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Life for a house cat should entail much more than sleeping and eating. Fishing pole-style toys, take-out bags, herbs, cardboard tubes and regular pedicures will keep your kitty fit and entertained. Even if your feline friend is the picture of contentment, employing scents, toys, play and attention will be rewarding for both of you.

The discrepancy in where Juan Ponce de Leon landed is significant — about 150 miles. Of interest to Indian River County residents is that, instead of four counties away, 20th century historian and navigator Douglas Peck estimates that the historic landing took place in the southern stretch of neighboring Brevard County, just a few miles north of what is now the Sebastian Inlet.

Whatever kind of boat you choose – kayak, canoe or pontoon – the Indian River Lagoon is a beautiful place to explore the outdoors. Manatees, dolphin, mangrove forests and birds are just some of the spectacular sites you’ll see along the way.

As America entered World War II, the military needed a vehicle for a variety of tasks: communication, hauling small loads, maintaining contact in the field, and for getting around quickly. Several of Cushman’s 30 Series models, already in production, were used at bases, camps and ports around the world, while an entirely new model was developed to be used during the D-Day invasion — the model 53.

Our economy is simultaneously beach-prosperous and beach-vulnerable. Each year, more than 100 million tourists flock to Florida’s beaches — ranked our state’s No. 1 attraction — spending $90 billion and creating 1.5 million jobs. Indian River County figures credit our beaches with $33 million in recreation spending annually. Simply put: Tourist dollars flow to everyone; without beach there is no Vero Beach as we know it.

“George runs this store better than I ever did and has better ideas,” says Gail Williams. Her son disputes this characterization, however. “My mother built a very successful business, and what I am doing is building on that success.” George knows the value of following a winning formula, and that is a primary focus today because, after all, his mother has been in the furniture business in Vero Beach for 40 years.

Millions of dollars in undiscovered treasure sits off the coast from Sebastian to Fort Pierce as part of the 1715 fleet of Spanish ships that sunk just offshore. On June 28, 2020, a pair of determined treasure hunters, Capt. Henry Jones and First Mate Tracy Newman, headed out from the Fort Pierce Inlet for another day of searching. What they found was a missing piece of history.

The British West Indies-style home designed by Moulton Layne and built by Croom Construction became home to Dave and Nancy Herbert in 2021 after they spent decades of moving around to follow a career in financial services. Their home in the Floralton Beach area of the barrier island, has a casual, open and airy plan with large windows that create a bright indoor living space.

Vero Beach Museum of Art Curator Anke Van Wagenberg was on a mission to find the origins of the museum’s majestic bronze lion, the sculpture that guards the entrance to the museum. Her detective work includes stories from more than a century ago from all over the world, and reveals why the lion lived in The Moorings for a time, and how it made its way to its current magnificent spot at the museum in 1982.

Nothing says summer like blueberry pie, but we’d like to introduce you to the galette: a rustic French dessert that sounds fancy but is simple to make. And don’t forget a drink! “Smash” style cocktails are fruity and refreshing.

Over the years, while Vero Beach has been become home to thousands of solid citizens, it appears that it was also home to a few bad apples of the gangster variety also walked our streets decades ago. “Entrepreneurs” John J. Williams and Harry Roberts leased what would later become the Ocean Grill, but they hailed from the Chicago nightclub scene and its organized crime-affiliated gambling establishments.

Schacht Groves now encompasses 145 acres of citrus land, and the well-known Vero Beach family business now includes a popular Farm Store, a U-pick area begun in 2020, and new Farm-to-Table-Dinners hosted on the property twice a month. Third generation citrus grower Louise Schacht continues to find ways to keep the family business growing.

  As the world slowly reopens, many minds are turning to travel – inspire fellow readers by sharing your favorite vacation photos in Vero Beach...

Summer – or every season in Vero Beach – is a time for grilling and making easy meals. Eating healthy turkey burgers and roasting sweet potatoes gives a healthier twist to some old favorites. These tasty new recipes should encourage you to invite some friends over, fire up the grill and enjoy the simple pleasures of summer.

Bird watching, Parque Historico, Ingapirca and the Andean mountains are all beautiful sites when traveling through the countryside of Ecuador. The Inca ruins in the clouded reaches of the Andes Mountains seems a world away from the tropical rainforest environment of Isla Santay on the Rio Guayas. Yet each is a part of the varied and beautiful land that is Ecuador.

As a second-generation farmer in Sebastian, Mark Dellerman was the first in his family to delve into pineapple farming. “I’m just a dirt farmer,” he says. “I like to provide a good-eating pineapple to the local community. I barely pay my expenses each year, but to be able to wake up and kick the dirt like I did all my life is a blessing … I couldn’t be any more blessed, being a dirt farmer.”

Nothing keeps Vero Beach resident May Brandt from painting — not gardening, taking enrichment courses, or spending time with her sisters, who visit often. That’s why on Wednesday mornings, she packs up her supplies, dons a hat, and heads out to meet up with fellow plein air artists.

Stephen Bischoff came to Vero Beach with his family to retire. After about 20 years in the roofing business in Miami, and another 20+ years with his business in Vero starting in 1997, he thinks he might be ready to turn over the hammer to his sons. Is he ready to fully retire? He sighs, “I don’t know if I will ever totally retire, but now, thanks to my sons, I get to be a senior advisor, and that feels just right.”

The National Register of Champion Trees, a program that began in 1940, recognizes extraordinary trees for what they are: champions. Four trees have been recognized locally, two at McKee Botanical Garden and two inside the city limits in Vero Beach, and Nanette Haynes, the city’s ground maintenance manager, wants you to look for more.

Unable to find the type of shoe he needed, Vero Beach native Lange Sykes decided to build them himself, which is how Riomar Shoes was born. “It’s interesting — I wear my shoes every day and I continue to get compliments. I’m really proud to have founded this company here in my hometown of Vero Beach.“