South of Vero Beach, Hwy-A1A continues along North Hutchinson Island past the UDT Navy SEALs Museum (closed Mon.; $5; 772/595-5845), which describes the various roles played by underwater divers in demolishing enemy property during wartime. Among the displays of wetsuits and explosives is an Apollo capsule—it’s Navy SEALs who rescued returning astronauts after they “splashed down” in the ocean. On either side of the museum, undeveloped stretches of the coast have been preserved in a pair of parks, where you can enjoy uncrowded beaches or wander along boardwalks through thickly forested mangrove swamps.
Bending inland across the North Bridge, Hwy-A1A links up briefly with US-1, the old Dixie Highway, through the town of Fort Pierce (pop. 37,516), a market center of the famous “Indian River” produce-growing district. After this half-mile detour, Hwy-A1A returns to the shore, passing along the way by the very good St. Lucie County Historical Museum (closed Mon.; $4), at the east end of the South Bridge, where broad-ranging displays tell the history of the region, showing off a hand-carved canoe and explaining the “fort” in Fort Pierce (it was built in 1835, during the Seminole Wars).
South of Fort Pierce, Hwy-A1A embarks on a nearly 30-mile run along Hutchinson Island, where dense stands of pines block the views of largely undeveloped beachfront. On the coast just north of Palm Beach, the town of Jupiter has long been home to movie star Burt Reynolds; the park surrounding the town’s excellent Loxahatchee River Historical Museum (closed Mon.; $4), off Hwy-A1A at 805 N. US-1, is named in Burt’s honor, though he himself is absent from the museum’s displays.
