Part 3 Vero Beach, FL

There are 2 distinct parts to Vero Beach. The mainland part is on and around Route 1. We found this area to be very busy and congested with a lot of heavy traffic.

The other area is across the Indian River on an island between the river and the Atlantic. The main road through here is A1A. This area is a quiet, upscale residential area with some very nice restaurants, good shopping and several outstanding cultural attractions.

One attraction on the mainland that we enjoyed was the McKee Jungle Gardens. We had a pleasant walk on a warm sunny day. There was a dinosaur exhibit being featured that was exceptional. As you walked along the various paths there were models of dinosaurs that were very realistic. Some were beside nests with eggs, some were suspended from the trees as if they were flying, and some small ones were shown climbing a tree. There were plaques with information about each dinosaur displayed.

Over on the A1A side there are numerous parks that seemed to always be having some kind of community gathering. The largest is Riverside Park which houses the Vero Beach Museum of Art and the Riverside Theater.

For a small museum the art museum is obviously well regarded and very well funded. We were fortunate enough to see 2 outstanding exhibits. There was also an instructor exhibition which was quite varied and interesting. The library would be a great resource.

We arrived just in time to join a tour of the featured exhibits. The tour that we joined had a new docent conducting it and 2-3 more experienced docents traveling with her. As a result we had a wonderful tour because all of these women really knew their stuff. The first exhibit was a Trompe L'Oeile exhibit that had some amazing pieces. One piece was a horse that looked like it was made from tree branches, but was actually cast bronze. We later saw it featured on an Antiques Road Show that originated in Phoenix.

The other exhibit was George Rickey Kinetic sculpture. The entire exhibit was on loan from the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum. The Smithsonian packed and shipped the entire exhibit and then sent people from the Hirshhorn to reassemble it for exhibition both inside the museum and outside. The pieces themselves were fascinating to watch. There were numerous fans running inside to cause the movement that is a part of kinetic sculpture. Outside the breezes took care of that aspect of the exhibit.

There is a lovely new theater being built to replace the current Riverside Theater. We went to see "Forever Plaid." We felt that the harmony was not as smooth as the various groups that originally recorded the songs, but still was a lot of fun with a lot of "golden oldies" from the 50's and 60's along with some very funny moments.

We have neighbors that have had a condo in Vero Beach for over 30 years so asked them for some restaurant recommendations. We expected 3 or 4, but received 2 full pages. We don't eat out every night so we went to 3 of the recommended restaurants.

The first was the Ocean Grill on the A1A side. We went on a rainy, windy, cold Monday night. The place was absolutely packed. People were dressed in everything from jeans and sneakers to coats and ties. This is a huge restaurant, but we still had a substantial wait.

The food was excellent as was the service. We appreciated the fact that because it is big and somewhat noisy our waitress made sure that we could hear what she was saying. We were able to carry on a conversation without yelling at each other.

As we were leaving I was killing some time waiting for Paul and was looking at some old photos when someone asked, "Do you recognize anyone?" I thought it might be one of our neighbors. Turned out it was the owners' mother. We had a delightful chat.

After the theater, we went to the main land to the Lobster Shanty which had been recommended for their early bird specials and hush puppies. This is kind of a typical seashore seafood place. The early bird menu was quite extensive. Dress was definitely casual. We had a delicious 3 course dinner for a very modest price.

The third restaurant we went to was the Lemon Tree. We'd originally planned to go someplace else on the mainland, but couldn't find it.

When you look in the window, Lemon Tree looks like a diner because all you see are lines of booths. It is not. I called to see if they took reservations and was told, "We recommend them." Our neighbor had also made a note to call for reservations.

This restaurant offers a free glass of wine and a complimentary dessert (lemon sorbet). The food was excellent and seemed to have a bit of a middle eastern flare. Other tables were being offered an option of more wine (not free). That option was never offered to us. Although, our service wasn't bad, it was not as attentive as that at other tables. Our waiter seem to be very distracted by something. The food was excellent so we would go back.

Shopping was a delight (still on the A1A side). Most of the stores were having sales, and there really was something for everyone. My favorite shopping expedition was to Indian River Orchids. I was looking for colors and forms of phalenopsis I cannot find here. My favorite is not for sale yet and is being used now just for propagation, but I found 3 that I liked and had them shipped to me. They came through completely buried in styrofoam peanuts which insulated them. Only the top of one petal got frozen. I also discovered that the local shipping place will take the peanuts to recycle.

I'm not sure other than the beach that there is much in Vero Beach for children. All in all we found Vero Beach a really pleasant place to stay with quite a bit to offer adults.

Sue