Hutchinson Island, a barrier island of beaches and refuges

One road, two shores

Hutchinson Island runs from the St. Lucie Inlet north past Jensen Beach and on to Fort Pierce. Route A1A is the only road, two lanes with the ocean on one side and the Indian River on the other, and the island’s whole life is strung along it: the county beaches, the House of Refuge on its rocks at the south end, the Elliott Museum and the Coastal Center across from Stuart Beach, then miles of condominiums and dune until the island narrows at Jensen. Two bridges reach it, from Stuart and from Jensen Beach, and both back up on winter weekends.

The beaches

Bathtub Reef at the south tip is the one everybody wants: a worm-rock reef a few yards off the sand makes a shallow pool at low tide that children can wade in and snorkellers can float over. It closes after storms when the sand washes away, sometimes for months. Stuart Beach has lifeguards, a café, courts and the biggest lot. Between them and north of them are a dozen small access points with a few parking spaces each and no facilities, which is where the locals go.

Museums and the reef

Three museums sit within a mile of each other on MacArthur Boulevard and A1A. The House of Refuge, built in 1876 to shelter shipwrecked sailors, is the oldest building in the county and sits on the rocks with the surf below its porch. The Elliott Museum across from Stuart Beach holds cars, boats and local history in a modern building. The Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center next door has a game-fish lagoon, stingray feeding and the sea turtle hospital. A day that joins all three with lunch at the beach café between them is the best wet-weather plan on the coast.

Nesting season

From March to October the island’s beaches are the busiest loggerhead nesting ground in the Western Hemisphere, with leatherbacks in spring and green turtles in summer. Nests are marked with stakes and tape; the rules are no lights after dark, no digging and no furniture left on the sand overnight. Guided turtle walks run in June and July and book out weeks ahead.