Port Saint Lucie, FL Road Trips

Port St. Lucie is the largest city on a region known as the Treasure Coast, an area consisting of almost 600,000 people. Port St. Lucie is a coastal city on the Indian River Lagoon with many fun activities if you look around, like baseball, parks, bowling, and golf. With developments for a downtown area going into effect along US-1, PSL is modernizing one step at a time, though it maintains a suburban feel. It blossomed from a town of only 500 people in its first census in 1970 to a boom-town of 170,000 by 2010. Downtown is in its infancy of development, but plans have been revealed to build on the empty blocks surrounding the Civic Center. A very special thing about Port St. Lucie is that it is the spring training home of the New York Mets; in Clover Park, the Mets play baseball against their Major League foes, like the Yankees and the Red Sox. The season normally lasts from January or February to late March to early April, when their minor league affiliates, the St. Lucie Mets, play in that very stadium. The location of Port St. Lucie is roughly halfway between Orlando and West Palm Beach on the Turnpike, and halfway between WPB and Melbourne on the Space Coast on Interstate 95. Like most of Florida, Port St. Lucie's climate is warm almost year round, except for the occasional cool winter day. The highest summer temperature recorded in the city was 101 °F (38 °C), and the lowest winter temperature recorded was 23 °F (−5 °C). Average temperatures in PSL through the year mostly range from the low 60s to the mid to high 80s.

Downtown PSL is in its infancy, and right now there is only the Civic Center as well as a few outlet stores. At the Civic Center, there have also been performances by local bands. Port St. Lucie Civic Center, 9221 SE Civic Center Place (Take Walton Road and head east off of US-1), ☏ +1 772 807-4488. 7:30AM–9PM. Many city festivals are held on the green outside of the Civic Center, but it is the basic welcome center to the city. Considered by many to be the prime edifice in the downtown area. Port St. Lucie also houses part of a state nature preserve, as well as hiking trails near the St. Lucie River, and a botanical garden. 1 Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens, 2410 SE Westmoreland Blvd. W-Sa 10AM-4PM, Su noon-4PM. Adults $5, Students $2. 2 Oxbow Eco Center, 5400 NE St. James Dr, ☏ +1 772 785-5833, [email protected]. Tu-F noon to 5PM; Sa 10AM to 5PM. 225 acres (91 hectares) preserve on the St. Lucie River. 3 Savannas Preserve State Park, 2541 SE Walton Rd (Entrance on the north side of Walton Road between South Indian River Drive and US-1), ☏ +1-772 398-2779. 8AM to sundown. The park, which extends from Fort Pierce to Port St. Lucie and Jensen Beach, protects 7000 acres near the Indian River and on the north fork of the St. Lucie River. The park principally protects the largest freshwater marsh remaining in southeast Florida. Visitors can hike/bike 17 miles of trails (be aware: the trails flood seasonally), take kayak tours through the marsh, and participate in a variety of activities run by the park's Education Center.

Port St. Lucie has many fun activities if you know where to go. Here are some places and activities recommended by the city. Go to a beach and catch a tan, or a wave. Go boating in the Indian River Lagoon and the St. Lucie River. Go hunt for treasure on the coast of nearby Hutchinson Island. Play golf at one of the beautiful PGA Golf Club courses. Shop (and eat) in Tradition, an in-city suburb; this little town is part of PSL, and retains a small-town feel. If you have children that really want to have fun, PSL has its own parks and recreation department and multiple playgrounds for them to play until nap time! Favorite parks among the residents include: 1 Jessica Clinton Park, 3200 S.E. Southbend Blvd, ☏ +1 772 344-4150. 8AM to 10PM; sports light curfew is at 9:30PM. Playgrounds for children of all ages, basketball and tennis courts, and turf field. 2 Lyngate Park, 1301 SE Lyngate Dr. 8AM to 10PM; sports light curfew is at 9:30PM. Home of American Little League, this park has two baseball fields, racquetball, volleyball, and basketball courts. 3 Sportsman Park & Sportsman Park West, 201 NW Prima Vista Blvd & 220 NW Irving Street, ☏ +1 772 871-5096. 8AM to 10PM; sports light curfew is at 9:30PM. Sportsman Park has a playground, tennis and a baseball field for Little League teams. The West Park has a track and two football fields. Veterans Park at Rivergate, 2200 SE Veterans Memorial Pkwy, ☏ +1 772 335-1433. 7AM to 11PM (boat ramp open 24-hours-a-day). Veterans Park is close to the St.

