Every summer in Vero Beach, Florida, the vibrant blooming of Royal Poinciana trees serves as a colorful reminder of the city’s rich history. A recently uncovered travel brochure from the 1950s offers a fascinating glimpse into a time when the area was proudly known as the “Gateway to the Tropics,” and summer was arguably the most magical time to be a local resident on the Treasure Coast.
Long before Vero Beach transformed into a bustling year-round destination, the Royal Park neighborhood was the epicenter of local community life. At its heart was the Royal Park Inn, a charming hotel that welcomed winter visitors and introduced them to the unique coastal lifestyle. This era also coincided with the rise of the iconic Florida Highwaymen, who famously traveled along U.S. 1 selling their vivid landscape paintings to tourists passing through town.
The vintage brochure, recently discovered by the Vero Beach Country Club, paints a picture of idyllic simplicity and robust outdoor recreation.
“Sunny days at Vero Beach mean health and happiness for our guests.”
According to the 1950s-era advertisement, guests were encouraged to take the Inn’s beach wagon across the causeway for a day at the ocean. Leisure activities were plentiful, with visitors exploring the historic McKee Jungle Gardens (which recently celebrated its centennial as McKee Botanical Garden), fishing for tarpon and snook in the Indian River, and catching Brooklyn Dodgers spring training games. They could also enjoy what was touted as one of Florida’s best 18-hole golf courses, located just steps away from the Inn.
While winter brought a lively influx of tourists, it was the summer season that truly belonged to the locals. As the pace slowed, families gathered under the shade of the towering Royal Poincianas and palms. Children rode bicycles safely through the Royal Park neighborhood, residents enjoyed quiet beaches, and golf was played during the cooler morning and evening hours.
The discovery of the Royal Park Inn brochure also highlights a pivotal era of growth for Vero Beach. The late 1940s and 1950s brought significant infrastructure and cultural developments that shaped the city we know today. Key milestones from this transformational decade include:
- Late 1940s: The back nine holes were added to the local golf course, and the Brooklyn Dodgers officially made Vero Beach their spring training home, dating the newly found brochure to roughly 1949 or 1950.
- 1951: The Merrill P. Barber Bridge was completed, replacing the area’s old swing bridge and improving access across the Indian River Lagoon.
- 1952 – 1954: The Royal Park Golf Course was restructured as the Vero Beach Golfer’s Association in 1952, eventually changing its name to the Vero Beach Country Club in 1954.
- 1953: A new baseball stadium was completed and named after Bud L. Holman, the local visionary who made Dodgertown a reality.
- 1954: Vero Beach’s very first radio station, WTTB 1490 AM, went on the air.
- 1955: Piper Aircraft established its operations in Vero Beach, bringing a major economic boost to the region.
- 1958: On November 5th, the city honored Waldo Sexton—a founding member of the Vero Beach Country Club—by dedicating Sexton Plaza and declaring “Waldo Sexton Day.”
While the Royal Park Inn may no longer stand, the beloved neighborhood and the institutions it helped foster remain integral to Vero Beach. The vintage brochure is a beautiful reminder that despite decades of growth, the best parts of a Vero Beach summer—simple afternoons spent with family, neighbors, and friends enjoying the natural beauty of the Treasure Coast—have remained wonderfully unchanged.
