Play Ball! A Look into Florida’s Treasure Coast’s Sporting Adventures

February 1, 2023 | Read Time: 4 minutes

With miles of pristine beaches, endless state parks, and beautiful waterways, it’s no secret that residents along Florida’s Treasure Coast love to get outside. Whether the day calls for a pick-up soccer game with friends or simply exploring nature’s beauty on a hiking trail, residents enjoy endless outdoor leisure activities while also improving and maintaining their health. Here’s a closer look at just a few of the sporting venues that inspire an active, outdoor lifestyle.

Tee Off at Numerous Championship Golf Courses

With nearly 70 golf courses within a 20-mile radius, Florida’s Treasure Coast is a golfer’s paradise. Avid golfers and social beginners alike enjoy some of the nation’s best public links built by nationally renowned architects. Hammock Creek Golf Club in Palm City was designed by the renowned Jack Nicklaus, while the much-loved Sailfish Sands in Stuart has an innovative reversible 9 designed by Jon Sanford. In Port St. Lucie, the PGA Golf Club was ranked among the 75 Best Golf Resorts by Golf Digest, with 54 holes of championship golf designed by legends Tom Fazio and Pete Dye. This is just the beginning of the public, private, and even mini golf courses available within Florida’s Treasure Coast.

Join the Pickleball Craze at Halpatiokee Regional Park

Recognized as the nation’s fastest-growing sport, pickleball is fast fun for all ages. This simple and social game is played on a badminton-sized court, with a slightly modified tennis net, a pickleball paddle, and a plastic ball with holes in it. For those wishing to join this sports craze, Halpatiokee Regional Park is home to the most public pickleball courts. 18 lighted courts are filled both day and night with pickup games, league teams, and more. Halpatiokee Regional Park is also Martin County’s largest park, with disc golf and tennis courts, an open-air roller-hockey rink, and soccer, football, baseball, and softball fields.

Enjoy America’s Favorite Pastime at Clover Park

For those who prefer to watch baseball, Clover Park in Port St. Lucie is the spring training hub for the New York Mets. Scoring tickets to the game provides an up-close and personal experience at the ballpark, with no bad seats in the house. When the MLB isn’t practicing, the stadium is the summer home of the St. Lucie Mets, and the epicenter for all New York Mets minor league operations.

Walk Through Nature at Jonathan Dickinson State Park

The year-round sunny weather and beautiful natural landscapes of Florida’s Treasure Coast lend themselves brilliantly to recreational hiking and biking. Located just south of Stuart, Jonathan Dickinson State Park features eight hiking and biking trails perfect for every outdoor enthusiast. Spanning from Tequesta to Hobe Sound, 16 natural habitats including sand pines, flatwoods, mangroves, and river swamps are teeming with wildlife. The favored local trail is Hobe Mountain, a 124-foot tower that offers stunning panoramic views of the forest to the west, and the azure Atlantic Ocean waters to the east.

Paddle Through Paradise at St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State Park

For those who prefer to get their sporting exercises through kayaking and paddleboarding, the St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State Park provides one of the best water trails around. Located just east of Port Salerno, the 4.2-mile kayak trail winds through mangrove estuaries and maritime hammocks for a sightseeing adventure. Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for blue herons, white ibis, and snowy egrets while you paddle!

Cast a Line in the Sailfish Capital of the World

With the Atlantic Ocean to the east and Lake Okeechobee to the west, Florida’s Treasure Coast is a haven for anglers worldwide. Fishing aficionados from every generation can catch sailfish in Stuart, the “Sailfish Capital of the World.” The waters of the Gulf Stream are also teeming with mahi mahi, wahoo, and kingfish. For inshore fishing, the St. Lucie Inlet is one of the widest freshwater inlets in Florida, home to snook, snapper, grouper, bluefish, and Spanish mackerel. A short cruise to the West End of the Bahamas just 55 nautical miles away provides even more challenging catches that will test any angler’s skills.

Original Article Published By StorieFL.com