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Vero Beach is a jewel of a city located on the famous Treasure Coast, which was named for the Spanish treasure fleet ships that wrecked off its shores during a hurricane in 1715. Don’t be surprised to see residents traversing the beaches with metal detectors in hand hoping to find items such as gold and silver coins, jewelry, and other artifacts that wash up on the beach from time to time.
The draw to Vero Beach comes from a combination of its beautiful natural beaches, slower pace, safe communities, and “old Florida” charm. Located two and a half hours north of Miami and an hour north of West Palm Beach, Vero is outside of the sprawling South Florida metro area. Those looking for a quiet, yet extremely high class city with low building densities, should definitely give Vero a look. A common consensus around Vero is how thankful the locals are to be able to drive over the bridge from the mainland to the barrier island and see the ocean on the horizon. This is thanks to Vero’s building codes, which limit the height of buildings to protect the area from becoming one big concrete high rise sea wall, unlike so many other coastal cities in the state.
The beaches in Vero are not congested even during the winter and spring high seasons. The ocean waters are usually a silty blue color but there are times when the wind and waves lie down that you get that beautiful Caribbean clear water move in. We’ve mentioned the beach, but Vero is lucky to house some of the most beautiful and natural shorelines the Indian River Lagoon has to offer.
Vero can be described as a retirement destination, but younger adults find the community perfectly suited to raising a family in with its degree of safety and bountiful outdoor recreational activities. Vero has a robust social sphere as well and it is regarded highly among the socialite crowd that flock to town every year from November – April to spend the season at its top notch private membership clubs and waterfront communities.
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Climate
Vero Beach is locally known as the official beginning of the tropics. There is an argument to be made horticulturally to support this as many types of tropical plants first start to appear as you head south into Vero Beach. However, it’s more proper classification would be subtropical. One thing you hear locally touted in Vero Beach and the larger Indian River County in general is this location in Florida is perfect for growing the famous Indian River Citrus crops of grapefruit and oranges. One of the reasons is Vero Beach sits on a generally agreed upon frost line that runs from Tampa on the west coast of the state to Vero Beach on the east. Freezing can kill or damage citrus crops but cold weather, as long as it does not stay too cold for too long, actually helps sweeten the fruit.
The average rainfall total in Vero Beach is 54 inches a year. This is significantly higher than the U.S. average of 38 inches per year. On average, precipitation falls 126 days per year with September being the wettest month in terms of inches of rain and the fall being the wettest time of year. In the summer months you can expect a general pattern of afternoon isolated showers and thunderstorms. February is the driest month on average and spring is the driest season of the year.
Sunshine is prevalent on average 232 days per year. This is higher than the U.S. average of 205 days per year. From November through April, Vero Beach experiences average low temperatures between 51 and 61 degrees. From October through April, the weather can be very pleasant. Excessive summertime heat really comes into play starting in May and runs through September. July and August are the hottest months of the year with average high temperatures approaching 90 degrees.
Airports & Traffic
| Airport | Size | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Vero Beach Regional Airport | Small | 0 Miles |
| Melbourne International Airport | Medium | 37 Miles |
| Palm Beach International Airport | Medium | 83 Miles |
| Orlando International Airport | Large | 99 Miles |
Private Clubs
Less flashy, more conservative, “older money” is how best to describe the private club scene of Vero Beach. It is a direct contrast from the flashier, hipper, “newer money” scene of South Florida. The membership of this area is more homogenous as well when compared to its counterparts to the south. Vero Beach, you could say, was largely built around some of the very best private clubs and communities the nation has to offer.
John’s Island Club
- John’s Island Club is seemingly the standard bearer in this town. It’s picturesque setting on the barrier island is sandwiched between the Indian River Lagoon and the sandy blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean. This private, member owned club, has three 18-hole championship golf courses, 17 Har-Tru clay tennis courts, 6 pickleball courts, singles and doubles squash courts, a state of the art fitness and wellness center, two croquet lawns, classic to casual dining opportunities, and an outstanding calendar of social and recreational activities. It is continuously ranked one of the top private clubs in America and its membership includes numerous fortune 500 CEO’s and entrepreneurs alike.
