Things to Do in Vero Beach

Vero Beach runs three guarded ocean beach parks along Ocean Drive, Humiston Park, Jaycee Beach Park and South Beach Park, each with a boardwalk, grills, picnic areas, restrooms and outdoor showers.

The city's 2026 recreation program guide lists the three Vero Beach beach parks with their own phone lines, says lifeguard hours vary at the ocean beach parks, and gives the Lifeguard and Aquatic Office at 4405 N. A1A, (772) 234-8375 (City of Vero Beach 2026 Recreation Program Guide). The table gives each park exactly as the guide prints it.

Beach wheelchairs are free of charge during guarded hours at the Vero Beach beaches, by calling 234-8375, and the Recreation Department page also points beach-goers to a specially designed wheelchair at South Beach Park (Vero Beach Recreation Department page). Single picnic pavilions at the three beach parks rent for $25 plus tax for city residents and $50 plus tax for others, and double pavilions for $50 and $75 plus tax, booked through (772) 978-4500 (City of Vero Beach 2026 Recreation Program Guide). The Vero Beach parks guide lists each lifeguard tower's direct line, and separate guides cover Humiston Park and the beach lifeguards.

The Vero Beach program guide lists six parks on or around the Indian River, among them Riverside Park, Royal Palm Pointe and MacWilliam Park.

Riverside Park, at 3200 Riverside Park Drive, lists these features in the Vero Beach guide: bike racks, a boat dock and ramps, an exercise trail, fishing, grills, picnic tables, a playground, racquetball, rental pavilions, restrooms, sports fields, tennis courts, a practice wall, vending machines and volleyball (City of Vero Beach 2026 Recreation Program Guide; City of Vero Beach Riverside Park facility page). Its Grand Pavilion is a large open-air rental just south of the Barber Bridge, and its Picnic Pavilion sits on the bank of the Indian River near barbecue grills and a volleyball court, with electricity at both for a fee and a security deposit. The Round Island and Riverside Park, Riverside Theatre and Riverside Racquet Complex guides cover the park's larger attractions.

The smaller Vero Beach river parks each list different features in the same guide: Royal Palm Pointe Park at 2 Royal Palm Boulevard has fishing, an interactive fountain, picnic tables, restrooms and outdoor showers, with fountain hours that vary through the year (978-4500); MacWilliam Park on Indian River Drive East has a boat dock and ramps, dog walking, fishing, grills and restrooms; Bethel Creek at 4405 SR A1A offers fishing, grills and picnic tables; A.W. Young Park, east of 21st Street and Indian River Boulevard, has a bike rack, fishing, grills and picnic tables; and Van Busch Park at 4305 Bethel Creek Drive is a one acre piece of open space (City of Vero Beach 2026 Recreation Program Guide). The city names MacWilliam Park, Riverside North Park and Royal Palm Pointe Park as its on-leash dog parks under Resolution No. 2014-07 (Vero Beach City Parks Information page), and the Vero Beach parks guide covers those rules. Veterans Memorial Island Sanctuary, also on the city's list of parks inside the city limits, has its own guide.

Boaters in Vero Beach use the city's Municipal Marina on the east side of the Indian River Lagoon, just north of the Merrill Barber Bridge, and launch trailered boats at the MacWilliam and Riverside Park ramps.

The Vero Beach Municipal Marina, at 3611 Rio Vista Boulevard, Marker 139, says all of its slips are open to the public and rents moorings and slips on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, with monthly details by phone at 772-231-2819 or 772-978-4960 (Vero Beach Municipal Marina page). Its facilities list adds items a visiting crew looks for beyond fuel: bicycle and vehicle parking, a mail drop and pick-up, trash and waste oil disposal, a TV lounge and a park with picnic shelters and barbecues. The marina page also posts the Marina Master Plan and states a mission that includes promoting Clean Marina practices to keep the Indian River clean.

Visitors who stay ashore can fish from Humiston, Jaycee Beach, South Beach, Royal Palm Pointe, MacWilliam, Bethel Creek, A.W. Young and Riverside parks, all of which list fishing among their features (City of Vero Beach 2026 Recreation Program Guide). The Vero Beach recreation guide covers the marina's hours and fuel dock, and the mooring field and Boiler Wreck snorkeling guides cover two other water activities.

Vero Beach has 13 properties on the National Register of Historic Places, according to the city's National Register page, where the Historic Preservation Commission reviews nominations, and most of them have a Digital Towns landmark guide.

The Vero Beach list mixes single buildings with a whole neighborhood: alongside the Vero Theatre, the Maher Building and the Pueblo and Royal Park arcades it names the Osceola Park Historic District, the Judge Henry F. Gregory House and the Vero Beach Diesel Power Plant (Vero Beach National Register list). The Vero Beach landmarks guide prints all 13 names.

Many of those buildings sit in the downtown grid, which the city counts among its assets: its Downtown page cites the historic street grid, the scale the town first developed with and the historic character of many buildings, and says City Council adopted a Master Plan for Downtown Vero on July 23, 2024 that encourages additional housing downtown and in nearby commercial areas (City of Vero Beach Downtown page). The same Vero Beach page says the plan focuses on making downtown more livable and on creating more attainable housing to attract and retain younger community members.

The Vero Beach Recreation Department opens its programs to residents across Indian River County and rents halls and pavilions from the Community Center to the Riverhouse.

The department's page says programs and activities listed there are open to all residents of Indian River County regardless of location, adds sales tax to fees where applicable, keeps its facilities and playgrounds tobacco and vaping free, and notes that the City of Vero Beach does not carry medical or accident insurance for participants; the department answers at 772-567-2144 (Vero Beach Recreation Department page).

The 2026 Vero Beach guide sizes the rental halls: the Community Center at 2266 14th Avenue seats up to 250 theatre style or 240 at tables and rents only for a full day on Saturdays; its Florida Room seats 80 theatre style or 50 at tables, Monday through Friday only; the Riverhouse at 305 Acacia Road and the Bethel Creek House at 4405 Highway A1A, across from Jaycee Park, each seat 100 at tables; and the Terrace Room and Tuff Room at Leisure Square seat 100 and 50 theatre style (City of Vero Beach 2026 Recreation Program Guide). Inland, Pocahontas Park at 2200 14th Avenue has shuffleboard and pickleball courts, Charles Park at 2307 15th Street has tennis courts, volleyball and an exercise trail, and Jacoby, Piece of Pie and Troy Moody parks offer playgrounds. The Leisure Square pool guide covers swim hours and fees.

Indian River County's Parks, Recreation and Conservation department, based at 1590 9th St SW in Vero Beach, adds conservation lands, aquatic centers, a campground, the fairgrounds and a golf club to the city's parks.

The county page lists its divisions and facilities as a campground, conservation lands, the Fairgrounds and Expo Center, the Gifford Aquatic Center, a hiking trails map, the Intergenerational Recreation Center, the North County Aquatic Center, parks and beaches, Sandridge Golf Club and other facilities (Indian River County Parks, Recreation and Conservation page). The department phone is (772) 226-1780, and county offices keep general hours of 8:30 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday, closed Saturday and Sunday.

The same Indian River County page invites visitors to walk its lagoon-side boardwalks and trails, offers online pool pass purchases and athletics program registration, and posts its Fall and Winter program guide and a boat ramp study among department news (Indian River County Parks, Recreation and Conservation page).

Last verified: October 22, 2026, with the City of Vero Beach parks information, Recreation Department, Riverside Park, Municipal Marina, Downtown and National Register pages, its 2026 recreation program guide and the Indian River County parks page, all read again for this Vero Beach things to do guide.