Pepper Park

Pepper Beach Park is a nice beachside park in Port St Lucie county. It is next to the Navy Seal museum which is certainly worth a visit as well. You'll find lots of parking here. The times SCW and I have been through here it's never been full.

You'll also find restrooms, a kids playground, tennis courts and a baseball field. Of course the expected beach access as well. They have outdoor showers as well. Pepper Beach Park is a great Park along the A1A.

This is a 54 acre beach front park in Ft. Pierce. This park is named after long term democratic Florida senator Claude Pepper who passed away in 1989. Pepper Park is located directly behind the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum. The Fort Pierce Amphibious Training Base opened here on Jan. 26, 1943 to train soldiers for WWII. This base trained the soldiers who stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. Obstacles like the ones the Germans were placing to stop the Allied Forces during the war were put in the water off the shore of Ft. Pierce so boat drivers could practice eluding them and teams could practice blowing them up. At Omaha Beach one Fort Pierce based unit lost 33 men but were able to destroy 5 of the obstacles. More than 140,000 military personnel trained in St. Lucie County from 1943 to 1945, when at the time there were only 20,000 area residents. The objects remained in the water long after people started using the beach for recreation. Unfortunately some people were injured and in 1991 the government did a national cleanup of former military bases during which time the objects were removed and some were given to the SEAL Museum.

This park is popular with snorkelers and divers because are several shallow nearshore reefs located less than 100 yards off the beach. Pepper park also the site of state's first underwater archaeological preserve, the Urca de Lima, which is located in about 20 feet of water. The shipwreck was discovered in 1928 by William J. Beach off of the coast of Ft. Pierce. Attempts to salvage the cargo yielded little except for one silver bar and cannons since the Spanish recovered most of the ships cargo in 1715. In 1985 and 1987 the wreck was mapped and in 1987 Florida's first archaeological underwater preserve opened. In 2001 the wreck was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Urca de Lima is featured in the Starz show Black Sails which was devised as a prequel to Treasure Island. Captain Flint buried the gold from the Urca de Lima on Treasure Island.

Other park amenities include lifeguards on the beach, fishing, picnic pavilions with tables, grills, restrooms, and a playground shaped like a ship. There is so much history here and so much to enjoy and they don't even charge for parking. There is even overflow parking across the street. This is a great alternative if you don't want to pay the $6 entrance fee at the nearby Fort Pierce Inlet State Park.

huge beach, but very open to the elements
we went here on a very windy day, so we only lasted five minutes as we were sand blasted by the sand and heavy winds.. a huge beach though, and worthy of a visit but not on a windy day!

Beautiful beach, perfect for families, solo or romantic walks. Lifeguards are there, spaced apart at a good distance. Dogs are not allowed on the beach.

It's all
about
the water

Pepper Park is a cool park of about 30 acres that is all about water. A great place for fishing, yaking, canoeing and just hanging around and looking the stuff that lives in and around the water.

Some fascinating mangroves provide protection and shelter for all kinds of little critters like fiddler crabs that seem to be trying to move in several directions at once, as well as lots of little fishies and small birds.

A great place to fish, the park has several fine piers and docks that allow access to the deeper waters. Great fun to yak and explore but it is surprising easy to get lost because it's difficult to see over the vegetation. No real problem because you will eventually find your way back to where you started.

The park also has a few short hiking trails, picnic tables, pavilions and clean bathrooms. Lots of cool stuff to see if you really look carefully and a very interesting place to spend some time. A park that you will learn something new and see something interesting everytime you go.

Great place for kids and adults alike. There is a nice walking trail, just don't mind the wildlife you might find along the way. The walking path is set between the main waterway and a canal so you may stumble upon otters, bobcats and lots of birds. The trail is a little over three miles and dog-friendly. In short, worthwhile.

Great place for a family get together at the beach. Plenty of parking and facilities are available.