Top Activities in Start That You Will End Up Doing More Than Once
Welcome to Stuart Florida, a beautiful small town that clinched the No. 6 spot on Southern Living magazine's "The South's Best Small Towns 2022." This warm, welcoming town has a little something for everyone. Whether you choose to stroll down a quaint outdoor shopping area, dine at some of the best restaurants or take the opportunity to experience some majestic waterways, Stuart has it covered.
The first thing you will notice is the relaxed nature throughout Stuart. People seems content as they stroll through their daily activities. Maybe it is the salt air, wherever you go in Stuart you are never more than a mile from a large body of water.
Top Local Shops
Let’s start with what is known as Downtown Stuart which is nestled on the widest part of the intracoastal waterway. While walking downtown you will stroll by many restaurants and shops. Two standout retail shops are Gumbo Limbo and April Daze. Both stores are known for adorable and unique items. Gumbo Limbo is known for their home items and decor and April Daze is known for unique clothing. Many items at this store are either locally crafted or hard to find otherwise.
Best Places to Eat
The restaurants in Stuart are also hard to beat. If you find yourself still in Downtown Stuart stop in to The Black Marlin, The Gafford or Riverwalk. The Black Marlin is a clean bar style environment that has fresh consistent and delicious food. The Gafford is known for its upscale dining and features fresh offerings that change with the seasons. Finally, the Riverwalk offers amazing seafood dishes and a variety of fresh oysters.
Best Outdoor Activities
If you are looking for an outdoor adventure Stuart also has a lot to offer. Visit the award winning aquarium, take a sandbar cruise aboard a custom built tiki boat or get out fishing on one of many boats offered. The Florida Oceanographic Institute is a newly remodeled facility and much more than an aquarium. Although there are some typical aquariums on display the institute also has a stingray petting and feeding tank as well as a salt water lake full of fish like snook, tarpon, snapper, jacks and more. If you are looking for something to do with the kids this is a great place to start. If you are looking for something a little more adventurous book a sandbar trip on Sail La Vie. This custom built tiki boat will cruise to a sandbar where you can take advantage of its many offerings. While on the sandbar you can slide right off the two story tiki boat and swim up to your floating mat, Maybe you want to do some paddle boarding? Well, Sail La Vie has paddle boards as well and those are included on your trip. Maybe you or your kids are interested in some fishing? Well, Sail La Vie has fishing poles onboard where guests can fish right from the sandbar. The sandbar is a half mile from the inlet so they have caught a wide range of fish including snook, snapper, jacks and even the elusive bonefish. The tiki boat service is one of a kind and an extremely popular excursion. They also offer walk on sunset trips that go to the sandbar for a half hour and cruise back to watch the sunset. This tiki services hard to beat. Finally, if you are looking for a dedicated fishing trip Stuart has many boats to choose from. Salty Daze is a private charter and Captain Rich is one of the best in the industry. A true professional who works hard to put you on the fish. If he takes you to a spot and nothing is biting Captain Rich won’t think twice about firing up the engines and running over to a different spot. He routinely outproduces others and is widely recognized as one of the best fishing captains around. Look up Salty Daze and you will see some of his impressive catches.