Things to Do in Port St. Lucie

The core public outings in Port St. Lucie are the riverfront Port District, McCarty Ranch Preserve, the Oxbow Eco-Center, Savannas Preserve State Park and free city festivals (Port District).

Those sit alongside the 51 parks and facilities on the city's list (Port St. Lucie parks list).

Each row comes from the agency page for that place: the Port St. Lucie pages for The Boardwalk (The Boardwalk page), Pioneer Park (Pioneer Park page), the Botanical Gardens (Botanical Gardens page) and McCarty Ranch (Port St. Lucie McCarty Ranch Preserve page), the St. Lucie County Oxbow page (Oxbow Eco-Center page) and the Florida State Parks page for the Savannas (Savannas Preserve State Park page).

The Port District runs 1.5 miles along the North Fork of the St. Lucie River, linking gardens, Pioneer Park, a history museum, The Boardwalk and a 13-acre preserve with a kayak launch (Port District page).

Its address is 2454 SE Westmoreland Blvd., and it also has a riverfront event lawn and stage (City of Port St. Lucie Port District page).

The Boardwalk in Port St. Lucie is a 10-foot-wide walkway of about 4,300 feet from Tom Hooper Park to the boat ramps and pavilion at Veterans Park at Rivergate, reached by two paths through wooded mangroves; the city calls it a popular fishing spot in the center of town and keeps it open 24/7 (Port St. Lucie Boardwalk page). The Pioneer Park page describes a separate stretch, the boardwalk extension beneath the Port St. Lucie Blvd. bridge, as about 3,300 feet of walkway (Pioneer Park page).

Pioneer Park in Port St. Lucie has an overwater stage, a kayak and canoe launch, the Historic Peacock Lodge and Home, and play areas for ages 2 to 12 including the Banyan Basin water play feature, open 9 a.m. to dusk, while the playground runs 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Pioneer Park page). The city pages give Pioneer Park 9.75 acres (Pioneer Park page), but the master plan update inventory lists it at 22.6 acres with a 2024 date (Port St. Lucie Parks and Recreation Master Plan Update).

The Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens, at 2410 S.E. Westmoreland Blvd., opened its first phase in March 2010 and has a 2-acre lake, a butterfly garden, an orchid room, a rose garden and 0.91 miles of six-foot sidewalks; the same city page gives its size as 20 acres in one paragraph and 21 acres in its key details (Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens page). The city page says the gardens are operated by the Friends of the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens, a nonprofit that supports daily operations, provides tours and hosts events (Botanical Gardens page). The district also holds The Grove, which the city describes as a riverfront dining destination (City of Port St. Lucie Port District page).

For trails and wildlife, Port St. Lucie has the county's free Oxbow Eco-Center, Savannas Preserve State Park and the city's McCarty Ranch Preserve west of I-95 (Oxbow; Savannas; McCarty Ranch).

St. Lucie County runs the Oxbow Eco-Center on 225 acres along the North Fork of the St. Lucie River in Port St. Lucie, with boardwalks, overlooks, an observation tower and trails through pine flatwoods, wetlands and riverfront habitat (St. Lucie County Oxbow Eco-Center page). Admission is free, the Eco-Center is open Tuesday to Friday from noon to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the preserve trails are open sunrise to sunset every day, and groups must call (772) 785-5833 ahead (Oxbow Eco-Center page).

Savannas Preserve State Park is open 8 a.m. to sunset 365 days a year, charges $3 per vehicle as a cashless entry park and answers at 772-398-2779 (Florida State Parks, Savannas Preserve State Park). The state park page posts trail and road notices for the Walton Road entrance and the Canoe Launch Road, and those notices are the place to check entrance and trail access before a visit from Port St. Lucie (Savannas Preserve State Park page).

At McCarty Ranch Preserve, a lake system of more than 300 acres is open to fishing, canoeing and kayaking, cleared trails serve walkers, cyclists and horseback riders, and an 18-hole disc golf course sits on site (Port St. Lucie McCarty Ranch Preserve page). Fishing there takes a Florida freshwater license for anyone 16 or older, kayaks need personal flotation devices for all occupants, and swimming, gas-powered watercraft and hunting are prohibited (Port St. Lucie McCarty Ranch Preserve page).

Yes: McCarty Ranch Preserve in Port St. Lucie offers 13 primitive tent sites and 6 RV trailer sites, at $20 and $23 per night plus tax as posted on the city page on October 22, 2026 (Port St. Lucie McCarty Ranch Preserve page).

Each Port St. Lucie campsite at McCarty Ranch has a six-foot picnic table, a fire ring with a cooking grate and a lantern hook, the site has bathrooms with showers, check-in is 2 p.m. and check-out 11 a.m., and leashed pets are allowed (Port St. Lucie McCarty Ranch Preserve page). Reservations can be made online, or in person on a first-come, first-served basis at the Parks and Recreation offices in the Community Center, and the page notes that as of March 2025 a boat permit is no longer required (Port St. Lucie McCarty Ranch Preserve page). Fires and alcohol are allowed only with a camping reservation (Port St. Lucie McCarty Ranch Preserve page).

Behind the campground is a utility site: the city acquired the land in 2012, it spans 3,107 acres of old Florida pinelands and lakes formed from former mining operations, and the city says the Preserve aims to serve as a water storage and treatment facility for Port St. Lucie (Port St. Lucie McCarty Ranch Preserve page).

The Port St. Lucie Special Events Department runs community events through the year, among them Fall Fun Fest, River Nights, the International Fest, the Festival of Lights and Noche Buena (Special Events page).

Its calendar also lists a Martin Luther King Jr. celebration and a Veterans Day ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park (Port St. Lucie Special Events page).

River Nights is a free evening of live music and food trucks on the Event Lawn at The Port District, and Fall Fun Fest and Noche Buena are listed with free admission (Port St. Lucie Special Events page). The Port St. Lucie events calendar on the Special Events page lists the date and place of each event (Port St. Lucie Special Events page).

Food and craft vendors and business booths sign up through the Special Events Department at 772-344-4139, and the page's FAQ says special event permits are not necessary for events at City parks or recreation facilities (Port St. Lucie Special Events page). The Port District also has an event lawn and riverfront stage for concerts, festivals and community gatherings (City of Port St. Lucie Port District page).

The City of Port St. Lucie also runs The Saints, an 18-hole championship golf course with a driving range at 2601 SE Morningside Blvd., phone 772-398-2901 (The Saints Golf Course, City of Port St. Lucie).

Beyond the riverfront, the Port St. Lucie parks list returns 51 parks and facilities, with filters for disc golf, splash pads, camping, boat launches and BMX (Port St. Lucie parks list). The Port St. Lucie parks hub sorts them by activity, from boat ramps to lighted courts.

Last verified: October 22, 2026, through fresh reads of the Port District, Boardwalk, Pioneer Park, Botanical Gardens, McCarty Ranch, Special Events and Saints pages, the county Oxbow page and the state park page for the Savannas.