Jensen Beach

Jensen Beach is a small city, or in this case Census-Designated Place, in Florida on the Treasure Coast. The current population was a little over 11,000 people as of the 2010 census.

Understand

Jensen Beach is a very-little talked about city in Florida, but with a downtown located close to the beach, there are many fun activities for you to partake in. Most activities and festivals are sponsored by local radio stations, taking place in downtown and Memorial Park in the downtown area of Stuart, a neighboring city. JB is a common nickname of this small, hip town, and the core of the town is full of outstanding architecture and mouthwatering cultural cuisine, ranging from the streets of New Orleans to seafood and homestyle cooking. The skyline of Jensen Beach on its barrier island consists only of condominium buildings.

JB used to be served by the Florida East Coast Railway through a station within the core, and the service was terminated in the 1950s. The only mass transport serving the town is by bus.

Get in

By car

Jensen Beach is a town built on roads; one road to enter this small, yet glorious town is by US-1, or locally known as Federal Highway. The town is accessible, but not easily, by I-95 and Florida's Turnpike.

From I-95

The easiest exit used to get in is Gatlin Blvd/Tradition Pkwy, exit 118 on Interstate 95. You head east from where you exit (exit if northbound; exit and turn left if southbound) to Port St. Lucie Boulevard and turn left (East SR716). Stay on that road until you reach US-1 and turn right. Continue south and watch for the signs; you'll be in town as soon as you see the Martin County sign.

From Turnpike (Warning: Toll Road)

Port St. Lucie Blvd has an exit at number 142. From the exit, head east and continue to US-1 and turn right. Continue south and watch for the signs.

By train

There have been rumors and controversy of Martin County getting an Amtrak station in Stuart. For now, the closest major station is in West Palm Beach, which also serves Tri-Rail trains all the way from Miami, and will possibly serve high speed trains in the mere future, known as "All Aboard Florida".

By plane

There is an airport in Martin County in the nearby town of Stuart, but it is not a commercial hub, let alone any hub for that matter. The closest hub airport is in West Palm Beach, and larger hubs are found in Fort Lauderdale and Miami, just a while down I-95 or the Turnpike.

  • Palm Beach International Airport, 1000 Palm Beach International Airport West Palm Beach, FL 33406, +1 561 471-7400. Serving major airports from Tampa to Detroit.
  • Miami International Airport is the largest airport in Florida; luckily it is accessible from all coastal cities in Southeastern Florida, by Interstate 95, but more easily from Florida's Turnpike. Caution: toll road! Be ready to pay tolls at the booths, or a bill with the "toll-by-plate" method.

Get around

By bus

Martin County, including Jensen and Stuart, has their own public transit system now, and its nickname among the residents is the "Marty". Currently, the Marty has one route partially served by the Treasure Coast Connector from the PSL Wal-Mart on US-1 to the Treasure Coast Connector Mall and further down south to local hospital and bank in Stuart. There are three routes, but one serves a part of Jensen Beach.

  • Route 1 takes you from the PSL Wal-Mart to the local bank in Stuart.

By car

In Jensen Beach, driving is the easiest way to get around. The most traveled highway in the city is US-1, which extends from Key West all the way up to Maine. State Road A1A is also used to get from place to place, but it mostly used to get to Fort Pierce. There are miles and miles of road in the downtown area of Jensen Beach, including a street with the name of the town itself, Jensen Beach Blvd.

See

  • Downtown is the hopping center of town. There is a lot to do, and eat, here in this bustling area on the coast.
  • The Roosevelt Bridge is an iconic bridge carrying a stretch of US Highway 1 to link Jensen Beach to Stuart, a neighboring town that serves as the county seat of Martin County.

Do

  • Hit the beach! You wouldn't want to visit a coastal city in Florida without making an attempt to catch a wave on your board. Swimming at the beach is also common amongst visitors, as well as boating in the St. Lucie Inlet.
  • Indian Riverside Park, 1707 NE Indian River Drive, +1 772 692-7501. Closed Tue; Wed-Mon: 9am-6pm. Park with 2 museums and a play fountain.
    • Children's Museum of the Treasure Coast, 1707 NE Indian River Drive, +1 772 225-7575. With 12 exhibits geared for children, from a train set to a Spanish galleon, the Children's Museum opened in 2008 and has welcomed more than 100,000 visitors. There are more exhibits to come.

Buy

Jensen Beach is home of the Treasure Coast Square Mall, the biggest mall on the Treasure Coast. It was opened in 1987 and has the only big department stores in the area.

  • Treasure Coast Square Mall, 3174 NW Federal Hwy, +1 772 692-9401. Mon-Sat: 10am-9pm; Sun: 12pm-6pm. This is the largest shopping mall on the Treasure Coast. This mall has 6 department stores, including an HHGregg, as well as a Regal Cinemas. The food court consists of many restaurants, including Cinnabon, Subway, Chick-Fil-A, and Ocho Rios Jerk.

Eat

Jensen Beach's bustling downtown is full of many great restaurants that are locally owned and chained around the Treasure Coast. Here are some exquisite restaurants:

  • Conchy Joe's, 3945 NE Indian River Dr., +1 772 334-1130. Sun-Thu: 11:30am-11:00pm; Fri-Sat: 11:30am-12am. Local favorite, serving seafood, sandwiches, and salads.
  • Mulligan's Beach House Bar and Grill, 2019 NE Jensen Beach Blvd, +1 772 232-1414. Restaurant serving both surf and turf, from fish to steak.
  • Crawdaddy's, 1949 NE Jensen Beach Blvd, +1 772 225-3444. Sun-Thu: 11am-11pm; Fri & Sat: 11am-12am. N'awlinz Grill 'n' Raw Bar.
  • Bourbon Street BBQ, 1906 NE Ricou Ter., +1 772 225-1220. Sun-Wed: 11am-9pm; Thu-Sat 11am-10pm. BBQ and Southern Cooking at its finest in downtown Jensen Beach.
  • Hurricane Grill & Wings, 995 NE Jensen Beach Blvd, +1 772 334-0001. Sun-Thu: 11am-10pm; Fri-Sat: 11am-11pm. This beach themed restaurant was born on the Treasure Coast in the nearby town of Fort Pierce, serving wings in your 2 sauces of your choice, out of more than 35 flavors.

Drink

Many of the restaurants in the town serve alcohol, particularly sports bars and pubs, even some bars exclusive to veterans. Not many restaurants serve exotic cocktails, but mostly beer, wine and the occasional martini.

Sleep

Go next

Neighboring cities include:

  • Port St. Lucie - Spring training home of the New York Mets
  • Stuart - Close city in the same county; the Sailfish capital of the world!
  • Fort Pierce - A quaint, little city; however, its booming downtown will give you many fun opportunities
  • West Palm Beach - City close by, named for the eponymous palm trees
Routes through Jensen Beach

Daytona Beach Port St. Lucie  N  S  Stuart West Palm Beach
Daytona Beach Fort Pierce  N  S  Stuart West Palm Beach


gollark: I mean that the "maximal punishment" thing is probably emotionally driven.
gollark: If you think it would reduce crime because something something deterrent then... maybe... but just punishing people for the sake of punishing them is not something I can agree with.
gollark: I disagree. Ethics is most important in situations where emotions are running high, like those.
gollark: This is widely considered unethical.
gollark: You are increasing suffering for no particularly good reason.
This article is issued from Wikivoyage. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.