In 1974, my grandma purchased a house in Fort Pierce, Florida, the place she would increase her three children and stay for the remainder of her life.
Her home was surrounded by tall palm timber and confronted the Indian River, an estuary the place inland freshwater met the ocean’s salty waves, welcoming manatees, pelicans, and different wildlife.
Rising up, this home in southeast Florida was a form of second residence for my siblings and me — particularly after my mother and father obtained divorced and my mother moved again in. It was a sunny, peaceable place the place we have been all the time welcome.
When my grandma handed away a number of years in the past and our household needed to promote the home, I used to be devastated. Nonetheless, I sometimes return to the world a number of instances a yr.
Every time I do, I am reminded how particular this place is. I do know I have already got a powerful emotional connection to the world, however I nonetheless imagine that Fort Pierce is a real hidden gem.
With a inhabitants of fifty,000 — in comparison with the hundreds of thousands residing within the better Orlando and Miami areas — Fort Pierce affords extra solitude and pure magnificence than different main Florida destinations I’ve visited.
Being in Fort Pierce seems like stepping again in time
Michelle Polizzi
My mother all the time reminisces about rising up in “previous Florida,” the time interval in her youth when the state felt uncrowded and underdeveloped, and you can have an entire seashore to your self.
There weren’t high-rise condos clustering each inch of the shore, and the one different folks on the seashore have been their neighbors.
These “previous Florida” traits are nonetheless alive on the seashores in Fort Pierce, the place it is easy to step onto the sand and never see a soul, save for the occasional particular person strolling their canine. Even cooler than the shortage of crowds, although, are the indicators of residing historical past.
Strolling round downtown, you may see the P.P. Cobb constructing, constructed within the late 1800s, and the Home of Seven Gables, which was in-built 1905 and is now the city customer heart.
Standing on the waterfront in downtown Fort Pierce, you may look out on the Treasure Coast, named for the fleet of Spanish ships that sank in a hurricane in 1715, dumping their gold alongside the ocean ground.
I really like retracing the steps my relations did after they have been youthful; it makes me really feel linked to each the place and to my ancestors.
The sunrises and seashores are the very best round
Michelle Polizzi
Fort Pierce’s official nickname is “Dawn Metropolis” as a result of its downtown affords a transparent view of the solar each morning, unobstructed by high-rise buildings, with lush palm timber and nature throughout.
There are miles of seashores to discover in Fort Pierce, too. Even when I do occur to run right into a crowded parking zone, maybe on a busy vacation weekend, I can merely preserve driving to the subsequent seashore to search out a gorgeous, tranquil house to chill out.
A few of my favourite locations to go are Hutchinson Island South, Blind Creek Seashore, and Avalon State Park, although I am all the time discovering new corners of the world to like.
Handy eateries make seashore snacks simple
Because the seashores on this space aren’t essentially tourist hot spots, you will not discover the snack shacks typical of city boardwalks. As an alternative, you may need to convey your personal meals if you wish to keep awhile.
Earlier than heading to the seashore within the morning, we like to seize lattes and pastries at Previous Florida Espresso Co. in downtown Fort Pierce, which is only a 10-minute drive from our favourite stretch of remote beaches.
Archie’s Seabreeze is our favourite spot for lunch after a morning on the seashore. We all the time used to eat right here with my grandparents, listening to stay music, speaking about life, and chowing down on blackened mahi-mahi sandwiches and fries.
All in all, it is one in every of my favourite spots in Florida
Michelle Polizzi
After numerous journeys to Fort Pierce, I imagine that the historical past and solitude right here supply much better alternatives than what you’d discover at a crowded seashore in Miami.
I additionally know that sometime, this region of Florida might change into developed and busy like the remainder — for now, although, I plan on absorbing as many sunrises as I can.
Correction: March 22, 2026 — An earlier model of this story misstated the placement of the writer’s household residence. The house was on Florida’s east coast.
