Our journey began at the edge of the Indian River in Fort Pierce. Here, a life size manatee sculpture draws attention to a family portrait of sea cows. The three manatees appear to swim on the wall of the Fort Pierce Manatee Observation & Education Center. Just beyond this mural we could watch the real creatures relaxing in the warm water from the observation deck.
From the Manatee Center, we took a short drive to view a boat dock painted on the wall near Fort Pierce’s downtown parking lot. The entire back of the building depicts people working and bidding farewell to a couple sailing off in a small row boat. It may be tricky to see the entire piece on a Saturday due to cars parked in front of it.

Across U.S. 1 is the Arcade building. A stairway and wall mural is rendered in two dimensional art with a three dimensional effect. The multicolored tile roof, people dining, a rambunctious dog tugging on a banner, and a man climbing a ladder seem to come to life. Perspective helps to create this ultimate illusion.




Some murals are Pokémon Go stops. My daughters enjoyed the artist’s work and were able to catch Pokémon at the same time. Four of the painted walls mentioned above provide an opportunity to capture a virtual creature ̶ “Bon Voyage,” “Choo Choooo,” “1926 The Arcade,” and “Horizons Mural.”
It is so refreshing to see the entire St. Lucie community embrace the arts.

