It’s about the journey, not the destination, when it comes to road trips.
In her travels to visit national parks across the United States, TCPalm reporter Laurie K. Blandford has come across the coolest and weirdest roadside attractions, both intentionally and accidentally. They have included:
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World’s largest eight ball in Tipton, Missouri
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World’s largest easel in Goodland, Kansas
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World’s largest cow in New Salem, North Dakota
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World’s largest buffalo in Jamestown, North Dakota
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World’s largest sandhill crane in Steele, North Dakota
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World’s largest prairie dog in Philip, South Dakota
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World’s largest pistachio in Alamogordo, New Mexico
Some can be seen from the major highways across America while others require a little driving off the beaten path to find them.
The same can be said for roadside attractions on the Treasure Coast. While only one of them claims to be the world’s largest, it’s probably safe to say the others are at least the largest in Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties.
Stuart Sailfish
A bronze 19-foot-tall sailfish leaps from the fountain in the downtown Stuart’s Sailfish Circle roundabout on Joan Jefferson Way.
Longtime resident and avid angler Ed S. Sellian donated the sculpture by Geoffrey Smith to the city to become the icon of the Sailfish Capital of the World.
“It seemed like a good way for me to give something back to Stuart, to a community that’s been good to me and my family,” Sellian told TCPalm in 2002. “I want it to be something the people of Stuart can be proud of.”
Southwest Joan Jefferson Way, Stuart; geoffreycsmith.com/stuart-sailfish
Homegrown: From Vatican to Stuart’s iconic sailfish, Geoffrey Smith’s sculptures are stunners
Crawfish, Jensen Beach
Crawdaddy’s N’awlins Grill & Raw Bar in Jensen Beach
A bright red 5-foot, 5-inch-tall crawfish stands in front of Crawdaddy’s N’awlins Grill & Raw Bar on Jensen Beach Boulevard. It’s undergone multiple surgeries on its claws in its 25 years.
Brothers Mark and John Kren opened the restaurant on Nov. 13, 1998, by the railroad tracks on the east end of downtown Jensen Beach before they moved on Dec. 31, 1999, to its current location.
In 2001, their friends, Richard and Dana Kibbey, were on vacation traveling through Virginia and stopped by a town auction. They saw a big red crawfish for sale and thought it would look great in front of Crawdaddy’s. They couldn’t get ahold of the brothers, but bought the crawfish anyway.
The Kibbeys called the next day to tell the brothers to be on the lookout for a flatbed trailer with a surprise on it.
“When it arrived, my brother, John, and I couldn’t believe our eyes,” said Mark Kren. “We looked at each other and said ‘how perfect.’ We’ll put it in front of the restaurant. and it will be our mascot.”
1949 N.E. Jensen Beach Blvd., Jensen Beach; 772-225-3444; crawdaddysjensenbeach.com
Where to eat: 10 essential restaurants in Jensen Beach include Conchy Joe’s, Jan’s Place
Stuart Welcome Arch
The Stuart Welcome Arch along Dixie Highway in Jensen Beach has recently been renovated.
The Stuart Welcome Arch was built in 1926 and designed to welcome the many motorists coming to winter in Florida as they entered the city. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 and is thought to be the only gateway of its kind spanning over a highway in Florida.
The arch’s site on Dixie Highway was donated by a development called Stuart Shores, where Stuart’s “greater” city boundary on State Road A1A met Jensen Beach’s newly incorporated southern city limit. “Atlantic Gateway to the Gulf of Mexico” was placed on the crossbeam because Stuart was anticipated to become a prosperous shipping port after the intrastate canal was completed. Many of Martin County’s founding fathers were members of the Stuart Chamber of Commerce and decided “Jensen” would be on the south side of the arch’s crossbeam. The chamber originally planned to build gateways at both the northern and southern boundaries of Stuart.
Here’s a timeline of events:
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During the early part of World War II, the bronze trim and letters were stolen.
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In 1949, the originally installed crossbeam was blown down by hurricane winds.
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In 1954, a new rectangular crossbeam was installed.
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In 1976, a vehicular crash destroyed the east tower, and the hanging crossbeam was removed.
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In 1977, reconstruction of the east tower and crossbeam began, and the east tower was built to match the original tower.
