Martin County, Florida

Welcome to Martin County

Martin County sits on Florida’s Treasure Coast, where the St. Lucie River meets the Indian River Lagoon and the Atlantic. Stuart is the county seat and the busiest of its downtowns, ringed by Palm City, Jensen Beach, Hobe Sound, Rio, Port Salerno, Sewall’s Point, Jupiter Island, and Indiantown out west.

What visitors notice first is what isn’t here. Martin County has held a four-story limit on building height for decades, so the shoreline along Hutchinson Island and Jupiter Island stays low, green, and residential instead of walled off by towers. The result is a coast that still feels like old Florida.

The water sets the rhythm. Stuart calls itself the Sailfish Capital of the World, the St. Lucie Inlet puts the Atlantic within reach of a morning, and the lagoon behind the barrier island runs shallow, warm, and full of life. Head inland and the county turns agricultural fast, with citrus groves, cattle pasture, and the Okeechobee Waterway running through Indiantown.

Things to Do in Martin County

Four different weekends, four different versions of the same county.

Dive Into the Arts Scene

Downtown Stuart is the anchor. The Lyric Theatre brings in concerts, comedy, and touring shows year-round, and the galleries and studios along Osceola Street make an easy afternoon on foot. MartinArts keeps the county’s arts calendar and puts on ArtsFest each winter.

Get Outside on Trails & Preserves

Jonathan Dickinson State Park covers more than 11,000 acres of pine flatwoods and river scrub in Hobe Sound, with a climb up Hobe Mountain for the long view. Savannas Preserve State Park protects the marsh basin north of Jensen Beach, and Halpatiokee Regional Park keeps trails and ballfields closer to town.

Experience Martin County History

Gilbert’s Bar House of Refuge opened in 1876 to shelter shipwrecked sailors and is the last of Florida’s ten houses of refuge still standing. A few miles up Hutchinson Island, the Elliott Museum holds the Historical Society of Martin County’s collections, including a deep run of antique cars and Americana.

Enjoy the Water & Wildlife

Bathtub Reef Beach sits behind a worm-rock reef that flattens the surf into water a toddler can wade in. Sea turtles nest along the barrier island every summer and manatees move up the river when the weather cools. Florida Oceanographic Society, Hobe Sound Nature Center, and Treasure Coast Wildlife Center all put staff and volunteers in front of visitors most days of the week.

Helpful Links Around Martin County

The pages residents actually need, without the digging.