When I visited Martin County, I was enchanted by its beaches. They were pristine, with verdant dunes that you crossed over to get to the ocean, golden sand that sloped down to the water, and enough shells to keep shell-seekers stooping for hours. The water was clean, clear and aquamarine, like on Florida's Gulf coast. But the waves attested to these beaches' Atlantic coast location.

Martin County - an area north of Palm Beach and quite a bit south of the Space Coast - has some of Florida's most beautiful and natural beaches, all on barrier islands. Some were relaxing and quiet, places where it was just me and the shorebirds, where I could look around and see nothing but sand, sea and sea grapes - no high rises. Others, well known for being exceptionally family-friendly, were full of kids. These beaches were dotted with rainbow-striped beach umbrellas, the occasional bright pink pail or orange shovel resting by a half-built sandcastle. Teens surfed or boogie-boarded, dads taught their children to fly kites, and moms took their babies for first-ever saltwater swims.

Each beach had something setting it apart - one was in a national wildlife refuge, for example, and one had a museum. At another, I witnessed an amazing natural phenomenon. Luckily, because Martin County is small enough, I was able to visit most of its beaches in one weekend.

And if you choose, like I did, to stay in one of the area's charming downtowns (like Stuart or Jensen Beach), you're still never more than a 15-minute drive from the ocean. Read on for descriptions of the beaches, from north to south.
Also, Stuart Beach offers everything Jensen Beach Park does, plus basketball, a playground and the Elliott Museum, which teaches area history and contains life-size historical replicas, including a general store and ice cream parlor.


Jensen Beach

Play: At Jensen Beach Park on Hutchinson Island, at the end of the Jensen Beach Causeway. It has lifeguards, a concession stand offering breakfast and lunch, beach volleyball courts, picnic tables and restrooms.

Relax: At the smaller beaches (Bob Graham, Beachwalk Pasley Park, Bryn Mawr, Virginia Forest and Tiger Shores beaches) that dot the shoreline as you head south on Hutchinson Island.

Don't miss: The lovely sea grape-shaded walking path that begins north of the Jensen Beach Park's concession stand.

Lunch break: Homemade conch chowder and "The Works" burger at Conchy Joe's, a tiki bar-style restaurant on the Indian River.


Stuart

Play:  At Bathtub Reef Beach on the southern end of Hutchinson Island. There are lifeguards, picnic tables, restrooms and a reef, more than 50 yards offshore, where waves break. The reef and shoreline create an oval shaped "lagoon" that's shallow and free of ocean currents. Also, Stuart Beach offers everything Jensen Beach Park does, plus basketball, a playground and the Elliott Museum, which teaches area history and contains life-size historical replicas, including a general store and ice cream parlor. There's also baseball memorabilia and antique cars.

Relax:  At Fletcher and Santa Lucea beaches, just north of Bathtub Reef Beach.

Don't miss: Chastain Beach, with its cool, scraggly rock formations jutting over the waves.

Lunch break:  The signature shrimp and lobster bisque at Dolphin Bar & Shrimp House on the Indian River. Its address is Jensen Beach, but it's just as convenient to Stuart's beaches.


Jupiter Island

Play:  At Hobe Sound Beach Park on Jupiter Island, at the end of Bridge Road. There are lifeguards, picnic tables and restrooms. Also, the beach at the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, located on the island's northern end, has a short nature trail.

Relax: At the Nature Conservancy's Blowing Rocks Preserve, toward the southern end of Jupiter Island. At high tide, waves hit rock outcroppings at the shoreline, sending water up through holes in the rock. Water spouts can get as high as 50 feet. The site also has a nature trail along Jupiter Sound, and another leading north along the ocean to a usually deserted section of the pristine beach.

Don't miss: The drive along Jupiter Island, past elegant mansions. You'll see why it's the nation's most expensive ZIP code.

Lunch break:  A fresh sandwich, salad or soup on the outdoor patio at Taste, on the mainland in Hobe Sound.