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In 1998, the replacement crossbeam was struck by the arm of a garbage truck and replaced by a new beam featuring “Welcome to Rio” on the south side and “Welcome to Jensen Beach” on the north side.
2390-2398 N.E. Dixie Highway, Jensen Beach
Viking mascot, Jensen Beach
Repairs were made to Jensen Beach Elementary School’s 20-foot Viking mascot, Jenguard, in 2013.
A 20-foot-tall Viking statue named “Jenguard” stands in front of Jensen Beach Elementary School, whose mascot is the Vikings. It’s been there since the early 1970s.
Young vandals brought it down in 2013, but it was back on its feet by the time school started. It wasn’t the first time Jenguard went down; the Viking mascot also was vandalized in the 1980s.
2525 N.E. Savannah Road, Jensen Beach; 772-219-1555; martinschools.org/o/jbe
World’s tallest heart, Port St. Lucie
Heart in the Park, a 73-foot-tall stainless steel heart sculpture that opened in 2025 in the Tradition area of Port St. Lucie, claims to be the world’s tallest heart sculpture.
Filipino-American artist Jefre Figueras Manuel, known as JEFRË, was the artist commissioned to design the $7 million sculpture, paid for entirely by Mattamy Homes.
“Port St. Lucie has the biggest heart in the world,” JEFRË said. “I tried to do that in a literal sense. Obviously, art is subjective. That is the beauty of public art.”
11325 S.W. Discovery Way, Port St. Lucie; lucidodesign.com/portfolio/heart-in-the-park
Giant conch shell, Port St. Lucie
Shell Bazaar in Port St. Lucie
A giant, 5,000-pound conch shell sits along U.S. 1 in Port St. Lucie at the Shell Bazaar — the oldest retail and family-owned business in St. Lucie County still operating in its original location.
Jean and George Williams opened the Shell Bazaar in 1953, eight years before Port St. Lucie became a city, and sold “everything shell.” Their daughter, Christine, owns and operates the business today.
10100 S. U.S. 1, Port St. Lucie; 772-335-5616; shellbazaar.com
Space shuttle, Port St. Lucie
NASA space shuttle replica in Port St. Lucie
A NASA space shuttle, between 10 and 15 feet long, stands on the front lawn of Bubbles & Clips pet grooming salon. It was the former location of Shuttle Barbershop, which likely explains the space shuttle replica in front of the business.
1955 S.W. Gatlin Blvd., Port St. Lucie
Spinnakers, Port St. Lucie
A 32-foot-tall sculpture of spinnaker sails called Spinnakers at Veranda opened in 2021 in the center of the Veranda roundabout.
A 32-foot-tall sculpture of spinnaker sails called Spinnakers at Veranda, also known as Three Sails, opened in 2021 in the center of the Veranda roundabout. It’s at the intersection of Becker Road, Veranda Gardens Boulevard and Veranda Preserves.
GreenPointe Communities paid for the $500,000 sculpture by British artist David Harber, who designed the three spinnaker sails to be shaped in such a way that they appear to have been caught in the wind.
S.E. Becker Road and Veranda Gardens Blvd., Port St. Lucie; lucidodesign.com/portfolio/spinnakers
Easter Island heads, Fort Pierce
Easter Island heads in Indian River Estates
Four Easter Island heads stand tall at the edge of the property line on the northwest corner of Easy Street at Palm Drive in Indian River Estates. They’re known sometimes to be dressed for the occasion, being decorated for different holidays.
Easy Street and Palm Drive, Indian River Estates, Fort Pierce
Boat crash, Fort Pierce
Boat crashing through the side of Taylor Creek Marina in Fort Pierce
A boat crashing through the side of the building at Taylor Creek Marina was designed to be a unique conversation piece, said general manager Travis Lord. It was part of the property’s original construction in 1983.
Residents, including one of the marina’s employees, can remember driving down U.S. 1 when they were younger with their fathers pointing it out — even trying to trick their kids into believing it was real.
“We’re currently in the process of making major renovations to the property,” Lord said, “but rest assured the boat is definitely staying put.”
1600 N. Second St., Fort Pierce; taylorcreekmarina.com
Empty silos, Fort Pierce
A pair of empty 20-story twin silos at the Port of Fort Pierce are considered the Sunrise City’s most distinguishable landmark, defining the city’s skyline. It’s also home to a hidden mural.
