Category Archives: Treasure Coast

Getting to Hobe Sound

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bridge roadWhen you come to Hobe Sound it just “feels different”. Everything slows down. Even motor traffic on Florida’s infamous U.S. Route 1 is less crowded. Big box stores are nowhere to be seen and folks shop local. Parking at the beach is free and main street is lined with small, independently-owned shops—many with murals painted by local artists and Jimmy Stovall, one of the original Highwaymen of Florida.

RVers coming up from the Florida Keys using U.S. Highway 1 (the scenic route) motor north through the congestion and craziness of Miami and the Palm Beaches before finding a certain quietness somewhere around Tequesta, just north of Jupiter’s historic lighthouse. Beyond County Line Road, it’s a pleasant 55 mph through the 11,000+ acre Jonathan Dickinson State Park on your left and snapshot views of the Intracoastal Waterway on your right. This is Martin County, with its beautiful beaches and more than 75 parks, and the most diverse lagoon ecosystem in the Northern hemisphere. At the crossroads of Hwy 1 and Bridge Road, you enter Hobe Sound and step back in time to the days of Old Florida and a slower pace of living.

Just a few blocks north of Hobe Sound’s only waterfront restaurant (when it rains) Harry & The Natives, you’ll find Floridays RV Park.

If you discover Hobe Sound from the north through Brevard County, US 1 wanders through the lower section of the Indian River Lagoon Scenic Highway and winds along the tree-lined streets of Sebastian before entering St. Lucie County, famous for it’s fabled 1715 Spanish treasure fleet that sank off its shores. Further south, Hwy 1 crosses over the St. Lucie River into Stuart, the largest town on the Treasure Coast and known as the Sailfish Capital of World. Arrive on a Sunday morning to check out Stuart’s quaint downtown and Sunday morning Green Market.

Coming from the west, RVer’s want to take Martin Highway (County Road 714) with it’s beautiful 12-mile Martin Grade Scenic Corridor shaded by a canopy of 100-year old oaks and surrounded by pastures, groves, swamps and woods that are the perfect prelude for the timeless nature of Hobe Sound. We’ll keep the lights on!

Learn more about Hobe Sound’s history and imagery at Florida Living Realty.

RV Life Along Florida’s Gulf Stream

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RV’ers who drive south for the winter often follow their GPS to Florida. Many find themselves along Florida’s Treasure Coast, and a few like it well enough to stay for awhile in Hobe Sound. Why? Florida, as a whole, has four basic climates ranging from humid subtropical to tropical savannah, interspersed with a rainy season, a dry season, and the possibility of tropic cyclones in the late summer and fall. And it all has to do with the Gulf Stream.

gulf stream mapBeginning in the Caribbean and ending in the North Atlantic, the Gulf Stream is one of the world’s most interesting weather phenomena. Powerful enough to be seen from space, its influence on Florida’s weather is profound. From its northwesterly trek across the Caribbean, the Gulf Stream takes a horseshoe curve through the Gulf of Mexico then runs eastward through the Florida Straits before turning sharply northward up the Atlantic coast as far as Cape Hatteras. It hugs the Florida coast from the Keys to the Treasure Coast, then gently veers to the east, further out into the ocean.

The Gulf Stream is why coastal regions remain moderate while Florida’s cotton and citrus groves on the interior of the state can experience relatively dramatic temperature shifts. Along the Treasure Coast, where Floridays RV Park is located, the mainland is shielded from the Atlantic Ocean by narrow sandbars and barrier islands that protect shallow lagoons, rivers, and bays; they provide perfect places to fish, kayak, and paddleboard.

The temperate climate is less volatile and warmer than Florida’s interior and produces an abundance of plant varieties and wildlife unusual for the area’s latitude. The dry season sets in around October and lasts until April. During this time, fronts sweep through the northern and central parts on a regular basis and freezes are rare but not impossible. Further south it’s dryer with those endless days of sunshine that give the state its motto as the Sunshine State.

The RV lifestyle in Florida is at its peak from December through May. But along Florida’s Treasure Coast, the climate is viewed by many to be reliably pleasant all year, making it a good home base for the RV lifestyle. We hope you follow your GPS to Hobe Sound and discover the advantages of Gulf Stream living.