Located in St. Lucie County, Fort Pierce is also known as Sunrise City. Fort Pierce is one of the oldest cities in south Florida.

The Fort Pierce City Marina is notably one of the finest in Florida. Located on the beautiful Indian River in downtown Fort Pierce, the marina offers boaters all the amenities of a small village with close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean through the Fort Pierce Inlet and only a short distance to the Bahamas.

Culture abounds in Fort Pierce as the epicenter of the Treasure Coast and home to the Historic Sunrise Theatre of the Performing Arts, the largest facility of its caliber between Melbourne and Palm Beach. The Sunrise is home to the Treasure Coast Opera Society and the Treasure Coast Symphony and hosts a diverse calendar of concerts, plays, lectures and other performances.

Historic Downtown Fort Pierce include Friday Fest, the first Friday of each month, Bike Nite on Thursdays, Farmer’s Market, and Art Show on Saturdays and Jazz Jams on Thursdays. Annual celebrations include the Martin Luther King Festival in January, Mardi Gras Carnival in February, Backus Festival in March, Sandy Shoes Festival in April, Sights & Sounds on Second Street in December and a multitude of annual fishing and golf tournaments.

Fort Pierce Attractions:

Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution

Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-5pm; visitor center gift shop Mon-Sat 9am-5pm. Arrive at least 20   min. before tour      
                       
Address: 5600 U.S. 1 N         
Phone: 772/465-2400                        
Web site: www.hboi.edu                                
Prices: Admission $10 adults, $6 children 6-12

Harbor Branch is a working nonprofit scientific institute that studies oceanic resources and welcomes visitors on regularly scheduled tours. The first stop is the J. Seward Johnson Marine Education Center, which houses institute-built submersibles that are used to conduct marine research at depths of up to 3,000 feet. A video details current research projects, and several large aquariums simulate the environments of the Indian River Lagoon and a saltwater reef. Visitors are then shuttled by minibus to the Aqua-Culture Farming Center, a research facility that contains shallow tanks growing seaweed and other oceanic plants. The fascinating 90-minute Lagoon Wildlife Tour examines the Indian River Lagoon from a pontoon boat. The boat tours are offered Monday through Saturday at 10am, 1pm, and 3pm; the cost is $17 for adults, $12 for children 6 to 12. The bus tour of the 600-acre campus costs $10 and leaves Monday through Saturday at 10am, noon, and 2pm.

UDT-SEAL Museum (Underwater Demolition Team Museum) Frommer's Recommended
                       
            Hours: Mon-Sat 10am-4pm; Sun noon-4pm   
            Address: 3300 N. S.R. A1A  
            Phone: 772/595-5845            
            Web site: www.navysealmuseum.com            
            Prices: Admission $5 adults, $2 children 6-12
            Season: Closed Mon in off season

Florida is full of unique museums, but none more curious than the UDT-SEAL Museum, an interesting tribute to the secret forces of the U.S. Navy frogmen and their successors, the SEAL teams. Chronological displays trace the history of these clandestine divers and detail their most important achievements. The best exhibits are those on the intricately detailed equipment used by the navy's most elite members. Expect to spend about an hour here, depending on your interests.