Meet Me in the Gift Shop: Sebastian Fishing Museum

Sebastian Fishing Museum

9700 South Highway A1A
Melbourne Beach, FL 32951

https://www.floridastateparks.org/activities/sebastian-inlet-museum

AT A GLANCE Fishing Museum (Sebastian State Park)
Date of Visit:	Saturday, April 1, 2017
Parking	Lots of parking.
Amount of time needed to peruse exhibits:	30 – 45 minutes
Amount of time needed for gift shop	25 – 30 minutes
The “must have” souvenir	Life size fish decal See photos: https://goo.gl/Vwrqk4
Online shopping	If you see something you like, buy it.
Kid friendly shopping	Definitely
Kid friendly	Yes
Dress code	Casual shorts, t-shirts, bathing suits and sandals are perfectly acceptable.
Be sure to…..	Relax in the rocking chairs and watch the short documentary on fishing near the Sebastian Inlet.
Nearby/other establishments to visit	Pelican Island, the nation’s first wildlife refuge McKee Gardens Navy UDT McLarty Treasure Museum Mel Fisher Treasure Museum Indian River Citrus Museum / Pocahontas Park
Walkability, general downtown area / amount of traffic	The distance between Sebastian State Park and Inlet Grill and Gifts is walkable.
Safety, in terms of type and number of crimes committed in general area	Fairly safe. It doesn’t hurt to practice basic safety precautions like locking your car and not walk anywhere alone.

In 2009 researchers from the Outdoor Resources Review Group discovered that simply being outdoors had health benefits:

· managing weight;
· controlling blood pressure;
· decreasing risk of heart attack;
· boosting ―good cholesterol;
· lowering risk of stroke;
· reducing risk of breast cancer and Type 2 diabetes;
· avoiding need for gallstone surgery;
· protecting against hip fracture;
· preventing depression, colon cancer, constipation, osteoporosis, and impotence;
· lengthening lifespan;
· lowering stress levels;
· relieving arthritis and back pain;
· strengthening muscles, bones, and joints;
· improving sleep; and
· elevating overall mood and sense of well-being.

In spite of going outside to enjoy these wonderful effects that same study found that Americans spend half of their leisure time watching television (see table, below).

Leisure Activity	Average Minutes per Day
· Watching TV	156 (2.6 hours)
· Socializing, communication	46
· Other leisure activities	29
· Reading	22
· Relaxing, thinking	19
· Playing games, using computer for leisure	19
· Sports, exercise, recreation	17
*Total*	*308 (5.1 hours)*

From: Table 1. Americans’ Leisure Time, 2006; Leisure activity Average minutes per day

My source for these statistics are from a report entitled “Statistics from the 2009 report Health, and Wellness; Understanding and Enhancing the Relationship” by Geoffrey Godbey. It was prepared for the Outdoor Resources Review Group Resources for the Future.

How can we make a positive change in the way we spend leisure time? The answer is simple: go to the beach. I posit that be participating in all of the other activities listed in the above table, we would have 152 minutes of meaningful outdoor time, which in turn gives us a longer life span, stronger bones and muscles, better mental health, and improved sleep at night. Go to the beach and participate in socializing, other leisure activities, reading, relaxing, playing games, and sports, and earn the daily 152 minutes that improves quality of life. I recommend the beaches at the Sebastian Inlet State Park.

Per the park’s website, anyone can participate in a myriad of activities which are too many to list here. Follow this link Sebastian State Park for the complete list.

Many of us procrastinate over starting new things, regardless of how healthy they are. A good way to ease into getting the daily 152 minutes is to sit on the beach and watch fishing boats headed out to the Atlantic Ocean. When that activity is conquered, try reading a summer romance novel, a newspaper, or a magazine. Don’t have those handy? Stop by the Sebastian Fishing Museum or Inlet Grill and Gifts, where they’ll have everything you need to make the most of the day at the beach. Both destinations are walkable once inside the park, which ticks off another healthy activity of walking. See how easy this is getting? The point is, it’s easier to make positive changes where the opportunities are available nearby. Look around, and see that many others are already participating in playing games, hiking, or thinking. Save the swimming, surfing, snorkeling or scuba diving for after lunch. Still too much? Let's learn about the Sebastian Inlet and how it came to be.

The history of Sebastian Inlet and Sebastian State Park, in a nutshell, is an easy read, and it begins toward the end of the 19^th century.

1872

Locals wanted a quicker access to the Atlantic Ocean. At that time, that had to travel 26 miles to the south for an entrance near Ft. Pierce. The other alternative was to travel approximately 100 miles to the north for an access near New Smyrna Beach. This area was a fishing village at that time, and boating to either access point took too much time out of their day. David Gibson is the local who first began to dig across the barrier island which stood between the Indian River and the Atlantic Ocean. Dubbed the Sebastian Cut, the inlet quickly filled with sand.

1885

Gibson acquires the deed to the property where he had been digging.

1886

Gibson loses the deed to the property through bankruptcy.

1891

A second attempt was made clear the sand shoals in order to open the Sebastian Cut.

1892

Harry Todd, of the newly formed Roseland Inlet Company, purchased the 20,000 acres containing the Cut. The Roseland Inlet Company composed of wealthy citizens from the northeastern states, who resided in Florida during winter months. Their interest in this project stems from a desire to drain swampland from their properties, and to have easier access to the Atlantic Ocean for their sailboats.