Quail Valley
- Another favorite among the year round and seasonal residents of Vero Beach is Quail Valley. Developed in 2000, it is one of the most unique club concepts in the country. Quail Valley offers 3 locations to its golfing and social membership: the Golf Club, the River Club, and the Pointe. Facilities and amenities include a spectacular 18-Hole golf course designed by Tommy Fazio, multiple dining options, fitness center and spa, 43 slip marina, tennis, overnight accommodations, bridge, speaker series, and themed evenings. Members of Quail Valley do not live on property as they do at Johns Island Club and some other clubs. This allows members more freedom in choosing from the many surrounding gated communities the barrier island has to offer. Or, if an HOA is not to your liking, one of the gorgeous live oak shaded streets just steps from the ocean.
The Moorings Yacht & Country Club
- The Moorings Yacht & Country Club, situated on the shores of the Indian River Lagoon, features two 18-hole golf courses designed by Pete Dye and Jim Fazio. Other amenities include 9 Har-Tru tennis courts, 4 pickleball courts, fitness center, croquet lawn, pool and spa, yacht club, kids zone, and clubhouse offering both fine and casual dining.
Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club
- Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club is a member owned golf centric community tucked between the shores of the Indian River Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean. The pride and joy of Orchid Island is the 18-hole championship golf course designed by the legendary Arnold Palmer. Perhaps just as treasured by its members, is the more than one mile of private beach the club enjoys. At the center of it is a spectacular beach clubhouse which is home to a resort style pool, spa, and both casual and fine dining opportunities. At the Tennis and Fitness Center you will find 8 tennis courts, 2 pickleball courts, and 11,000 square feet of state of the art fitness equipment.
Windsor
- Windsor is an exquisite barrier island country club modeled after a luxury seaside village. At the Village Center there is a village store, fitness center, post office, real estate office, Concierge office, the Village Suites and gardens, and an outdoor amphitheatre. Windsor’s 18-hole links-style golf course was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. to be a masterpiece of traditional golf course design. The tennis facility boasts 8 Har-Tru tennis courts surrounded by lush walls of scented Jasmine. An Equestrian Center houses 26 stables, 14 paddocks, along with jumping, dressage, and lunging rings. They offer boarding, maintenance, lessons, and recreational riding opportunities. This center also features a full size polo field for exhibition matches. There are two clubhouses at Windsor featuring casual and fine dining opportunities. A beachfront pool with private cabanas, art gallery, croquet greensward, wine celler, and gun club round out the club community’s offerings.
The Moorings Yacht & Country Club
100 Harbour Drive
Vero Beach, FL 32963
(772) 231-1004
Dining
Some of the best chefs catering to Vero Beach’s residents are in the many private country clubs that blanket the community. However, there are still some amazing restaurants around the city serving up both fine dining and casual fare for those looking to enjoy a night out on the town.
Bobby’s Restaurant & Lounge
3450 Ocean Drive
Vero Beach, FL 32963
American, Local Favorite
(772) 231-6996
Shopping
The City of Vero Beach has both an indoor mall and an outlet mall along with a strong community of antique stores and country club lifestyle boutiques.
The Indian River Mall is a once bustling indoor mall that has been in steady decline like many malls across America. There are rejuvenation plans in place to shift its focus on becoming an entertainment marketplace for the entire family.
The Vero Beach Outlets house a collection of 50 designer and name brand retailers such as Coach, Banana Republic, J. Crew, Polo Ralf Lauren, Nike, and more.
Things To Do
McKee Botanical Garden is an 18-acre tropical hammock featuring a diverse botanical collection of 10,000 native and tropical plants, art exhibitions, special events, and educational opportunities for all ages.
Round Island Beach Park is a lagoon to ocean park and natural area where one can view manatees, hike nature trails, climb a 3-story observation tower, kayak, and paddleboard.
The Vero Beach Museum of Art was founded in 1978 to create a regional center for the appreciation and teaching of arts. It presents world class art exhibitions and collects some of the most exceptional works of art available.
The Riverside Theatre is Florida’s largest professional theatre. Annually they present a number of musicals, plays, lecture series, comedy shows, classes, and other events.
