We had family visiting for the holidays and this was one of our top activities. Captain Nancy is so…read moreknowledgeable about the area and all the various life in this wonderful area. We had a great tour out to the island and then parked for a bit to watch the birds come in. She provided us with water, wine, cheese, crackers, fruit and shrimp. We also had the opportunity to feed the catfish and seagulls

Captain Nancy is Awesome!! She's incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about the aquaculture and…read moremarine life, and you will learn a ton about the history, current status, and potential future of Manatee Pocket and the Indian River Lagoon. Such a great captain and host, she introduced us to her friends on Bird Island and served us great sandwiches. Highest recommendation!!

Visited Cuba through this tour company and couldn't have been more pleased. Cuba is beautiful. We…read morewent on tour with Chris and he made it effortless, ate at good restaurants, hotel was excellent and clean, helped us at customs so everything went smooth. Itinerarys was perfect that he custom made for us.. I would highly recommend USA Cuba tours to visit this beautiful island with Chris... You won't be disappointed!

From the owner: We specialize in providing legal travel and tours to Cuba for US citizens…read more Usa-Cuba Tours makes Cuba travel easy, since we do all the heavy lifting for you. Our tour members are treated as honored and respected guest while on one of our many tours. Our tour members believe that Cuba is the most beautiful island in the world. One glimpse the natural beauty of this tropical paradise and you'll never dream about another place. Your mind will be occupied by the accumulated feelings and impressions of this amazing island. The magic in Cuba is everywhere - it can be seen and even heard. You can feel it in the food and drink, architecture, and in the smiles of the local people. Come Join Us!

I remember the Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center fondly from my childhood, and it's good to see…read morethat they've expanded on their property for a nice little afternoon outing. Admission is $20 for adults, with child and military discounting. There's a lot of outdoor walking space around the main lake/lagoon where you can see the nurse sharks and sea turtles amongst the many other fish there. The weather was really nice the day we went, so we took a stroll through the nature trails. They are mostly boardwalk trails with a few covered stops with benches. The main trail is a 1 mile loop but there is also a 1/3 mile loop that is good for kids. The main trail will take you to the Indian River Lagoon for some nice storefront views! The main building has some cool artwork made of reclaimed beach litter that makes you really think about proper waste disposal. There's also a few tanks with cool fish and such to see. The entire center has a few different spaces for bathrooms that are easy to access. I'd recommend coming here for a nice day in the fresh air and sunshine to enjoy the flora and fauna of Florida!

Really nice place to understand marine life and see some. Kids would love the place. Starts off…read morewith stingray petting tank cool even if you have done it before. Then the starfish area. Each leg has something different to see and handle. Then we went inside the building and checked out the tanks and all interactive things. Walked up to 3rd for nice view of the place and back down to watch the feedings. There is talk about stingrays but no food. Next they feed the fish in the huge open air aquarium. Nurse sharks, rays, jacks, and lots more. The feeding was interesting as was the talk after about pollution and algae. Next off the green sea turtles feeding. They were having romaine lettuce. They put colored pole with a shape that each knows. They swim over bump the Pole and get fed. These had boat injuries so they would never be in the wild. Again another talk about them while they are being feed. Good for adults and great for kids. Highly recommended.

The house of refuge is one of Stuarts most historical sites! The House of Refuge near Gilbert's…read moreBar, in Stuart Florida, is the oldest structure in Martin County. It's the only remaining House of Refuge of the original ten built by the U.S. government along the Florida coast in the late 1800s to shelter shipwrecked sailors and travelers. These houses provided food, shelter, and assistance to those stranded due to storms or other maritime disasters. The Gilbert's Bar House of Refuge played a crucial role in saving lives during a time when shipwrecks were common along the treacherous Florida coastline.

My wife and I were looking for something to do with our kiddo and stumbled upon this place. We have…read moredriven by this place for years not noticing it was there. We always thought it was just an entrance to the beach but to our surprise, it was more than that. Once you park, there are a few parking spaces labeled specifically for this museum. Entrance is right next to the parking. You start at the first little house where you'll get a video about the place itself and its history before you start the tour. Once you start the tour you can visit the actual refuge house and find a collection of antiques artifacts, walks along the house while reading and learning about its history, the Georges Valentine shipwreck and Don Pedro Gilbert. You can also visit the Quarters, stroll around the garden in the back facing the street and the lagoon, snap some pictures on the benches or swing on the rocking chairs while facing the beach, enjoying the breeze and counting the ships and boats you can find. Our toddler enjoyed playing with the helm by the rocking chairs and pointing at everything he saw Behind the House of Refuge there is a nice spot to take pictures by the rocks and the beach. We witnessed a small wedding ceremony during our visit, right by the watch tower. Overall it was a great time for the 3 of us and a good way to spend our Saturday. I'm glad we found this small place and learned so much about the Hutchinson Island history.

A fun and informative look back on the history of Stuart and Jenson Beach. I particularly loved…read morethe photos and books on Trapper Nelson. Enthusiastic tour guides greet you and lead you through the exhibits. There are photos, maps, and realia that explore local history. There is a free coffee every week for seniors.

This is a very interesting free museum all about the city and the area. Although it is free to…read morevisit, donations are greatly appreciated, and we made sure to contribute. There is parking right out front. Housed in a historic building -- one of the oldest in town -- there are several rooms filled to the brim with artifacts, articles, books, pictures, and antiques. It's a self-guided visit, but they are happy to answer any questions should you have them. Frankly, there was so much "stuff" that it was a bit overwhelming. We definitely didn't see everything. Nor at times did we know where to look first. The items are organized by age and by category. You'll see some of the info regarding the area receiving telephones and actual time cards of the gals who worked for the telephone exchange. A typical kitchen of the age. A room with all the government employees. Lists of mayors and other politicians along with their pictures from the time of the city's/county's founding. There's a grouping about the Sherriff's and the local police force with lists of all the police chiefs, a group about the school, and the businesses in the area, etc. etc... All have photos and memorabilia. There's a brief video in one corner that I recommend seeing. It's on a loop so it's easy and short to watch. If you have time, do stop by. This is the kind of place that locals should definitely see, but that visitors would enjoy as well. And a place you could return to over and over again and not absorb all of the details. My only wish is that we'd had a tour guide to give us a bit more context and information.

