Jensen Beach

Understand

Jensen Beach is a very-little talked about city in Florida, but with a downtown close to the beach, there are many fun activities for you to partake of. Most activities and festivals are sponsored by local radio stations, taking place in downtown and Memorial Park in the downtown area of Stuart, a neighboring city. JB is a common nickname of this small, hip town, and the core of the town is full of outstanding architecture and mouthwatering cultural cuisine, ranging from the streets of New Orleans to seafood and homestyle cooking. The skyline of Jensen Beach on its barrier island consists only of condominium buildings.

JB used to be served by the Florida East Coast Railway through a station within the core, and the service was terminated in the 1950s. The only mass transport serving the town is by bus.

Get in

By car

Jensen Beach was built on US-1, locally known as Federal Highway. The town is also accessible, but not easily, by I-95 and Florida's Turnpike.

From I-95

The easiest exit used to get in is Gatlin Blvd/Tradition Pkwy, exit 118 on Interstate 95. You head east from where you exit (exit if northbound; exit and turn left if southbound) to Port St. Lucie Boulevard and turn left (East SR716). Stay on that road until you reach US-1 and turn right. Continue south and watch for the signs; you'll be in town as soon as you see the Martin County sign.

From Turnpike (Toll Road)

Port St. Lucie Blvd has an exit at number 142. From the exit, head east and continue to US-1 and turn right. Continue south and watch for the signs.

By train

The closest major train station is in West Palm Beach, serving Amtrak and Tri-Rail trains all the way from Miami, and will possibly serve future high-speed trains with the future Brightline high-speed service.

By plane

There is an airport in Martin County in the nearby town of Stuart, but it is not a commercial hub, let alone any hub for that matter. The closest hub airport is in West Palm Beach, and larger hubs are found in Fort Lauderdale and Miami, just a while down I-95 or the Turnpike.

• Miami International Airport is the largest airport in Florida; it is accessible from all coastal cities in Southeastern Florida, by Interstate 95, but more easily from Florida's Turnpike (a toll road). Be ready to pay tolls at the booths, or a bill with the "toll-by-plate" method.

Get around

By bus

Martin County, including Jensen and Stuart, has their own public transit system now, and its nickname among the residents is the "Marty". The Marty has one route partially served by the Treasure Coast Connector from the PSL Wal-Mart on US-1 to the Treasure Coast Connector Mall and further down south to local hospital and bank in Stuart. There are three routes, but one serves a part of Jensen Beach.

• Route 1 takes you from the PSL Wal-Mart to the local bank in Stuart.

By car

In Jensen Beach, driving is the easiest way to get around. The most traveled highway in the city is US-1, which extends from Key West all the way up to Maine. State Road A1A is also used to get from place to place, primarily along Hutchinson Island. There are miles and miles of road in the downtown area of Jensen Beach, including a street named after the town, Jensen Beach Blvd. Indian River Drive also runs from the downtown core to Fort Pierce, along the lagoon.

The Roosevelt Bridge carries a stretch of US Highway 1 to link Jensen Beach to Stuart, a neighboring town that serves as the county seat of Martin County.

Go next

Neighboring cities include:

• Port St. Lucie - Spring training home of the New York Mets
• Stuart - Close city in the same county; the sailfish capital of the world
• Fort Pierce - A quaint, little city with a hopping downtown
• West Palm Beach - Larger city close by, named for the eponymous palm trees