Melbourne Things to Do Tips by jadedmuse Top 5 Page for this destination

Melbourne Art Festival

Not exactly international reknown, but the Melbourne Art Festival (held every year around the last weekend in April) does gather its share of people - and not just from the proverbial neighborhood.

5th Avenue (the main "downtown" drag) is closed off to traffic, while food pavilions, stages for live musical performances, and of course the reason for the season - the ARTISTS themselves - all line up along the street for a browsing bonanza. You can usually find some great buys on local artwork and artisanry from not only Melbourne locals, but from artists who come in for the Show from all over the United States (usually the Southeast).

It's a really nice way to spend the day.

For more info on the Art Festival, check out their website below.

Address: 5th Avenue

The Public Beaches

Although the beaches of Indialantic are not beautiful by any stretch of the imagination, they do offer warm Atlantic waters, a fairly wide open, sandy beach front, and a few eateries and surf shops across the street.

The atmosphere is very casual and laid back. You won't see many volleyball competitions or that sort of thing. You'll most likely see a few fishermen casting a reel out into the ocean, with the usual heron perched next to them, waiting to see what the tide brings in...or the reel.

Address: Anywhere along AIA

Directions: For the least populated beaches, try South Melbourne Beach or Floridana...almost reaching Sebastian (lovely coastal drive)

Water-skiing on the Banana River

If it's a sunny day, you'll find boats of all kinds along the Banana River...with plenty of waterskiiers testing their skills and cutting wakes all over the place.

Often times, dolphins come into the River and it's not unusual to see them swimming alongside the boats or jumping over wakes.

Can you think of a better way to spend a leisurely Saturday afternoon?!?

Address: Indialantic - Melbourne Beach - Indian Harbour

Antiques and Boutiques of "Downtown" Melbourne

I always laugh when referring to "downtown" Melbourne. It's not your typical downtown with high rise buildings; instead, you'll find an array of older, historical buildings along the main avenue (5th avenue), dominated by quirky antique shops, some candle shops, book stores, and other specialty shops.

You can spend a couple of hours browsing along the street...it's enjoyable.

Address: 5th Avenue

Sea Turtle Preservation Society

You can visit the Sea Turtle Preservation Society's website for more info on events, "turtle etiquette" and so forth.

Address: 111 South Miramar Ave., Indialantic Florida 32903

Directions: Just south of 5th Avenue (Hwy 192) in Indialantic, across from Longboard House

Phone: 321-676-1701

Website: http://www.seaturtlespacecoast.org/Default.htm

Turtle Watching

Between May and September, leatherback and green sea turtles flock to the shores of Melbourne Beach and the surrounding area to lay their eggs. There's even a "Turtle Society" organization here, devoted to combing the beaches at night in order to protect nesting turtles from predators or curious interlopers.

Condos and homes may be situated along beachfront property, but light wattage is regulated so that there's never any high powered lighting reflecting onto the beach - if baby turtles were to hatch during the night, they'd be confused by the high powered lighting and turn toward shore instead of the sea.

Between 9:00 pm and 2:00 am, you can bring along a low bulb flash light to help spot the turtles as they emerge from the surf and plod their way up the shore to higher ground to lay their eggs. The whole process takes about 1.5 hours.

If you're a conscientious observer of nature, then you will know to keep a respectful distance from the turtle so as not to disturb her concentration or the momentum of her mission. Once she feels the slightest bit threatened, it doesn't matter how desperately she needs to lay those eggs - she will turn around and drag herself back into the sea. It's really frustrating if this should happen, because any inadvertant move on the observer's part can set off such a retreat.

You know how they say you can see tears coming from the mother turtle's eyes as she's laying her eggs? Maybe it's because she knows she'll never see her young. Once she's laid the eggs, she makes her way slowly back to shore, disappearing into the inky night sea.

Address: Anywhere along Melbourne Beach area

Airboat Ride Along the St. John River

By all means, spend some 45 minutes gliding over the St. Johns River watching snapping turtles sunning, great blue herons in all their majesty - and the main attraction: alligators sunning themselves, glancing up at you as you pass by at close range (shiver!). It's a definite blast of local color in every sense of the word!!

Quick note on the mechanics of airboats: these contraptions are noisy and strange. They don't feature a "V" shape hull so they're not really like a boat - and, the engine sits above the back of the vessel and literally propels the boat over the water, so that you are kind of gliding or skimming. It's the best way to see the swamp land and get close to the wildlife without disturbing the water underneath, and the delicate ecological systems at work.

Don't worry about the noise - most airboats come equipped with ear covers so you block out the sound of the motor!

Address: Camp Holly - off 192 and I-95 (in Melbourne)

Surfing

Melbourne and the surrounding areas actually have nice, wide open beaches against whose shores lap the warm Atlantic waters. People most often think of Hawaii, Australia or California when the sport of surfing comes to mind - but actually, world champion surfer Kelly Slater hails from Cocoa Beach, just minutes north of Melbourne Beach. In fact, many national surf champions come from the Florida east coast - I think it's because the waves are smaller, and it takes a lot of skill to ride smaller waves.

If you're interested in hanging ten, there are some friendly surf shops around the Indialantic and Melbourne Beach area (LongBoard House and Spectrum Surf Shops on A1A, to name a few), with instructors available to teach the novice - and when you're ready and able, there's Monster Hole in Sebastian Beach (a few minutes south of Melbourne Beach) where the waves are king.

Address: Melbourne Beach - off 5th Avenue and A1A.

NASA: Home of Shuttle and Rocket Launches

Those of us who have lived here for a while have become, I don't know - desensitized - to the spectacular launches at nearby Cape Canaveral.

NASA is always working on some project, whether it is a shuttle launch, a rocket, or some sort of satellite. Nevertheless, it's still a thrill to look out into the sky and see a trail of billowing white smoke signaling yet another successful take-off.

NASA makes for a fascinating and stirring visit. There are several IMAX movies to see - the last one usually ends at 4:00pm so plan your visit accordingly. If you're lucky - and chances are you will be - there might be a real live astronaut around participating in a question-answer session; you'll be moved at the Apollo Center where they have one of the Apollo rockets on display (it takes up the entire building) and a short film on the first lunar landing. Did you know an astronaut comes back to earth anywhere from one to two inches taller after spending time in space? At the Apollo Center you can learn all about the physics of weightlessness as well as exactly what it is that people do up there in Space....why are we going up there in the first place?! You can even touch a "moonrock".

Not that we don't enjoy a nice walk - but NASA is huge and takes up miles of territory on the peninsula of the Cape. Shuttle buses are provided to transport guests from one center to another. The rides usually last about five minutes, during which you're treated to a narrative video and a bus driver who's always ready to point out the wildlife (NASA is located on a wildlife sanctuary) along the way.

I've only been to NASA twice, and both times I've been really moved by what I've seen and learned each visit.

I HIGHLY recommend visiting NASA. It's great stuff.

Address: Kennedy Space Center (KSC)

Directions: Cape Canaveral - take 528 East from Orlando, all the way to the Cape. The signs will lead you right to KSC.

Website: http://www.nasa.gov

BeachCombing

Sometimes you just want to relax and read a book against a beautiful backdrop of pounding surf, seagulls calling and the smell of salt water spray in the air. It's amusing to watch the little sandpipers dart back and forth along the surf as pelicans bob up and down in the waves, with the occasional heron making a pitstop to see if anyone has any fish to share. It's a very peaceful atmosphere in which to unwind on the weekends.

Address: Anywhere along the Melbourne Beach area