Stuart

Sailfish Point

• Sailfish Point is a private, member-owned, waterfront community. The golf club at Sailfish offers 18-holes of Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf. Stretching along both ocean and river, this 7,088 yard par 72 course is truly exceptional. The Marina and Yacht Club at Sailfish Point offers 84 slips and can accommodate vessels up to 125 feet in length. The club also boasts 1.5 miles of private beach, 60,000 square foot oceanfront clubhouse with pool, tennis center with 8 HydroGrid courts, fitness center and full service spa. A robust social calendar includes casino night, wine tastings, themed dinners, seafood buffets, and fishing tournaments.

Willoughby Golf Club

• Willoughby Golf Club is a private club community with membership options for both residents and non residents. Willoughby has an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Arthur Hills with a blend of looks and hazards that feels part Florida, part North Carolina. The clubs 5 Har-Tru clay tennis courts host a group of around 130 active tennis members with their men’s league team ranking top three in the nation. The clubhouse area features six different food and drink venues and the pool area is great for both laps and relaxation. This is an active club which hosts numerous clubs and activities as well as social events throughout the year.

The Stuart Yacht and Country Club

• Stuart’s first gated private club community is The Stuart Yacht and Country Club which offers both resident and nonresident membership options. Designed by Dick Wilson, the club’s 18-hole championship golf course is 6,500 yards of mature oak trees and lush fairways. The Stuart Yacht and Country Club also features 6 Har-Tru tennis courts, bocce, and croquet. The fitness center is outfitted with new Cybex equipment and the resort style pool invites members to make a splash.

Miles Grant Country Club

• Miles Grant Country Club is a private club that offers membership opportunities to residents and nonresidents alike. The main attraction is the 18-hole par-64 golf course designed by Charles M. Mahannah. Miles Grant also has 5 Har-Tru tennis courts, 4 pickleball courts, pool, bocce, croquet, and shuffleboard.

Mariner Sands Country Club

• Mariner Sands is a private, member owned, country club community offering resident and nonresident memberships. The pride of Mariner Sands are the two 18-hole championship golf courses designed by architects Tom Fazio and Frank Duane. The club’s court sports include tennis, pickleball, bocce, and corquet. The three dining options on property can be described as casually elegant and offer members great views of the golf course. An 8,062 square foot fitness center and spa is fully staffed by professionals and the resort pool complex features a beach style entrance and dedicated lap lanes.

With all that water surrounding Stuart, it’s no surprise that it has a large number of fantastic waterfront eateries. Seafood is big here and there is no better place to enjoy it than while looking out on a picturesque waterfront view.

The City of Stuart does not have any indoor or outdoor malls. However, the Treasure Coast Square Mall in Jenson Beach, FL is just four miles to the north and has over 100+ stores including all the national brands you would expect to see a large indoor mall complex.

Stuart’s Historic Downtown is full of little boutiques and unique shops. One will find both men’s and women’s fashions, home décor, jewelry, gifts, and art.

The Fish House Art Center is an art community with 9 working artist studios. It is a great place to walk around and interact with the artists.

The Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center is a 57-acre marine life nature center that offers educational programs and conducts research and restoration efforts. At the center you will find nature trails, a 750,000 gallon Game Fish Lagoon, Sea Turtle Pavilion, Sea Star Touch Tank, and the Rays on the Reef Pavilion.

The Elliott Museum offers visitors a chance to see a substantial collection of classic cars, trucks, bicycles, and boats. They also house an extensive assortment of baseball memorabilia, local history, Americana, and a variety of art.

The Barn Theatre is an award winning, non-profit, community theatre. They present 5 main-stage productions a year that run about 13 performances each.

Stuart beaches offer less traffic than the popular beaches of South Florida albeit with somewhat less of the crystal clear waters you will see further south. It is at this point in Florida where the coastline and Gulf Stream current start to diverge. This means the clear, Caribbean like waters that flow so close to South Florida beaches are carried increasingly further off shore resulting in gradually less clear waters the further north you go. Perhaps the most iconic beach in Stuart is Bathtub Beach. At low tides the worm-rock reef just offshore becomes exposed and the inner tidal area becomes like a “bathtub.” The shallow tidal pool that is created is perfect for small children, snorkeling, and swimming. Ross Watham Beach is known for its fabulous rock like formations that line the shoreline especially visible at low tide. A great spot to take pictures at, this rocky shoreline is very rare in Florida.

Boaters in the Stuart area have easy access to the Saint Lucie River, Indian River Lagoon, and Atlantic Ocean waters surrounding the city. There are seven different boat ramp facilities in and around the Stuart area and the Saint Lucie Inlet is one of the better inlets for ocean entry on this side of the state. Cruising is excellent here with a wide Indian River Lagoon to the north and protected Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge waters to the south. One unique feature to the Stuart boating scene is you can take the Saint Lucie River west all the way to Lake Okeechobee in the middle of the state and continue on through to Fort Myers, Cape Coral, and the Gulf Of Mexico on the west coast. As you would expect for any coastal Florida city with an inlet, the Stuart sand bar is a busy place on the weekends with boaters lining up on its banks to eat, swim, party, and have a great time on the water with like minded people.

Stuart is known as the “Sailfish Capital of the World” but its excellent offshore fishing doesn’t stop there. Other common species include Mahi Mahi, Wahoo, Kingfish, Tuna, Grouper, Snapper and many others. It is just under 8 miles to the start of the drop off in 100 foot depths. The Bahamas islands are still very accessible from this location and many boaters make the approximate 78 mile long crossing from Stuart. Inshore fishing is great in the Indian River Lagoon as well as the Saint Lucie River water bodies. Anglers will find this one of the best areas in the state for Snook but it also has Trout, Redfish, Tarpon, and other popular coastal species.

Stuart schools are controlled by the Martin County School District. Niche.com gives the school district an A- rating and has it as the 6th best school district in the state. Martin County School District has 19,026 students in grades PK, K-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 16 to 1. According to state test scores, 65% of students are at least proficient in math and 59% in reading. Several notable private schools include Community Christian Academy (Baptist), First Baptist Christian School (Baptist), Redeemer Lutheran School (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod), and St. Joseph Catholic School (Roman Catholic).

The City of Stuart has a total of 14 golf courses with 2 courses being municipal. Within a short 20 mile drive you will find another 49 courses of which 17 are public and 2 municipal.

The city’s two municipal golf courses can both be found at Martin Country Golf Course. Part of the Florida Historic Golf Trail they offer two 18-hole courses, driving range, and putting and chipping greens.

The Florida Club is good old fashioned “Florida-style” golf. This par 72 18-hole championship course was designed by Dick Gray as a traditional Florida-style tract.

The Champions Club Golf Course is an award winning, 18-hole golf course designed by Tom Fazio. It is the first public course awarded the Audubon Signature Sanctuary designation due to its natural beauty. Known for exceptional greens and great course conditions,

Lost Lake Golf Club is full of subtle rolling greens, preserved wetlands, and an abundance of wildlife. This championship golf course was designed by Jim and Tom Fazio II.

The Ocean Club Golf Course is an 18-hole executive course designed by Charles Ankrom between the banks of the Indian River and Atlantic Ocean. Memberships are available at this fast and fun course which was recently ranked one of the best executive golf courses in the nation.