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Spot: Sebastian Inlet, FL
Places to stay
Check out the official website for Sebastian Inlet State Park to get current tidal information and also rates on tent and RV camping. Camping Fee All Year: $23.00 plus tax.
There aren’t many hotels close to Sebastian. So if you don’t want to do the RV thing or sleep in a tent, you might have to go about 20 miles north to Indialantic and Melbourne Beach, which has an array of hotels from crackheads to royalty.
Half the east coast flees to Florida in winter and the hospitality industry is more than ready to take care of a surfer’s needs, too.
Click here for a list of local hotels recommended by the Sebastian Beach Inn.
Click here for a list of accommodation in Melbourne Beach.
Or here for a list of accommodation in Central Florida East.
Food
Inlet State Park has a great menu for surfers and beachgoers, honed by tens of thousands of visitors going back to the 70s.
There is a good pizza place in Melbourne Shores and Wabasso Beach has a small sandwich shop to the south.
Best thing to do is practice catch and eat. Them snook is good eatin’, so bring some fire and utensils and eat the fish you caught. There isn’t a whole lot of civilization close to Sebastian Inlet – some convenience stores and bait shops - which is nice, but that means you should pack a picanic basket with all your favorite stuff and be ready to feed yourself all day long.
The Sebastian Beach Inn has blues and rock and reggae, and cold cold beer, and it’s only about 5.2 miles north of Sebastian Inlet State Park. Tell them Surfer Magazine and Toyota sent you.
Parking, access and directions
From Indian River County: From Interstate 95, take the Fellsmere/Sebastian exit and go east (towards Sebastian) on County Road 512. After a short distance, turn right on County Road 510. This road will intersect with U.S. Highway 1. Continue east, over the Indian River, to State Road A1A. Turn left (north) and go 7 miles on State Road A1A, you will have arrived at Sebastian Inlet.
From Brevard County: From Interstate 95, take the U.S. 192 exit and go east until you reach State Road A1A in Indialantic. Turn right (south) on State Road A1A and go 18 miles to get to Sebastian Inlet.
Sebastian Inlet is a first rate state park, with lots of parking, because this place is popular with many different large groups of people. Parking is $5.00 per vehicle for up to 8 people; $3.00 for a single occupancy vehicle or motorcycle.
Pedestrians, Bicyclists, Extra Passengers, Passengers In Vehicles With Holder of Annual Individual Entrance Permit - Admission Fee $1.00
Surf Shops
If you’re at Sebastian Inlet and need a quick suncure, wax, or fin key you can go to the restaurant at the base of the pier. The giftshop caters to surfers, too. If you need more support, the quickest option is driving south 15 minutes to Wabasso Beach and hitting up the store there.
For more variety, start driving north. As soon as you reach Melbourne Shores you’ll start coming across some surf shops. By the time you hit the Cocoa Beach you will think you’re in an early 90’s Huntington Beach surf movie.
No trip to this part of the world is complete without a trip to Ron Jon’s Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach, which is 52,000 square feet of retail heaven that includes, “its own waterfall and glass elevator not to mention a huge selection of boards, bikinis and surfbrand clothing designed with you in mind. Upon further inspection you will find plenty of souvenirs, beach & surf gear, resort wear and of course our World Famous Ron Jon® T-shirt.”
The Hobgood Brothers have a surf shop in Indialantic that you might want to check out.
Beyond that, surf shops are to this part of Florida what Starbucks are to the rest of the United States: There is one on every corner, almost.
Attractions
Sebastian Inlet is even more famous in the fishing world than the surfing world. This beach is considered the premier saltwater fishing spot on Florida's east coast. This is where fishermen from Miami to Georgia migrate to catch redfish, bluefish, one fish and two fish. Sorry, snook and Spanish mackerel. Fishing is such a big deal the Sebastian Fishing Museum tells the history of the area's fishing industry. And if you are more interested in gold and diamonds than fish, the McLarty Treasure Museum features the history of the 1715 Spanish treasure fleet.
Also, boating, scuba diving, snorkeling, shelling, sunbathing and driving up to Cocoa Beach and driving around looking for Kelly.
Boating is very popular in most of the natural waterways and backcountry fishing. Renting a canoe is a fun way to get some exercise and commune with nature as you poke around the inland waterway.
You can even park your boat on the west side of Sebastian Inlet State Park to go for a surf if the fish aren’t biting. Also, offshore scuba diving, snorkeling, shelling, sunbathing and driving up to Cocoa Beach and driving around looking for Kelly.
“I’m going to Disney World!” Orlando is no more than a two hour drive from Sebastian inlet. And International drive in Orlando has more tourist traps then you have ever seen; Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, water parks, The Van’s Skatepark, The Future site of The Ron Jon Surf Park which is rumored to have an 8 foot professional breaking salt water wave, a hundred yards long.
Typhoon Lagoon in Orlando allows surfing on certain days and nights and can be a great experience for a group of paying surfers. Two Surf Parks with the best artificial waves in the world, who says Florida doesn’t have the most constant surf in the world. Its perfect everyday!
Orlando is a child’s dream. Its great for the family! Islands of Adventure has more roller coasters then you can spin. And for those families without children, The Church Street District has more themed bars then you can drink at in one night. Hard Rock Live in City Walk provides many mainstream musical performances daily. It’s a entertainment Mecca.
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