I have been part of a group of seven travelers trying to resolve a dispute with Big Five Tours &…read moreExpeditions.  In reading past reviews it appears the company performs well when all goes well.  However, when confronted with an out of the ordinary challenge, a test on just how good a business is, Big Five FAILED. Our group of 13 had planned a major trip to Morocco in October 2023.  Then on October 7, 2023 Hamas attacked Israel and many of us were reluctant to travel due to unrest in the region, plus the State Department issued an alert to US citizens traveling abroad to take caution. Here is how Big Five FAILED.  Owner, Ashish Sanghrajka discussed the concerns with the group.  The discussion was held via Zoom and was recorded.  Mr. Sanghrajka said those hesitant to travel could POSTPONE, not cancel, the trip provided we re-book within twelve months and with the understanding costs such as pre-paid fees and taxes would not be recovered.  Our group of 13 considered the proposal a win-win and most accommodating.  We thought this must be an example of the premium service one could expect from a Virtuoso advisor and we were elated.  Big Five is a member of Virtuoso, a global network of luxury travel advisers that prides itself on quality and premium customer service. In the end, 6 people took the trip as scheduled and 7 postponed with plans to reschedule.  Five months later those of us who postponed worked with Big Five to create a new itinerary for a trip this month (October 2024).  At that time Big Five told us each person would receive a $1,142 credit toward the new booking, far less than any of us envisioned.  We paid approximately $8,000 per person and we did expect to lose some of the money, but not 86%.  Requests for an accounting of where the funds went were unanswered and an effort to resolve the dispute led to Big Five advising they would no longer rebook the trip and ended our business relationship. Owner Ashish Sanghrajka now says we canceled the trip and forfeited all the money, which is NOT true.  HE offered us the opportunity to POSTPONE, that was his idea. We have him recorded on Zoom making this offer. Now he is denying he made the offer and saying that we canceled and are not entitled to a refund. We are a group of senior, seasoned, savvy international travelers: some lawyers, some law enforcement officers, some business owners, artists and photographers, all of whom took him at his word.  Big Five still owes our group of 7 much of the $56,000. Use Big Five at your own great financial peril.

What a great safari tour operator. Our trip was perfection! I would definitely recommend them.read more

The Port St. Lucie Museum and History Center opened to the public yesterday. It is part of the…read morebrand new Port District which has a new playground in Pioneer Park, and will soon have an outdoor stage and event space, tiki bar, beer house. pizzeria, taqueria, cafe, fire pit, waterfront restaurant, hiking trails through the conservation tract in the southern portion of The Port District , and the boardwalk along the St. Lucie River will extend under the Port St. Lucie Blvd. bridge adding 3,300 feet of pedestrian walkway along the river. The Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens are next door. The Port St. Lucie Historical Society is now operating out of two historic houses have been moved to the property, the Peacock House, built in 1917, and the Peacock Lodge, built in 1952. The Peacock House was owned by Oliver L. Peacock Sr. and his namesake son, known as Sonny. They are among the founding fathers credited with the creation of Port St. Lucie. The Peacock family owned a 4,614-acre ranch in St. Lucie West. In 1968 the house was moved to the family's ranch on Glades Cut Off Road in Port St. Lucie and placed next to the hunting lodge that was built on the property in 1952. By 2006 the Peacock house was abandoned and in 2015 the Hunting Lodge was being used for storage. The city was about to demolish the buildings when the historical society stepped in and had them moved to their current location. In 2019 both buildings were given new foundations, roofs, and fresh coats of paint. In 2022 the Port St. Lucie Historical Society began renovations on the hunting lodge to turn it into a town museum. The Peacock Lodge has two rooms of exhibits on the history of Port St. Lucie, a meeting room, and a kitchen. I have been watching the restoration progress on these buildings over the past 5 years and it was wonderful to step inside the hunting lodge and see how beautifully it has been restored. There is no admission fee to visit but there is a donation box if you can contribute. I was even gifted a copy of "Port St. Lucie at 50: A City for All People" History Book written by by Nina Baranski and produced by the Port St. Lucie Historical Society. The PSL is hosting a dinner on October 16 at the Santa Lucia River Club. Tickets are available online. If you visit Pioneer Park or the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens stop by the new museum and support the Port St. Lucie Historical Society.

I love history and going to museums and this one is one of the best I've been to. Started coming…read morehere years ago on my first trip to this area and have been a big supporter ever since. Their car collection is really cool, especially and how they manage it with the automated machine. A perfect way to spend some time outside of the beach when you're in the Stuart area.

This is mainly a car museum with many older cars too view. You can see a list of cars that can be…read moreviewed on an automatic turn table, very cool to see. In other rooms are different exhibits. If you time spend a few hours. I would recommend going. The staff is very friendly.

Awesome way to see the St. Lucie River and its inhabitants--gators! Captain Rick is a hoot, and…read moreobviously very knowledgeable about the river and the flora and fauna of the area. He was fun, an excellent boat-handler, and shared lots of stories and info with us. Thoroughly enjoyed our adventure and saw about 15 gators, many herons and other birds, and even some turtles. I will definitely do this again.

Ricky is great. Best airboat ride in Fort Pierce area. Reasonably priced and well worth the…read moreadventure.