Sebastian Inlet State Park: A Local Captain’s Guide

I run my boat out of this park most days of the year, so this is the version of the guide you would get from someone who parks here, not someone who visited once. Sebastian Inlet State Park sits on both banks of the inlet where the Indian River Lagoon meets the Atlantic, with the A1A bridge across the middle. It is one of the busiest fishing spots in Florida, one of the best-known surf breaks on the East Coast, and the easiest place on this stretch to put a family on a beach, a jetty and a boat in the same day.

North Side and South Side

The two halves are different parks in practice, and you drive between them over the bridge. The north side, in Brevard County, has the main beach, the north jetty, the surf break, the concession and bait shop, and the tide pool area the kids gravitate to. If you have one afternoon, this is the side. The south side, in Indian River County, has the campground, the boat ramp on the lagoon, the south jetty, and the two museums. It is quieter and it is where my boat leaves from.

The Jetties

Both jetties run out into the ocean along the inlet and both are fishing piers in all but name. Snook, redfish, flounder, Spanish mackerel, pompano and much more come through the inlet on the tide, and the jetties put you over them without a boat. The north jetty is the longer and busier of the two and can be shoulder to shoulder on a good snook tide. Watch the swell: on rough days the ocean end of the north jetty gets washed and the park closes it. There are catwalks under the bridge as well, which fish well at night.

The Beach

The north beach is wide, gently sloped and lifeguarded in season, which makes it the best in the area for children. The water right beside the jetty is calmer than the open beach because the rocks take the swell. South of the inlet the beach is undeveloped for miles and is part of the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, where loggerhead turtles nest from May to October. You will see the marked nests if you walk it.

Surfing

The break on the north side of the inlet is famous — surfers have driven from across the state to it for decades. It works best on a north-east swell in the cooler months. If you do not surf, it is still worth watching from the jetty.

The Museums and the Treasure

On the south side, the McLarty Treasure Museum stands on the spot where survivors of the 1715 Spanish treasure fleet camped after the hurricane that wrecked them on this coast. Gold and silver from those ships still wash up on the beaches here, which is why the coast is called the Treasure Coast. The Sebastian Fishing Museum next to it covers the commercial fishing families that built the town of Sebastian. Both are small, cheap, and worth an hour on a rainy afternoon.

The Boat Ramp and the Water Behind the Park

The ramp is on the south side, on the lagoon. From here you are five minutes from the inlet itself, a few minutes from the first spoil islands, and within reach of the whole lagoon, the sandbars, the mangrove shorelines and, through the inlet, the nearshore reefs and the ocean. That is the reason a charter boat based at this park can offer so many kinds of day. All of my trips meet here: I send the exact meeting point when you book.

Practical Notes

• The park is open around the clock, mainly so people can fish the night tides. The entry station is not always staffed; there is a self-pay envelope.
• The campground on the south side has around fifty sites on the lagoon and books out months ahead in winter.
• Bring everything you need to the beach. The concession on the north side is the only food in the park.
• Weekends in season the north side lot fills by late morning. Early is better.
• Dogs are allowed in some areas and not on the beach; check the park signs.

Spend the Day on the Water Instead

Everything above is what you can reach on foot. The best of the park is what lies behind it, and that takes a boat. From the ramp I run half-day fishing, island hopping for shark teeth, sandbar days, wildlife tours and sunset cruises. Every trip is private, up to six guests, and the tour prices cover the whole boat. See also the best things to do in Sebastian Inlet.