North Hutchinson Island is a coastal

barrier island Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from ...

in Indian River and St. Lucie counties on the east coast of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

in the United States. The island is adjacent to the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

and is separated from the mainland on the west by the Indian River Lagoon. The portion of the island in Indian River County is known as Orchid Island.

Description

North Hutchinson Island is an Atlantic barrier island located on Florida's

Treasure Coast The Treasure Coast is a region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is located on Florida's East Coast, bordering the Atlantic Ocean and comprising Indian River, Martin, and St. Lucie counties. The region, whose name refers to the Spanish Treasure ...

approximately north of

Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

. The island extends from the

Sebastian Inlet Sebastian Inlet, located in Sebastian Inlet State Park in Brevard County, Florida and Indian River County, Florida, offers surfing and fishing opportunities. It is off State Road A1A just 12 miles north of Vero Beach. There are annual surf tour ...

on the north to the

Fort Pierce Inlet Fort Pierce Inlet State Park, a part of the Florida State Park system, is located just north of the Fort Pierce Inlet, on North Hutchinson Island, near Fort Pierce. It consists of beaches, dunes and a coastal hammock between the Atlantic Ocea ...

on the south, and is about long. It has an area of . The island was once included with the barrier island ( Hutchinson Island) to the south as "Hutchinson Island", even though the Fort Pierce Inlet split it into two islands. In 1985, Indian River County renamed its portion of the island "Orchid Island", to distinguish it from the high density development occurring on Hutchinson Island in St. Lucie County.

State Road A1A State Road A1A (SR A1A) is a major north–south Florida State Road that runs along the Atlantic Ocean, from Key West at the southern tip of Florida, to Fernandina Beach, just south of Georgia on Amelia Island. It is the main road through m ...

is the main road for the length of the island, and four bridges provide access to the mainland. For most of its length, A-1-A is known as Atlantic Beach Boulevard. North Hutchinson Island has many county and state parks and preserves, and is one of the few areas on the east coast of Florida with several accreting (growing) beaches. A number of restaurants, hotels and shops are located on, or easily accessible to the island. Activities on North Hutchinson Island include fishing,

snorkeling Snorkeling ( British and Commonwealth English spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped breathing tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters ...

, boating, kayaking, hiking, biking, surfing, parasurfing,

paddleboarding Paddleboarding is a water sport in which participants are propelled by a swimming motion using their arms while lying or kneeling on a paddleboard or surfboard in the ocean or other body of water. This article refers to traditional prone or kneeli ...

, and wildlife observation. On the northern end of the island is

Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), and part of the Everglades Headwaters NWR complex, located just off the western coast of North Hutchinson Island in the Indian River Lagoon east of Sebast ...

, the nation's first refuge was established by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903 with over of protected waters and lands. Avalon State Park located on A-1-A near the St. Lucie County line provides a number of recreational opportunities and its beach is used by visitors for swimming, snorkeling, surfing, and scuba diving. The area ecosystem provides a habitat for varied marine wildlife including manatees, dolphins, sea turtles, many species of fish, and birds.

Communities

The city of

Vero Beach Vero Beach is a city in and the seat of Indian River County, Florida, United States. Vero Beach is the second most populous city in Indian River County. Abundant in beaches and wildlife, Vero Beach is located on Florida's Treasure Coast. It is thi ...

lies on both sides of the Indian River, with its main business and residential areas on the mainland. Two of the island's four bridges from the mainland lie within the city limits. Other communities on the island include the towns of Indian River Shores and

Orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowerin ...

, and the

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...

s of South Beach, Wabasso Beach and

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

Parks and protected areas

Avalon State Park Avalon State Park is a Florida State Park, located on North Hutchinson Island, 4 miles north of Fort Pierce Inlet State Park Fort Pierce Inlet State Park, a part of the Florida State Parks, Florida State Park system, is located just north ...

, north of Fort Pierce Inlet State Park. *

Fort Pierce Inlet State Park Fort Pierce Inlet State Park, a part of the Florida State Parks, Florida State Park system, is located just north of the Fort Pierce Inlet, on North Hutchinson Island, Florida, North Hutchinson Island, near Fort Pierce, Florida, Fort Pierce. It ...

Sebastian Inlet State Park Sebastian Inlet State Park is a Florida state park located 10 miles south of Melbourne Beach and 6 miles north of Vero Beach in Florida. The park lies on both sides of the Sebastian Inlet, which forms the boundary between Brevard and Indian Ri ...

is located at the north end of Orchid Island and extends across the

into

Brevard County Brevard County ( ) is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 606,612, making it the 10th-most populated county in Florida. The official county seat is located in ...

. * Jack Island State Preserve, on the west side of A-1-A, north of Pepper Park Beachside. *

Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge The Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) System, located along a twenty-mile (30 km) section of coastline from Melbourne Beach to Wabasso Beach, Florida, along State Road A1A. The ...

, on the northern end of the island. The refuge was established for the protection of sea turtles. *

is located in the Indian River Lagoon north of Windsor. * Pepper Park Beachside, is a St. Lucie County park on the southern end of North Hutchinson Island along A-1-A. It has fishing piers and public beach access with picnic facilities. * Riverside Park is an Indian River County park located at the foot of the Merrill Barber Bridge on the island side. This location hosts the Vero Beach Art Museum, the Riverside Theatre and the Riverside Children's Theatre. * Round Island Park is an Indian River County park that abuts the county line on the south and runs from the ocean to the river.

Sites of interest

Sites of interest on/near North Hutchinson Island include: * In Sebastian Inlet State Park: ** McLarty Treasure Museum ** Site of

camp Camp may refer to: Outdoor accommodation and recreation * Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site * a temporary settlement for nomads * Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...

used by survivors and salvagers of the wrecks of the 1715 Spanish Treasure Fleet. ** Sebastian Fishing Museum *

National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum The National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum, also known as the Navy SEAL Museum, is located in St. Lucie County, just outside Fort Pierce, Florida. It houses exhibits to inform and educate on the role of Navy Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) and Sea, Air ...

, on the east side of A-1-A just south of Pepper Park Beachside. (3300 N A1A) * The Driftwood Inn and Waldo's Restaurant, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, at Sexton Park on the Atlantic Ocean. * Disney's Vero Beach Resort, in Wabasso Beach.

References

External links

Riverside Theatre
{{authority control Atlantic Coast barrier islands of Florida Indian River Lagoon Islands of St. Lucie County, Florida Beaches of St. Lucie County, Florida Port St. Lucie metropolitan area Islands of Florida