Most restaurants in Port St. Lucie are popular chain restaurants that are scattered on the more traveled roads like Port St. Lucie Blvd, Gatlin Blvd, US-1, and St. Lucie West Blvd. There is an amazingly large selection of restaurants scattered around the city: Hurricane Grill and Wings, Kitterman: 6641 S US-1; Promenade: 2202 SE Veterans Memorial Pkwy; Tradition: 10440 SW Village Center Drive, ☏ +1 772 873-4234 (SLW), +1 772 460-4724 (Kit.), +1 772 335-9036 (Prom.), +1 772 345-9464 (Trad.). Su-Th 11AM-10PM, F Sa 11AM-11PM. Hurricane's is a national chain born on the Treasure Coast in the neighboring city of Fort Pierce. Wings are served in two sauces of your choice, out of 35 flavors. (updated Jun 2015) Tutti Frutti, 10789 SW Tradition Square, ☏ +1 772-345-2289. Frozen yogurt. $0.50 per ounce of yogurt. Kilwins at Tradition, 10478 SW Village Center Dr., ☏ +1 772-344-6464. M–Th 11:30AM–9PM, F Sa 11:30AM–10PM, Su 1PM-9PM. Excellent ice cream and chocolates in the heart of Port St. Lucie/Tradition. Twistee Treat, 7820 S US 1, ☏ +1 772 871-0194. W Th 4-9PM, F Sa noon-10PM, Su noon-9PM. Family owned ice cream shop. (updated Aug 2020) 1 Anthony's Pizza, 253 SW Port St Lucie Blvd, ☏ +1 772 340-5088. M-F 11AM-9PM, Sa noon-9PM, Su 3PM-9PM. Local favorite for pizza and other Italian food. (updated Apr 2016) Tutto Fresco Italian Restaurant Bar and Grill, 9501 NW Reserve Blvd, ☏ +1 772 464-8988. Su-Th 11AM-10PM, F Sa 11AM-1AM. Tutto Fresco in Italian means "Everything is fresh".

On the Treasure Coast, alcohol is served in many restaurants, mostly sports bars and pubs; it is common to find beer and wine, but some bars serve mixed cocktails. PSL is not a city big on night life. City Limits Sports Bar, 900 SW Gatlin Blvd, ☏ +1 772 336-8201. Daily 11AM to 2PM. Sports grill and cocktail bar. Drafts starting at $2.50.. Vybz Lounge, 2096 NW Courtyard Circle, ☏ +1 772-249-0716. 7 days a week from 4PM to 2AM. Night club in Port St. Lucie with cocktails, and soft drinks for the teens. Plays great music from the 1970s til now. Body Talk, 8259 U.S. 1, ☏ +1 772 879-6585. Daily 4PM-2AM. Sports bar and strip club.

If Port St. Lucie's fun activities tire you out, there are places for you to wind down, most of which are located by Interstate 95, including: 1 MainStay Suites at PGA Village, 8501 Champions Way (in the PGA Village), ☏ +1 772 460-8882. Pet-friendly with pool and convenience store. 2 Springhill Suites by Marriott, 2000 NW Courtyard Circle, ☏ +1 772 871-2929, fax: +1 772 871-0016. Nice all-suite hotel. 3 Holiday Inn, 10120 S Federal Highway, ☏ +1 772 337-2200. Check-in: 4pm, check-out: 11am. Pet friendly hotel on US-1. Free WiFi. (updated Aug 2020) 4 Holiday Inn Express & Suites Port St. Lucie West, 1601 NW Courtyard Circle, ☏ +1 772-879-6565. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Unfussy hotel with a pool and free Wi-Fi. Located in the heart of St. Lucie West. (updated Aug 2020) 5 Residence Inn Port St. Lucie, 1920 SW Fountainview Blvd, ☏ +1 772-344-7814. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. Extended stay suite hotel with suites that include free Internet, flat screen TV and full kitchen. Hotel amenities include free hot breakfast, free parking, pool and fitness center. $114+. (updated Jun 2019) 6 Hampton Inn & Suites Port St. Lucie West, 155 SW Peacock Blvd, ☏ +1 772-878-9338. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. Modern lodging with an outdoor pool. One of the closest hotels to Tradition Field. From $106/night. (updated Aug 2020) 7 Homewood Suites by Hilton Port St. Lucie-Tradition, 10301 SW Innovation Way, ☏ +1 772 345-5300. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Extended-stay hotel with suites and an outdoor pool. (updated Aug 2020) 8 Hilton Garden Inn Port St.