The City of Vero Beach has no less than 12 public beach facilities for its residents to enjoy. This area is known for having uncrowded beaches. There are even a few hidden beaches where you can walk down a narrow path through the covered dune hammock to find you’re the only human in sight. The beaches here are some of the most significant sea turtle nesting sites on the east coast. Join a guided sea turtle nesting walk at night to see these amazing creatures return to the same beaches they were born at and lay eggs for the next generation. The water color at these beaches varies with the position of the Gulf Stream current. There are times it can be clear enough to snorkel, but mostly it is a turbid light blue. Wave action begins to really pick up around the Vero Beach stretch of coastline as the Bahamas Islands no longer block the swell from across the Atlantic this far north. The sand can be quite shelly here and finding sea glass is a common occurrence.
The Indian River Lagoon separates Vero’s barrier island from the mainland and is extremely popular for boaters to cruise. The shorelines are a mix of stunning waterfront mansions and natural mangrove forest. Vero has large expanses of natural shoreline protected from development by the Indian River Land Trust. The Indian River Lagoon is one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world and is home to countless varieties of wildlife. While the Army Corps of Engineers was dredging a channel for the Intracoastal Waterway through the lagoon, they deposited the sediment to create numerous “spoil islands” which are fantastic islands inside the lagoon to dock the boat and have lunch or let the children splash around. There is no inlet allowing ocean access for boaters in Vero Beach. For this you would need to travel north up the lagoon 14 miles to the Sebastian Inlet or south 14 miles to the Fort Pierce Inlet.
Inshore fishing is big in this area. The Indian River Lagoon provides more variety of inshore game fish than anywhere else in the state. The plentiful mangrove shorelines, grass flats, spoil islands, docks, and bridges provide excellent habitat to catch species such as trout, flounder, redfish, snook, mangrove snapper, sheepshead, tarpon, and countless others. Offshore fishing is good out of both the Sebastian and Fort Pierce Inlets. One can expect to catch sailfish, tuna, mahi mahi, wahoo, grouper, snapper, and other ocean dwellers. The Gulf Stream current is 20+ miles offshore typically and one hundred feet of water is about a 15 mile ride out from Fort Pierce Inlet and 20 miles off Sebastian.
Fishing
Schools
Vero Beach schools are controlled by The School District of Indian River County. Niche.com gives the school district a B+ rating and has it as the 14th best school district in the state. Indian River County School District has 17,792 students in grades PK, K-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 16 to 1. According to state test scores, 53% of students are at least proficient in math and 51% in reading. St. Edwards School (Episcopal) is the top private school in the area and fields grades K-12. At St. Edwards, 90% of graduates are accepted into colleges/universities of their 1st or 2nd choice. Other notable private schools include St. Helen Catholic School (Roman Catholic), Glendale Christian School (Baptist), and Masters Academy of Vero Beach.
| School | Grades | Type | Rating | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beachland Elementary School | K-5 | Public | A | view map |
| Osceola Magnet School | K-5 | Public | A | view map |
| Gifford Middle School | 6-8 | Public | B | view map |
| Vero Beach High School | 9-12 | Public | B | view map |
Golf
The game of golf is treasured in this laid back beachside community. Vero Beach has a total of 23 golf courses with 2 courses being municipal. Within a short 20 mile drive you will find another 12 courses of which 5 are public and 3 municipal. The best golf courses are all located within the many private clubs around the area. To enjoy them, you will need to make friends with the right people or have the financial means to join multiple clubs across town (which many people do).
Public courses of note include Sandridge Golf Club with two 18-hole championship layouts designed by Ron Garl and has been rated 4.5 stars by Golf Digest. A new and fun golf/entertainment facility that just opened in Vero Beach is BigShots Golf. This two story entertainment experience offers a full service restaurant and sports bar, private event space, and 30 climate controlled tee boxes with digital radar shot tracking.
Bent Pine Golf Club is a members only 18-hole championship golf course designed by Joe Lee. Opened in 1979 this course has rolling fairways, strategically placed bunkers, and challenging greens.
