Most of us drive past McKee Botanical Garden on US-1 without realizing we're passing one of the greatest orchid stories ever told.

Cast members on the first day of rehearsal (December15). In the center is Ava Gurley , a presenting sponsor with her husband Bill Gurley , alongside Paul and Joanne Bourdeau. These remarkable actors go from first meeting to opening night in just three and a half weeks! The whole cast and two incredibly talented actors are turning Riverside Theatre's stage into a hilarious, perfectly-timed "crime scene" beginning January 9. In A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder , one ch

Edward Redfield (1869-1965). Birches and Harbor, Maine , circa 1920. Oil on canvas. Courtesy of the Thomas H. and Diane DeMell Jacobsen PhD Foundation. January at the Vero Beach Museum of Art is shaping up to be spectacular! Three exhibitions that collectively ask: what does it mean to be American, to build boldly, and to dream about the future? The main feature, "American Made: Paintings and Sculpture from the DeMell Jacobsen Collection" (January 31 – June 7, 2026) , trac

Cast members arrive Vero Beach Airport on Sunday, December 14 Yesterday, ten of the 15 New York actors starring in Riverside Theatre’s A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder stepped off a JetBlue flight from JFK straight into Vero Beach Regional Airport. A sight to behold! They traded winter gray for Treasure Coast sunshine, bringing a full dose of Broadway voltage with them.   Cast members arrive Vero via Jet Blue's "Devil with a Blue Dress On" Today, they’re shut away in re

Will Barker at the Sexton homestead Auction for the Indian River Cattleman's Association December, 10 which raised $28000 Photo Credit | Bobbie Secor Vero Beach’s story begins inland, with cracker families as whip-smart as they were weather‑beaten, people who could read pasture, sky, and their neighbors with an instinct that never missed. The Sextons and Tripsons sit at the center of that cast, turning scrub and swamp into dairies, groves, and working cattle country, the

Ballet is not usually at the top of my weekend wish list. So when a friend suggested Nutcracker on the Indian River at Riverside Theatre, I said yes, but with that kind of inner voice telling me I'd already seen The Nutcracker more than enough times to get the idea. Then the curtain rose, and within minutes, I realized just how wrong I’d been—in the best possible way. It was another reminder of how easy it is to be wonder-blind to what’s right in our own backyard, assuming th

Last night, the lagoon lit up as Vero Beach’s Christmas Boat Parade returned, ending a two-year hiatus and restoring one of the City’s most cherished holiday rituals.

Ned Whitlock has become the most talked-about man at McKee Botanical Garden this holiday season — remarkable, considering he's 100 years old, entirely AI-generated and, depending on your definition, may or may not be "real." According to Board Member Marion De Vogel , " people are looking for him in the garden and are certain one of our employees is him." But in fact, Edward "Ned" Whitlock is the fictional face of a very real history. A century ago, Arthur G. McKee dispatch

Vero Beach is flexing its intellectual muscles this season, with two powerhouse lecture series on Riverside Park Drive cementing 32963 as the Treasure Coast’s smartest zip code. Together, Riverside Theatre’s Distinguished Lecturer Series and the Vero Beach Museum of Art’s International Lecture Series offer a brisk world tour of politics, media, food, travel, and American art—all before sunset.​ Riverside’s power players 2026 In 2026, Riverside Theatre’s Distinguished Lectur

Vero is stepping into 2025–26 with a classical music calendar resembling a mini-Salzburg, with world‑class orchestras, star soloists, and marquee opera and chamber music anchoring an increasingly dense classical calendar. From January through late spring, you could live on nothing but symphonies, string quartets, and high‑drama arias right here in your backyard. Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in Vero /as if an annex of Alice Tully Hall, The Chamber Music Society of L

This past weekend on December 6, thousands lined Ocean Drive for Sunrise Rotary's 40th Annual Christmas Parade, one of Vero's most reliably festive productions. The procession featured 91 floats plus fire trucks, the VBHS marching band, and the Rotary wagon, totaling over 100 entries. Gator Building Supply claimed Best in Business and Best in Workmanship, Storm Grove Middle School took Best in School, and Called Higher swept the rest—Best in Organization, Best in Design, and

Once a month, for one Friday only, Riverside Theatre opens its doors to a small group of guests for an exclusive backstage tour -- a rare chance to go from “seat in the house” to true insider. And it's happening this Friday, December 5. Two sessions -- one at 10 AM and one at 2 PM . Led by the incomparable Oscar Sales , you won't want to miss it. In just under an hour and a half, you'll be guided across the main stage and into the wings, through the shops where sets are b

The Vero Beach Museum of Art is hosting the 36th Annual Vero Beach Art Club Members’ Invitational, on view starting this Friday, December 5 through January 18  in the Patten Community Gallery, located in the education wing. A Members’ Reception on January 16 from 4–6 PM  offers visitors a chance to meet the artists and hear about their work firsthand. The show brings together paintings, sculpture, and mixed media from both emerging and established local artists. VBMA is k

If you’ve ever wondered what the future of the arts in Vero looks like, it was on full display for three glorious, candlelit nights (November 18-20) at Indian River Charter High School’s Visual and Performing Arts Charter Dome, made possible by The Horn Family . The Enlightened Treasure —with its play authored by student playwright Johan Akiel Fontanilla —unfolded in a supper‑club setting of linen‑draped tables and flickering candles while live orchestra and jazz, ballet an

McKee Botanical Garden unveils its 19th annual Jungle Lights, an expanded and exquisitely crafted holiday experience opening this Wednesday, December 3.

Baerbel O'Haire moderates a panel on economic development featuring John Titkanich, Prashanth Pilly, Danny Markford and Keith Kite As growth and urban sprawl increasingly encroach on agricultural acreage, one question is on everyone's minds: what will farming and agriculture look like in Indian River County in 10-20 years...and who will decide? This Wednesday, December 3 , that question takes center stage at Let’s Talk Agriculture , the latest installment in Let's Talk Vero'

Following the groundbreaking of their 90,000-square-foot expansion on November 7 , the Vero Beach Museum of Art recently announced it will be opening Museum in the Garden: Envisioning the New VBMA  on January 9 in the Stark Gallery. The exhibition, on display through February 7 , 2027 will feature early sketches, drawings, and renderings tracing the evolution of the design from its inception to the project now currently underway. Visitors will have a unique opportunity to

The Friends Fall Luncheon remains a singular tradition in Vero Beach...

I recently caught up with Barbara Schlitt Ford , Executive Director of the Environmental Learning Center and, as always, she’s quietly building something that brings our community closer together. Giving Tuesday, which takes place the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, may be known for big global generosity, but Barbara is focused on something more local and just as powerful: the impact of simply giving your time. Communities with strong volunteer networks are more resilient, mor

Rody Johnson has been hard at work telling Vero Beach's story for as long as he can remember, and he's never been more passionate about it. The acclaimed local author has spent decades chronicling the fascinating threads of our community's past, and his latest work, Forever Vero: A History 1880-2020 , is his most ambitious yet. He will be hosting a special book signing and author presentation at Vero Beach Book Center  on Thursday, December 4 at 5:00 PM , where he’ll present