By L.J. Wallace, Jr.
In the enclave of Port Salerno, Florida, a relaxed blend of boats, bites, and breezy charm awaits—one of the Treasure Coast’s last true Old Florida waterfront communities.
You know that mellow feeling you get when you’re heading out to a fertile country farm and the directions start with, “Turn off the pavement onto the dirt road…”? Well, Port Salerno, Florida, kinda feels that way, but it’s more of a sandy road that leads you to the docks, marshes, and mangroves of a laid-back yet vibrant “Old Florida” waterfront neighborhood.
Where Is Port Salerno, Florida?
Stuart, Florida, “The Sailfish Capital of the World,” has long been a favorite destination for those wishing to avoid the congestion, glass and steel towers of what’s come to be known as “New Florida.” Downtown Stuart has managed to retain most of its old-timey feel with its shops and bistros and a four-story height limit for buildings throughout. But for a real dose of Old Florida in this part of the Treasure Coast, you need to travel just a few miles south of Confusion Corner, down the Old Dixie Highway/SRA1A. This will take you to the unincorporated community of Port Salerno, a quaint little hamlet tucked in the lee of the St. Lucie Inlet around a cove called Manatee Pocket. The town has a rich fishing heritage, and its tallest buildings are the boat storage sheds and lofts where some of the world’s finest custom-built sportfishing battle wagons are crafted, repaired, and launched.
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A Brief History of Port Salerno
The exact date of the establishment of Port Salerno is a bit murky, but most historical references peg its founding to around 1894 or so when a group of southern Italian immigrants from the Amalfi Coast named the place after their hometown of Salerno, where fishing for a living was a mainstay. In those early days, Salerno likewise became a considerable pineapple farming center. By the 1920s it was widely recognized and codified, and in 1960 the name was changed to Port Salerno to avoid confusion with its namesake city in Italy. But don’t be looking for an Italian market anyplace nearby. It’s all about seafood and a backwater place called Manatee Pocket.
Back in the late 1800s, Standard Oil magnate Henry Flagler commissioned construction of the Florida East Coast Railroad, connecting Jacksonville to Miami, eventually running all the way to Key West. The tracks run right through the very heart of Port Salerno parallel to Dixie Highway, bisecting the town into an east and west side, and once a day or so a protracted freight train will lumber its way through. The trains have long since ceased to make a stop here, but there’s no doubt that back in the day the area’s existence and growth was greatly enhanced by the railroad that provided cheap and efficient shipping for all manner of fish and fruit.
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In the 1930s and ’40s, Salerno was acknowledged as a major shark fishing center; during WWII, one shark-processing plant was even considered essential to the war effort for supplying shark liver oil, an important supplement believed to improve the vision of the Allied combat pilots. As with many commercial fishing communities, over the decades as fish stocks became pressured, boat and fuel costs rose, and government regulations and restrictions grew, large-scale commercial fishing became decreasingly prevalent to the area’s economy. But to this day, a bounty of local seafood is landed daily by a fleet of smaller boats, and in fact the local fishmongers can tell you the name of the boat—and even the name of the captain—they bought from.
Manatee Pocket: The Heart of Port Salerno
Today, Port Salerno is an eclectic coastal collection of waterfront dining, working artists’ studios and galleries, marinas and boatyards. It’s small enough that you can take in most of its highlights in less than a day, on foot, and at a leisurely pace. There’s plenty of on-street parking as well as a group of contiguous sandy parking lots interspersed between several larger eateries right on the water surrounding “The Pocket.” Although there are signs specifying which lots belong to which establishment, it’s not really the sort of place where someone will call to have you towed and a good place to start your jaunt.
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Waterfront Dining in Port Salerno
The most prominent bars and restaurants clustered together are Shrimpers, Two Georges Dockside Grill (formerly Twisted Tuna and undergoing an extensive renovation at the time of this writing) and Mangia Clam Bar, and in most locales, they’d be considered a bit off the beaten path. But here, that designation belongs to a group of smaller eateries—places literally just on the other side of the railroad tracks—like Crabby’s, or Basin Seafood Kitchen and Market, or the little King Neptune restaurant right on the northeast corner at the foot of Salerno Road where your lunch of an exquisitely simple blackened mahi sandwich may be disturbed a bit by the banging and smashing sounds coming from the back, where they’re opening baskets of fresh caught conch for the next batch of fritters.
There is one exception to all this rusticness and that’s The Pearl, a recent addition to The Pocket’s waterfront dining and entertainment scene. Located in an open-air dockhouse of sorts, it has a more contemporary cosmopolitan flair and boasts small plate “gastronomic experiences” and craft cocktails, along with a dedicated stage area for live entertainment. Most of the places on the water offer complimentary docking for those lucky enough to arrive by boat.
Marinas, Boatyards, and the Working Waterfront
Back in the parking area at the foot of Salerno Road, you can start your stroll north along S.E. De Soto Avenue, which connects to S.E. Park Drive. This road traces the coastline, where a string of small docks hosts the steady rhythm of fishing boats coming and going—you might even catch one offloading its latest haul. A word to the wise: As tempting as it is to ask what’s in the nets, that’s a question fishermen hear all too often. A better opener is a compliment—something like, “Hey, that’s a great-looking boat.” After long, grueling hours on the water, these salty pros can be wary of curious landlubbers.
Continuing up S.E. Park Drive you’ll soon encounter Pirate’s Cove Resort & Marina, a boutique waterfront resort sporting 50 rooms, a restaurant/banquet hall and The Loft dockside bar. In addition to the marina’s 50 wet slips for boats up to 90’ and all the required amenities, including a ships store, showers and laundry, there’s also indoor rack storage. They even cater to visiting trailer boaters with proper advanced arrangements. Several offshore charter boats call the docks home, and after cleaning your fresh caught catch the kitchen will happily cook it up. The marina also hosts a Freedom Boat Club franchise for those of you who are members.
Why Port Salerno Still Feels Like Old Florida
All the spots mentioned sit along the south side of The Pocket, while the northern shore forms the area’s industrial heart—if boat building and repair can be called “industrial.” Across the waterway, this working waterfront provides a striking backdrop of yachts and sportfishers constantly coming and going. It’s home to several well-known boatyards, including the renowned Hinckley Yacht Services facility. In the boating world, the name Hinckley carries a reputation for impeccable craftsmanship and pedigree. With generations of shipwrighting skill rooted here, it’s easy to see why Hinckley chose Port Salerno as home.
In the end, Port Salerno’s “Old Florida” charm has managed to keep the encroaching “New Florida” at bay—at least for now. But who knows how long that will last? For the moment, it remains a captivating little enclave, the kind of place best enjoyed by simply wandering and taking it all in.
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