Places & Landmarks
Fort Pierce, Florida, is a city whose landscape tells its own history. From the site of the 1838 military fort on the Indian River to the restored grandeur of the Sunrise Theatre, every street corner and waterway carries the memory of the people who built this community. The places gathered here represent the most significant landmarks in the story of Florida's Sunrise City — sites where soldiers camped, where pioneers planted pineapples, where railroads arrived, and where a modern city took shape along one of the most biodiverse estuaries in North America.
Historic Downtown Fort Pierce
From a Seminole War military outpost to a bustling railroad town, downtown Fort Pierce has been the commercial and cultural heart of St. Lucie County for over a century. Discover the Sunrise Theatre, the FEC Railway depot, and the stories behind the historic streetscape.
The Indian River Lagoon
Stretching 156 miles along Florida's Atlantic coast, the Indian River Lagoon is one of the most biodiverse estuaries in North America. For Fort Pierce, it has been lifeline, highway, and economic engine since the days of the Ais people.
More Notable Places in Fort Pierce
Beyond its historic downtown and the waters of the Indian River Lagoon, Fort Pierce is home to a remarkable collection of landmarks that reflect its military heritage, cultural vitality, and natural beauty. Each site offers a different window into the story of this Treasure Coast community.
Sunrise Theatre
Built in 1923 as a vaudeville and motion picture palace, the Sunrise Theatre at 117 South Second Street was the cultural centerpiece of Fort Pierce for decades. After falling into disrepair and closing in 1983, the theater was meticulously restored and reopened in 2006, becoming a premier performing arts venue on the Treasure Coast. Its Mediterranean Revival architecture remains one of the finest examples of 1920s theater design in Florida. Read more about the Sunrise Theatre in our downtown history article.
National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum
Located on North Hutchinson Island at 3300 North Highway A1A, the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum stands on the very beaches where the U.S. Navy's Underwater Demolition Teams trained during World War II. Fort Pierce was selected as the training site in 1943, and the frogmen who trained here became the predecessors of today's Navy SEALs. The museum preserves this remarkable chapter of both military and local history. It is the only museum dedicated to the Navy SEALs that is recognized by the Department of the Navy.
Fort Pierce Inlet State Park
Situated on the northern tip of Hutchinson Island, Fort Pierce Inlet State Park encompasses 340 acres of coastal hammock, dunes, and beach along the inlet that connects the Indian River Lagoon to the Atlantic Ocean. The park occupies land that was once part of the World War II naval training grounds. Today it offers some of the best surfing on Florida's east coast and provides habitat for sea turtles, shorebirds, and a rich diversity of coastal wildlife connected to the broader Indian River Lagoon ecosystem.
Heathcote Botanical Gardens
Established in 1985 on a 3.5-acre site at 210 Savannah Road, Heathcote Botanical Gardens features a Japanese garden, a palm walk, a subtropical fruit garden, and native plant collections. The gardens honor the memory of the Heathcote family, early settlers who contributed to the agricultural development of the region. The site serves as a living museum of the tropical and subtropical plant species that have shaped the landscape and agricultural industries of the Treasure Coast.
St. Lucie County Regional History Center
Housed in a 1916 building that once served as the St. Lucie County courthouse, the Regional History Center preserves artifacts, photographs, and documents tracing the history of St. Lucie County from the Ais people through the Seminole Wars, the pioneer era, and into the twentieth century. Its collections are an essential resource for researchers, genealogists, and anyone seeking to understand the deep roots of the Fort Pierce community.
Old Fort Park
Located along the Indian River in downtown Fort Pierce, Old Fort Park marks the approximate site of the original military fortification established in 1838 during the Second Seminole War. A historical marker commemorates Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Kendrick Pierce, for whom the fort and the city were named. The park offers views across the Indian River Lagoon and serves as a quiet reminder of the city's origins as a frontier outpost.
These places, along with the many other historic sites scattered throughout Fort Pierce and St. Lucie County, form a living map of the region's past. Whether you are a lifelong resident, a genealogy researcher, or a visitor passing through, the landmarks of Fort Pierce invite you to look more closely at the layers of history beneath the surface of this Treasure Coast city.