Vero Beach is an attractive coastal city in Florida, stretching around 140 miles north of Miami and 100 miles to the south of Orlando. The city is situated in the center of all the action with beach activities, water sports, fishing, golf, and nature tours. Away from the waterfront, enjoy museums, galleries, specialty shops, and malls. Choose an oceanfront condo or beach cottage to enjoy easy access to stretches of golden sand. Choose a vacation home inland adjacent to parks and rivers for outdoor fun, with the coast is just a short drive away. Book a stay at a Vero Beach vacation rental today. Check out the top kid-friendly activities in and around Vero Beach.
1. Go on a Treasure Hunt
The 26-mile stretch of unspoiled coastline around Vero Beach is known as the Treasure Coast on account of the Spanish fleet that sank near there in 1715. This acts as a magnet for treasure hunters seeking buried treasure. Pack up a picnic, slap on the sunscreen, take the buckets and spades, and head off for an adventure with the family. If you take a vacation rental right on the beach, you won’t have far to travel. Simply kick back on the porch with a cool drink and watch while the kids have fun by the shore.
2. Get Lost in the Jungle at McKee Botanical Garden
Take a break from the beach and head south to McKee Botanical Garden to explore its winding pathways lined with tropical palms and ferns. When the Garden doesn’t have special exhibitions, like the popular Lego sculpture show, visiting kids get to choose a McKee’s Garden Discovery Backpack packed full of age-appropriate materials and tools to help them create their own adventure. Themes include Things with Wings and Lost in the Jungle. These backpacks are available for free loan from Garden Admissions at off-peak periods. There is an admission charge, but children under three enter for free.
3. Cool Off at Gifford Aquatic Center
When it’s time to cool down, the Gifford Aquatic Center is the perfect venue for families who prefer to bathe without getting sandy feet. This family-oriented pool has a large walk-in pool with a safer, zero-depth entry, two enclosed water slides, and a spray deck. There are also marked lanes for the family’s serious swimmers.
4. Take an Airboat Tour
Learn about the area’s wildlife as you tour the Marshlands of Indian River County on an airboat tour with Captain Bob’s Airboat Adventure Tours. Their latest boat ensures everyone has a stadium view as you skim across the water in the flat-bottomed vessels driven by a propeller. Look out for Florida alligators, turtles, and birds as you travel at speeds of up to 45 miles per hour.
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5. Learn how to SUP
Stand up paddle boarding is a relaxing way to enjoy the calm waterways of the Indian River Lagoon and get close up to the amazing wildlife, such as manatees and turtles. Hire a set of boards from Paddles by the Sea where Chris, the certified instructor, and owner, makes sure each of the family has a suitable board and paddle. You can choose whether to head out on your own or join in one of Chris’s guided tours.
6. Take a Kayak Tour
If your kids are too young for paddle boarding, they can still enjoy the fun if you take them out with you in a tandem kayak. Tropical Kayak Tours welcome children accompanied by adults. Take a tour of the backwaters and step back in time as you see Florida as if through the eyes of the early pioneers and Indians. Cypress trees grow out of the water in Blue Cypress Lake, and you might well spot an osprey in the branches.
7. Go for a Cycle
The flat area around Vero Beach is perfect for a gently family bike ride. If you’re a family of cyclists, you’ve probably brought your own bikes to your vacation home-from-home. If you couldn’t fit them on your vehicle, or you flew into your vacation rental, Orchid Island Bikes and Kayaks has Vero’s largest bike rental fleet. With bikes to fit the whole family and free use of helmets, you can soon be heading out to explore the area.
8. Play a Round of Golf
The family’s golfing enthusiasts can choose between the African Course and the Animal Course at Safari Mini Golf and Games in Vero Beach. This family fun center has 36 holes of mini golf, as well as batting cages and an enormous arcade and games room. It also sells award-winning, hand-dipped ice cream, so you can cool down with a tasty treat after your adventures.
9. Take to the Air
For an experience of a lifetime, treat the family to an aerial view of Vero Beach with Treasure Coast Seaplanes. This company’s Cessna 206 has space for up to five passengers. Its ability to land on the water offers an exciting experience, and its low flight above the coastline gives the kids a unique view of their vacation home and its surrounding area.
10. Indulge in Some Retail Therapy
With so many fantastic specialty stores in Vero Beach, make sure you set aside a day to explore the Beachside Shopping District. Treat the kids to some new beachwear to start your vacation off in style and call in toward the end of your stay to visit the gift shops and secure some mementos of your time at Vero Beach. Shops like LUBA Gift Shop and Art Studio offer a range of unusual items that you won’t find elsewhere.
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