Palm Beach International Airport, West Palm Beach (PBI IATA) is the closest commercial airport to Port St. Lucie, serving the U.S. and from Bahamas. Larger airports are further south or north, including: Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL IATA) is the closest large commercial hub to PSL. Miami International Airport (MIA IATA), busiest airport in Florida, serving the U.S. and the world. Orlando International Airport (MCO IATA), busiest airport in Central Florida, just a while up the Turnpike. PSL is easily accessible from many major Florida cities by car on three major highways: the Florida Turnpike, Interstate 95, and U.S. Highway 1. You can reach West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and other points in South Florida via Interstate 95, the Turnpike, and US 1; but if you want to get to Disney World, you can visit Orlando by Florida's Turnpike. By I-95, you can exit to Port St. Lucie by these exits: By Florida's Turnpike, you can get into Port St. Lucie by these exits: US Highway 1 spans entire length of the state, its route through the city extends from the Martin/St. Lucie County line to the south to Midway Road at the northern limits of the city. This stretch of US 1 is passes through town as Federal Highway which contains mostly strip malls and shopping centers.

Car is the easiest, if not only, way to get around Port St. Lucie. PSL is a relatively large city by area, so driving is the best option to get around. PSL stretches to all the way past I-95 to an in-city town called Tradition. The highways listed are also used to get around Port St. Lucie with ease, mostly US-1 and I-95; the Turnpike is rarely used due to it being a toll road, but it is used to avoid traffic and as a way to reach central Florida. There are no one-way streets in PSL, except for divided highways. There are only 4 major east-west routes throughout the city; including Crosstown Parkway, a six-lane thoroughfare that runs from US 1 to Interstate 95, which opened in 2019. At the intersection with Floresta Drive, there is a superstreet intersection that is considered to be an eyesore and a hindrance to navigation for those traveling on Floresta, so exercise caution in this area and follow all road signs. There are two Enterprise rentals in the city. Enterprise Rent-a-Car, 1290 SW Bayshore Blvd; 10502 S Federal Hwy, ☏ +1 772 344-3100. M-F 7:30AM-6PM; Sa 9AM-noon. The local Enterprise rental stations. They'll pick you up. The location on US-1 is closest to Martin County, if you want to spend a day in Stuart or Jensen Beach. Weekend price from $9.99/day. Uber now has service around the Central Atlantic Coast of Florida and the Heartland, serving from Daytona Beach to Sebring, PSL, and Moore Haven. Fares start at a base rate of $2, adding $1.80 for every mile and $0.20 for every minute. Uber Central Atlantic Coast. Service from Daytona Beach to Port St.

Driving -- Florida has "no fault" auto accident laws, which means you are responsible for up to $10,000 in damage to your car, even if you are not responsible for the accident. Make sure your rental car comes with collision insurance, or obtain separate insurance. Florida also has a very high rate of auto fatalities, so take extra care on the roads. A lot of drivers in PSL can be very reckless at times and the amount of traffic is high for a city of its size. Crime -- There is not much crime to worry about in Port St. Lucie depending on where you want to be. The safest areas tend to border I-95, the St. Lucie Inlet, and the St. Lucie River, as well as the St. Lucie West neighborhood. You may want to avoid staying in the Prima Vista Blvd area as well as the Lennard Road area; however, there are very few hotels in those areas. Weather -- Here are the most common weather factors to look out for in Port St. Lucie: Heat -- Most people are already aware that South Florida tends to get extremely hot during the summer months, so it would be best to stay hydrated and not leave anyone in the car. Even with the window cracked open for those in the car, it's not a smart idea; the internal temperature of a car can reach a maximum of over 100°F or 38°C, so make sure everyone is out of the car before locking. If one must be left in the car, leave the air conditioning on as a precautionary measure. Hurricanes, tropical storms, and tornadoes are another thing to look out for during the summer.