The silos were built for Florida Sun Cement, an affiliate of Charles Redi-Mix Inc., to store concrete. In 1989, a group of environmentalists, business owners and citizens opposed their construction, at least partially over concerns about cement dust polluting the air.
Eastern Cement Co., a multinational business headquartered in Saudi Arabia, bought the company, then stopped using the Fort Pierce silos because the company had other silos in West Palm Beach.
The Fort Pierce silos have sat idle for decades, which has prompted some residents to come up with ideas for alternative uses of them.
1101 Harbor St., Fort Pierce
Opinion: Paint ’em, decorate ’em or tear ’em down. Just don’t leave Fort Pierce’s silos as they are
Cannon, Fort Pierce
A 300-year-old cannon sits along the seawall in downtown Fort Pierce next to the Indian River Lagoon. The sunken cannon recovered from the 1715 Spanish treasure fleet of ships that wrecked offshore was unveiled in 2022 at the Melody Lane Fishing Pier Plaza.
The cannon had been in the conservation process since its retrieval over three years prior. Capt. John Brandon of the 1715 Fleet-Queens Jewels and Capt. Danny Porter of the Seatrepid discovered the cannon at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, just north of Fort Pierce, where it had been sitting for over 300 years.
The cannon resurfaced on Aug. 13, 2018, and it was brought to the Fisherman’s Wharf dock, where it was hoisted out of the water by crane. It then was taken to the city’s Public Works Department compound to undergo the restoration process.
Melody Lane and Boston Avenue, Fort Pierce
Fort Pierce: Historic cannon from 1715 treasure ships unveiled along waterfront for display
Junk metal welcome sign, Fort Pierce
A welcome sign in Fort Pierce made entirely of scrap metal stands tall in the park behind the Seven Gables House Visitor & Information Center and next to the A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery. It’s topped with a globe of the Earth.
Two other objects also made entirely of scrap metal — a horse and a Native American statue — stand nearby close to the Indian River Lagoon.
482 N. Indian River Drive, Fort Pierce
Breconshire wreck, Vero Beach
A catamaran sits near the historic S.S. Breconshire shipwreck in Vero Beach where people snorkel on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022.
Take a trip down Ocean Drive in Vero Beach to see an American flag on a pole sticking out of the Atlantic Ocean, marking the historic S.S. Breconshire shipwreck about 300 yards off the coast.
The “Boiler Wreck” was a 300-foot-long ship that was traveling from New York to Tampa when it wrecked in 1894 because of faulty navigational charts. Snorkelers can see the bow and the boilers that powered the steam engines. They are on the seafloor in just 12-20 feet of water.
1050 Beachland Blvd., Vero Beach
Giant anchor, Vero Beach
Giant anchor on the corner of Ocean Drive and Mango Road in Vero Beach
A giant anchor sits on the corner of Ocean Drive and Mango Road near the Vero boardwalk next to the Atlantic Ocean.
It’s south of Jaycee Beach Park and the Seaside Grill restaurant. Other anchors also can be found at other locations across the Treasure Coast.
Ocean Drive and Mango Road, Vero Beach
Adirondack chair, Vero Beach
Giant Adirondack chair at Mulligan’s Beach House in Vero Beach
A giant Adirondack chair that’s about 8 feet tall sits near the beach next to the Atlantic Ocean at Mulligan’s Beach House in Vero Beach.
There’s also a giant sailfish on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant.
1025 Beachland Blvd., Vero Beach
Giant gear, Vero Beach
A giant gear stands in front of American Icon Brewery in Vero Beach, paying homage to the building’s history.
The brewery opened in Vero Beach’s former diesel power plant, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
Developer Michael Rechter paid the city $500,000 for the building in 2016 and spent over $4 million in renovations. The original giant diesel engine is the backdrop.
1133 19th Place, Vero Beach; 772-934-4266; americaniconbrewery.com
Laurie K. Blandford is TCPalm’s entertainment reporter dedicated to finding the best things to do on the Treasure Coast. Email her at laurie.blandford@tcpalm.com. Sign up for her What To Do in 772 weekly newsletter at tcpalm.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Roadside attractions world’s largest heart Port St. Lucie, Vero Beach