Jensen Beach, FL

When Danish immigrant John Laurence Jensen started a pineapple plantation in 1881, he created the initial form of this city. The early history was based around pineapples; the Jensen Beach Pineapple Festival celebrates this unique aspect of the city’s history.

After the area went through numerous hard times that affected the pineapple crops from 1895 to 1920, the city switched to citrus. Commercial fishing was also a large part of the economy in the 1890s. In the 1900s, this area became a popular second-home destination for the winter months.

Jensen Beach has an arts scene that includes some galleries and studios, including Art Life Gallery, plus it puts on the Jensen Beach Fine Art & Craft Show yearly. This neighborhood also has The Children’s Museum of the Treasure Coast and the Maritime & Classic Boat Museum.

For the most part, Jensen Beach contains independent seafood restaurants by the inlet and chain restaurants along Federal Highway. Aside from seafood, you can find breakfast joints, steakhouses, fast-food restaurants and ethnic eateries.

At Conchy Joe’s Seafood, enjoy local flavors like coconut shrimp and mahi mahi with a casual vacation atmosphere. Since this restaurant specializes in conch, don't miss trying the conch fritters, conch burger or conch chowder. You can eat on the water and even feed catfish from the pier in the back, plus you can dance to live music here.

Shuckers on the Beach at the Island Beach Resort brings you just about any kind of seafood you could want. Pick from calamari, conch, crab, tuna, grouper, salmon and selections from the raw bar. If you prefer meals from the land instead of the sea, Shuckers on the Beach also serves pasta, steaks and other courses.

Get a break from the usual seafood with Japanese restaurant Kaishin Sushi Izakaya. Order beautifully plated sashimi and sushi here, or try other choices such as miso soup or noodle dishes. The locals like this place for its quality sushi and reasonable prices.

Jensen Beach has a lively nightlife because most of the seafood restaurants near the water have a bar and fun happenings at night. Find live music, a meal and a drink at Kona Beach Cafe, Crawdaddy’s or Chillin the Most.

Castaways Gastropub serves up an array of craft beers, with 66 choices on tap, as well as an impressive selection of wines. Go to Shooter’s Bar for beer specials and to play pool. This neighborhood doesn’t have any dance clubs, although you can find one in nearby Port St. Lucie.

You generally need to drive a car to get around Jensen Beach. You can walk certain parts of this neighborhood, but the area as a whole has too long a distance to travel by foot. If you want to take public transportation, you have bus stops along Federal Highway. This highway connects to other cities, plus this neighborhood has easy access to I-95 and Florida's Turnpike. You'll find free parking at business establishments and along the beach.

Jensen Beach has bike trails on Green River Parkway but no designated bike lanes on roads. You'll be able to bike safely in residential parts of the city, but highways don't provide a safe environment for biking. Cabs don't cover these streets, but a cab will pick you up if you call a taxi company; or you can request a rideshare with Uber.

Jensen Beach has many free community parks. At Indian Riverside Park, you and your family can enjoy walking and biking on the trails and exploring the lagoon with its beach and fishing pier.

Langford Park provides many amenities for exercise and activities, including a children's playground, a skateboarding area, and numerous sports fields and courts for baseball, volleyball, basketball, racquetball, tennis and soccer. Pineapple Park also has sports fields for fun and exercise, and Jensen Beach Causeway Park has a playground for the kids and fishing on the water of the inlet. These local parks do not host annual events.

The southern end of the giant Savannas Preserve State Park goes through Jensen Beach. This bottom part of the park features fishing, hiking and picnicking facilities. The rest of the park goes through neighboring cities and includes canoeing, horse and biking trails, and additional hiking and fishing spots. This state park welcomes pets and encourages kids to enjoy the nature activities.

To rent a one-bedroom place in Jensen Beach, you can expect to pay $833 on average, which falls slightly under the rest of Martin County. You will pay $1.50 for a one-way bus pass and $2 to $3 for a beer, or even more for a craft beer, at a local pub. Gas prices in the neighborhood sit at 7 percent higher than the national average.

The major roads of this neighborhood house most of the stores. Along Federal Highway, you find the bulk of the area’s big-name chain stores, such as Target and Kohl's, and the Treasure Coast Square mall; people from the other cities across this small county come to Jensen Beach for these stores.

Jensen Beach Boulevard and Indian River Drive have shopping centers with boutiques and specialty stores scattered along the streets. You find high-end and chain stores, as well as high-value stores like thrift shops.

For an idea of what you can find here, Jewelry Design Studio sells hand-crafted jewelry, and the staff can create specially designed pieces to fit your preferences. Stop by Then & Now Gallery to browse the art, vintage items and antiques on sale. It has an eclectic collection on display, which changes as the store sells goods and gets new one-of-a-kind items in stock. Residents buy their groceries at chain supermarkets Publix and Winn-Dixie. Also, the Jensen Beach City Discount market sells discount foods, while the Picky Gourmet Supply Company specializes in gourmet fare. Purchase your fresh fish at New England Fish Market & Restaurant and your fresh fruits and vegetables at the Barbours Produce farmers' market on Indian River Drive.