Vero Beach, Florida: A mid-summer beach getaway
2 people, 297 miles, 5 days
by Kathleen D.
With a big 25th birthday coming up, Chris and I decided to get away for the weekend. We wanted to go somewhere tropical and vacation-ey, some place where we only needed sunscreen and a good book in our bag. Florida checked all our boxes.
Now, most people might and did ask, why we would choose Florida in the mid-summer heat? But hey, there are no palm trees in Colorado, and we were craving a view of coconuts.
After picking up Michelle’s Mercedes-Benz M-Class, we arrived in Vero Beach with a couple hours of light left in the day. It was raining so we agreed on a relaxing night in, and headed to the local market to grab some dinner ingredients.
Around 8PM it stopped raining and we decided to walk down to the beach. We opened the back door to, in no exaggeration, the most beautiful sunset we had ever seen. The sky was on fire and there were literal rainbows coming down from the clouds in vertical lines like lightning. Needless to say, we were glad something inside of us pushed us to head to the beach.
After spending a good amount of time in the condo, we hit the open road. First Chris drove and I snapped photos, then I drove and Chris took over the camera, all while teeing up the next songs to play. It was hot, yes, but with the AC on and the windows down, it felt nothing short of perfect.
We’d been feeling confident with our cooking in the recent weeks, so when we stumbled across a tasty recipe, we decided to head out to where we thought the nearest supermarket was. Needless to say, our maps took us on a unnecessary, but amusing, tour through the Florida suburbs. We grabbed all the ingredients we needed, found our way home, and cooked up a storm of tacos.
We spent a lot of time in the ocean and on the beach. The water was warm and on the verge of Caribbean blue, inviting the sea turtles closer to shore. The afternoons gave rise to intense tropical storms, that lasted briefly. This particular afternoon relented and greeted us with a gentle, consistent, drizzle.
It didn’t take long for us to remember it was off-season, and the absence of the tourist crowd gave way to a near-vacant town eager for exploration. Vero is an amalgam of quaint, romantic buildings with a modern, American spin on a classic beach town. The old buildings boasted tropical yet neutral palettes that held the heart of Vero, and down the walk sat a string of beach-front restaurants, each offering their own unique charm with a dash of Florida cheesiness.
Our last day was bittersweet, but it always feels good to love home so much that you don’t mind hopping on a plane to head back. We drove the car down a somewhat hidden road along the river, and enjoyed our remaining time with the sunroof open and music on full blast.
We gave ourselves more time than we needed to get to the airport, stopping for gas, snacks, and a quick car wash on the way there. We found a short-term parking spot, grabbed our bags, and left Michelle’s Mercedes for the next adventure.
