Sunrise City

Fort Pierce, one of the oldest communities on the East Coast of Florida.  The area is filled with charm and is such a quaint area that was referred to as the Sunrise City.  For more than 100 years, this town filled with rich history and charm was named after the Spanish treasure fleet sunk in 1715.  You can still stroll along the beaches after stormy days and see folks walking around with their treasure seeking handheld metal detectors being waved back and forth in the sand as they hope to find old coins and treasures that periodically wash up on shore.

A Town Reborn

The area of Fort Pierce formerly was established to be a main supply hub for the U.S. Army.  A military Fort existed but later burned down after being abandoned following the second Seminole War.  The area still boast rich historical sites including an absolutely awesome Navy SEAL Museum.  The Navy SEAL Museum is a must of places you will want to visit if you are in the area.

Fast forward in time, the town has truly undergone a transformation after many of the neighborhoods had been a bit neglected.  Fort Pierce was reborn after the area underwent revitalization and restoration to some of the old buildings.  Many of the old buildings still exist and have been polished up, while still retaining that old historic feel.

A charmer indeed is the Sunrise Theatre.  Built in 1922 it’s becoming the cultural center of the City of Fort Pierce and has been added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.  Entertainers who have put on shows include Ziggy Marley, Vince Gill, Tony Bennett and a host of stand-up comedians including Sinbad.

In the downtown area of Fort Pierce, Florida, you can find a quaint area near the city’s marina that boasts some of the area’s finest restaurants, shops and breweries.

Florida is well known for it’s warm winters which is why snow birds flock to the area to get away from the brutal cold and snow.  This year the winter has been A-mazing!  A few chilly nights….LOL, by Florida standards of cold temps, but generally warm and quite enjoyable.  Perfect for date night.

My husband and I love to find new dining spots and we hit the jackpot this particular evening.  It had been a while since we visited the area but we were beyond surprised at how many new restaurants had popped up since we last visited.  We easily found parking along the streets and just near the marina.  As we strolled down the streets we decided to do a pub crawl of sorts and stop into a few establishments to see what they had to offer.

These are some of our favorite hot spots to visit when we are downtown in Ft. Pierce:

1. 2nd Street Bistro – Hands down a great place to dine with a fun atmosphere.  The food was absolutely amazing with our favorites being the Bistro Bang Shrimp and the House Salad with Goat Cheese and Pecans.  The restaurant has a very well appointed selection of craft beers on tap, Rum Runners and Pina Colada slushies and a full bar.  Outside dining is available on the back patio with brunch offerings including Mimosas and Bloody Mary’s.
2. Sailfish Brewing Company – First and foremost a brewery with open air seating outside and seating inside.  You can sit outside and listen to live music and play games or you can sit inside and look in through the glass windows to see the brewery where beer is made.  The brewery has a pizza shop that shares space within it’s building in case you get hungry while trying the large array of beers they brew and sell on tap.  Refrigerators also contain cold prepackaged beer and cold-brew coffee that you can purchase to go.
3. Cobbs Landing – Perfectly situated along the marina, this restaurant has a great selection of food and libations.  You can enjoy dining outside on their patio just under their tiki along side the marina while listening to live music or you can play a game of cornhole.
4. The Bradford Steakhouse – You’ll know it when you see ol’e Angus hanging on the wall just above the entry of the restaurant.  This restaurant is more of a fine dining restaurant where you will need to make reservations on a busy night.  The food looked absolutely amazing, although we didn’t dine at the restaurant the evening we visited.

TAP HOUSE & EATERY

Bistro Bang Shrimp

Clams in Broth

Other fun things to do downtown in downtown Fort Pierce include:

• Boat Tours
• Farmer’s Market
• Friday Fest every 1st Friday of the month
• Fishing Charters
• AE Backus Museum & Gallery
• Manatee Observation and Education Center
• The Original Tiki Bar
• Thai Pepper Restaurant
• Last Dragon Tattoo