will present two 9/11 observance ceremonies on Friday, September 11, 2009.

The first event will be held at 8:30 am at Veterans Memorial Island Sanctuary, located on the banks of the Indian River Lagoon. This program will last approximately one hour and will feature honor guards from local fire and law enforcement agencies, along with guest speakers and music by the United States Navy Ceremonial Band from the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville. The second program will be held Friday evening at the Riverside Theatre, 3250 Riverside Park Drive. This program will last approximately two hours and will be a solemn tribute featuring music by the Navy band along with guest speakers.

The public is invited to all ceremonies free of charge. Questions? Contact Captain Joe Earman at 473‐4395.

Flying High: C. J. Cannons Restaurant

Vero Beach Municipal Airport is a public-use airport located 1 mile northwest of Vero Beach’s central business district. The airport maintains three lighted runways, which handle approximately 185,000 annual take-offs and landings. Aircraft range in size from small general aviation aircraft to large corporate jets.

The airport is home to Piper Aircraft and FlightSafety Academy, a leading flight training school. The airport also has a great little restaurant, overlooking the tarmac. C. J. Cannons serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. You can eat inside or out and they’ll even provide headphones to those who would like to listen to the control tower while they wait for their food.

C. J. Cannons is located at 3414 Cherokee Drive, Vero Beach, FL 32960. Phone: 772-567-7727.

Photo: philnkellynfinn/Flickr

Vero Beach Quiz #1

Q. Which famous American received his flight certification from the FlightSafety Center at the Vero Beach Municipal Airport in 1998?

A. John F. Kennedy, Jr., son of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Kennedy was killed along with his wife and sister-in-law when the aircraft he was piloting crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, flying from New Jersey to Martha’s Vineyard.

The Treasure Coast

If you live in Vero Beach, you often hear the area referred to as the “Treasure Coast.” And for good reason.

The name “Treasure Coast” is derived from a number of ships of Spanish galleons (especially those of the 1715 Spanish treasure fleet) that wrecked off the coast during the 17th and 18th centuries. Artifacts from these ships have been recovered in the past fifty years, both by amateur and professional treasure-hunters. There are other shipwrecks here as well.

Just off shore from the Ocean Grill, is the skeleton of the British steamship Breconshire, which struck a reef and sank in 1894. The entire crew managed to escape from the sinking vessel in the ship’s boats and after being sheltered in a nearby Coast Guard station for three days, they returned to London.

The 200-foot steel ship now rests in about 20 feet of water, about 300 feet off the beach. At low tide, you can sometimes see the bow and other remains of this iron-screw steamer which is now a popular spot for snorkeling and scuba diving. The ship’s copper whistle was salvaged from the shipwreck and is displayed on the oceanfront deck of the nearby Driftwood Resort (pictured below). To read a history on the whistle, click here.

Photo: Sam Wolfe, TCPalm.com

Vero Beach’s Ocean Grill: Dramatic Views, Great Food

Just steps away from the Village Spires, is the Ocean Grill. This busy eatery is popular for its dramatic oceanfront view and great food.

The menu features a variety of seafood, including stuffed shrimp, fried shrimp, shrimp salad, scallops, jumbo lump crab cakes, fried oysters and clam chowder. Other menu items include roast duckling, prime rib, steak, chicken and grilled pork chops.

The building you dine in was built almost 70 years ago by Waldo Sexton, the eccentric entrepreneur who left his imprint on so many landmarks in Vero Beach. He not only built the Grill, but he also built the road leading to it. In the 1920’s Waldo and a strong team of mules cleared the right-of-way for A-1-A from the south county line to the Sebastian inlet.

It was not until 1941, however, that the restaurant was constructed high on a sand dune 200 yards from the rolling Atlantic. From his many storehouses Waldo gathered pecky cypress, mahogany, wrought iron and Spanish antiques to furnish the new building. The first meal was served, appropriately, on a romantic New Year’s Eve.

Ocean Grill is located at 1050 Sexton Plaza, Vero Beach. Phone: 772.231.5409

Photo: DoctorTubaUF/Flickr