1897

The Roseland Inlet Company attempted a third time to open the Cut. This was never completed.

1899

The Sebastian Inlet Association formed in order to raise money to improve and complete the Sebastian Cut. This fourth attempt failed.

1901

The Sebastian Inlet Association tried again to complete the Cut. This fifth attempt failed.

1905

Records show a sixth attempt was made, but failed to note who made this attempt. The challenge still remained that sand would cave in on the Cut faster than the water could carry it out to the Atlantic Ocean.

1909

Year-round local residents tried to raise enough money to complete the Sebastian Cut. They failed.

1914

The Federal Government turned down applications for needed permits because the Sebastian Cut wasn’t located in a tax district.

1915

Suffering from a lack of money and permits, the Sebastian Inlet Association, the project was shelved.

1916

The Federal Government gave its approval, along with the needed permits, to work on the Cut? Why the turn around? Henry Flagler’s railroad came to town.

1917

The Florida legislature passed the Indian River Inlet Bill allowed for a special election for county residents to vote on appropriating funds for the Cut. Residents located in northern Brevard County voted “no,” and, expectedly those from southern Brevard County voted “yes.” The Sebastian Cut is located on the southern-most part of the County.

1918

Finally armed with money raised through private sources and the necessary permits, work began again on the seventh attempt to open the endeavor Sebastian Cut.

The inlet opened, but quickly filled with sand.

1919

The Sebastian Tax District formed.

1920

The 1917 defeated bill was dusted off and again put to vote. Since the Sebastian Tax District composed of residents in southern Brevard County, it passed with overwhelming support.

1924

The jetties were constructed with Coquina, a hard substance composed from shells of clams and the like. A storm destroyed them, and was rebuilt, this time with granite replacing the coquina used in the jetties.

1930s

During the Great Depression of the late 1920s and the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was put to work maintaining the Sebastian Cut and improving its surrounding. However, the CCC could only work on public property, so this area went from being privately held to a public area.

1970

The US National Register of Historic Places added the entire area to its registry.

1980

A local widow passed away, and we make note of this because she donated her land holdings to the State of Florida, who designated it a state park. The widow’s name? Mrs. Robert McLarty. The McLarty Treasure Museum sits at the southern boundary of the newly created state park and is named after the McLarty Family. The Sebastian Fishing Museum, who pays homage to the area’s fishing heritage, is also located in the park.

That is my favorite part of the story, because I like how so many things are interrelated.

This dateline is compiled from various sources, althoughWikipedia does a good job of summing everything up (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebastian_Inlet).

Today, Sebastian State park is a salt fishing mecca for serious fishermen. Additionally, it’s one of the best places for surfing along Florida’s Atlantic coast. In another example of things being interrelated, the Park holds surf-fishing classes. If looking for relaxation,however, watch for manatees and dolphins swimming in the Atlantic Ocean.

Photos from Sebastian Fishing Museum:

https://goo.gl/LSSR4y

Photos from Inlet Grill & Gifts:

https://goo.gl/cv2Mty

On to lunch.

Head to the Inlet Grill & Gifts, less than a 5-minute walk away from the Fishing Museum. We’ve passed this place many times on our trips back and forth. It’s sited spitting distance from the beach and far from the road. We thought it was an “uppity” place and never stopped. I decided that we should finally try it, and then got hopelessly turned around trying to find our way to it. We weren’t walking; we were still driving. As we headed south on Highway A1A, we took the only road available, on our right side. This didn’t make sense because Inlet Grill & Gifts is on our left side. Somehow, it made sense. We parked the car and walked a few minutes to the Grill.

I absolutely love this place, because it’s everything a food place on the beach should be. From the beach and picnic area, Inlet Grill & Gifts is at most 30-seconds away. We entered and I realized how wrong we were in judging this place from the road. Again I was reminded that Florida wants us to “shop on.” Just because it’s lunchtime doesn’t mean that shopping has to cease.

Inlet Grill & Gifts reminded me of the places I went to as a kid whenever we went to the beach. Walk up to the counter and place your order. While it’s being prepared, turn around and visit the gift shop area occupying half of the floor space. Whatever is needed for spending time on the beach can be found here: swim shorts, floaty things for children, post cards, sunscreen, t-shirts. And sassy hats. I love my sassy hats. They sold shot glasses, and many branded wearables. No refrigerator magnets, but Christmas ornaments are displayed for sale. I still don’t understand why so many Florida gift shops sell Christmas ornaments, but there they are.

Remember those big reach-in ice cream coolers that contained ice cream sandwiches and creamsicles? There’s one here, too. No one blinks an eye at beachgoers walking in barefoot and wearing a swimsuit. It’s that kind of place. Unless a bikini is worn by someone who shouldn’t wear a bikini. It was like a train wreck; I couldn’t look away. She left and I was finally able to look elsewhere. No…here she comes back inside again. I’m doomed.

Speaking of childhood events, summer vacations seemed better when experienced as a child. The sun was brighter, the water was more tempting, and the shade supplied by the many trees offered so much shade. All of those wonderful experiences can be encountered again at Sebastian State Park, located on the barrier island between Melbourne and Vero Beach, Florida. Pack up the car and head toward the beach. Spend minutes reading, relaxing, or thinking. It’s such a better use of time than watching television.

Photos from Sebastian Fishing Museum: https://goo.gl/LSSR4y

Photos from Inlet Grill & Gifts: https://goo.gl/cv2Mty