# The Space & Treasure Coast *rockets north, shipwreck gold south* The Space & Treasure Coast is a ~135-mile back-roads route from Titusville to Jupiter on US 1 and A1A, driven in 1–2 days, that stays off I-95 through the Florida Peninsula. - **Drive:** Titusville → Jupiter - **Distance:** ~135 mi - **Days:** 1–2 - **Highways:** US 1, A1A - **Avoids:** I-95 - **Region:** Florida Peninsula - **Themes:** History & Markers, Natural Beauty, Cult Classics & Pop Lore, Oddities & Roadside Wonders The Indian River Lagoon carries this whole route: rocket launches mirrored in the water at the top, and at the bottom the reason they call it the Treasure Coast. A hurricane wrecked Spain's 1715 silver fleet along these beaches, and coins still wash up after storms. In between, Fort Pierce gave America the Highwaymen, Black landscape painters who sold Florida dreamscapes from their car trunks and ended up in the Smithsonian. Markers: 1715 fleet markers dot A1A from Sebastian to Fort Pierce; launch-viewing pullouts line US 1 in Titusville. ## The drive, segment by segment ### Rocket Row *Titusville → Melbourne · ~40 mi* Space View Park's launch sightlines, the Merritt Island refuge sharing a fence with the pads, and old Cocoa Village. Stops: - **Space View Park** (Titusville) · History & Markers — The classic free launch-viewing spot across the lagoon from the pads, wrapped in the US Space Walk of Fame: handprints of Mercury through Shuttle crews. - **Black Point Wildlife Drive** (Merritt Island) · Natural Beauty — A seven-mile dirt loop through the refuge that shares a boundary with Kennedy Space Center: roseate spoonbills, gators, and a launch gantry on the horizon. ### The 1715 Fleet *Melbourne → Fort Pierce · ~45 mi* Sebastian's treasure museums, Vero's old-money beach town, and the wreck line running just offshore the whole way. Stops: - **McLarty Treasure Museum** (Sebastian) · History & Markers — Built on the actual survivors' camp of the 1715 fleet disaster. Eleven ships, a hurricane, and Spanish silver that beachcombers with metal detectors still find. ### Jupiter's Light *Fort Pierce → Jupiter · ~50 mi* The Highwaymen's hometown, the last House of Refuge on the coast, and the 1860 red lighthouse at the inlet. Stops: - **A.E. Backus Museum & the Highwaymen** (Fort Pierce) · Cult Classics & Pop Lore — Backus taught a generation of Black painters who, shut out of galleries, sold fast, glowing Florida landscapes door to door. The Highwaymen made 200,000 paintings; this is their shrine. - **Navy UDT-SEAL Museum** (Fort Pierce) · History & Markers — The frogmen trained on this beach for D-Day. The only museum dedicated to the SEALs, on the sand where their story started. - **Gilbert's Bar House of Refuge** (Stuart) · History & Markers — The last of ten 1876 houses of refuge built to shelter shipwrecked sailors on this empty coast. Oldest structure in Martin County, sitting on bare rock over the surf. - **Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse** (Jupiter) · History & Markers — Lit in 1860, designed by a pre-war George Meade, who would be busy at Gettysburg three years later. Climb it for the whole Treasure Coast in one look. ## Tips and best time to go - Check the launch schedule before you route; a night launch from Space View Park reorders your priorities. - Storm season is treasure season: after a good nor'easter the metal-detector crowd hits the Sebastian beaches at dawn. ## Worth a detour - **Archie Carr NWR** — The densest loggerhead sea-turtle nesting beach in the Western Hemisphere. Guided night walks in June and July; book early. - **Blowing Rocks Preserve** — Limestone shoreline on Jupiter Island that throws surf 50 feet into the air at high tide. The oddest geology on Florida's east coast. ## Spurs & side-roads - Merritt Island NWR & Black Point Drive ## Frequently asked questions ### How long is The Space & Treasure Coast and how many days does it take? The Space & Treasure Coast is about 135 miles and takes 1–2 days at a back-roads pace. ### Where does The Space & Treasure Coast start and end? It runs from Titusville to Jupiter. ### Which highways does The Space & Treasure Coast follow? It follows US 1 and A1A. ### Which interstate does The Space & Treasure Coast replace? It avoids I-95, using US 1 and A1A instead. ### How many stops are on The Space & Treasure Coast, and what are the highlights? 7 stops are mapped, including Space View Park, Black Point Wildlife Drive, McLarty Treasure Museum, A.E. Backus Museum & the Highwaymen and Navy UDT-SEAL Museum. ### Which ready-made itineraries include The Space & Treasure Coast? A1A End to End: St. Augustine to Key West (6 days). ## Ready-made itineraries using this route - [A1A End to End: St. Augustine to Key West](https://dixieroadtrip.com/trips/a1a-end-to-end) — 6 days, ~520 mi ## Connects with - [A1A: Flagler's Coast](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/a1a-flagler) — St. Augustine → Titusville - [Old Dixie: Cassadaga to Kissimmee](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/old-dixie-cassadaga) — Cassadaga → Kissimmee - [The Florida Cracker Trail](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/cracker-trail) — Bradenton → Fort Pierce --- Canonical URL: https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/space-treasure Publisher: Dixie Media (Dixie Road Trip, https://dixieroadtrip.com/) Last updated: 2026-10-05