We visited every beach in Indian River County in our quest to create a guide for the best beaches on the east coast of Florida. We stopped at eight Indian River County Florida beaches and noted how clean the restrooms were, if there was a lifeguard, how accessible they are from a wheelchair, and other amenities.
One of the positives for all of these beach parks is there isn’t a fee for parking. I grew up in New Jersey where you needed a beach pass or paid for beach access, so I’m a fan of truly free beaches.
This list is in North to South order, but within this post we point out our favorites.
Sebastian Inlet South Side Beach
This beach access isn’t to be confused with the paid beach access north of the Inlet bridge. It’s a no-frills Native Florida beach but with a restroom and a view of the fishing pier.
- Restrooms: Yes, clean-ish
- Lifeguard: No
- Outside Showers: No
- Playground: No
- Picnic Tables: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
Sebastian Inlet South Side Beach under restoration, March 2025
Treasure Shores Park
This is our second favorite of all the ocean front beach parks we visited, tied with Round Island Park. The bathrooms were very clean and nicely landscaped. There is lots of parking. You can enjoy the shaded picnic area and a playground too. It’s not our first choice because there isn’t a lifeguard, nor is it wheelchair accessible. However, if you don’t need these amenities, then Treasure Shores Park is a great choice.
- Restroom: Yes, very clean
- Lifeguard: No
- Outside Showers: Yes
- Playground: Yes
- Picnic Tables: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
Treasure Shores Park Beach View
Treasure Shores Park – Playground and Picnic Tables
Golden Sands Park
This beach is our top beach choice in Indian River County Florida. It has true wheelchair access, a lifeguard, plenty of parking, a very clean restroom, picnic tables under shelters, and a beautiful playground.
It’s also a sea turtle beach. You are most likely to see female Loggerhead and Green turtles mid-April – early September, and babies June – October from sunset to sunrise.
- Restroom: Yes, very clean
- Lifeguard: Yes
- Outside Showers: Yes
- Playground: Yes
- Picnic Tables: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Golden Sands Park Beach View with Lifeguard Station
Golden Sands Park Playground and Sheltered Picnic Tables in the background
Wabasso Beach Park
This beach is very easy to access if you are coming over the bridge from Wabasso/Sebastian (on the mainland). However, because of its location, it was very busy on a “cold” day. There isn’t a lot of on-site parking, compared to the other beach parks. So, I think it will be hard to find parking on a hot weekend day, unless you get there in the morning before 10 am or late afternoon after 4 pm. If you come here and don’t find a parking spot, then head North on A1A to Golden Sands or Treasure Shores.
- Restroom: Yes, clean
- Lifeguard: Yes
- Outside Showers: Yes
- Playground: No
- Picnic Tables: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Convenience store before parking lot, that has plenty of snacks, sandwiches, drinks, ice cream, sunscreen and other things you may need at reasonable prices.
Wabasso Beach Park Beach View
Shipwreck Treasure – Convenience Store in front of Wabasso Beach Park
Jaycee Park
If you are looking to experience a “boardwalk beach” then Jaycee Park should be your first choice. There is a lovely boardwalk with shaded cabanas that still have a view of the water, but not on the beach itself. There is plenty of parking, a lifeguard, playground, picnic tables, and a clean restroom. Plus there is also a restaurant on-site called the Seaside Grill. Literally all you would want in one place. Because its close to Vero its usually a little crowded, so this beach ranks third on our list, and is our favorite Vero Beach, beach park.
- Restroom: Yes, clean
- Lifeguard: Yes
- Outside Showers: Yes
- Playground: Yes
- Picnic Tables: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Restaurant: Yes (Seaside Grill)
Jaycee Park Boardwalk with View of the Ocean
Jaycee Park Cabanas with a View
Seaside Grill at Jaycee Park just steps from the Beach
Humiston Beach Park
Well, this beach park was disappointing at the moment. The boardwalk is under construction and the beach access isn’t really accessible and the restrooms were icky. If you want to enjoy the beach, head north a bit to Jaycee Park. However, if you are looking for a nice playground or a Saturday mornings Farmer’s Market then Humiston Beach Park is worth a visit. Once the construction is done, I’ll take another look and will post an update.
- Restroom: Yes, but kind of icky
- Lifeguard: Wasn’t clear
- Outside Showers: Yes
- Playground: Yes
- Picnic Tables: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
Humiston Beach Park Beach Access Under Construction
Humiston Beach Park
South Beach Park
The cool thing about this beach park is it has volleyball nets and also is home to Gopher Tortoises. The walkway to the beach is very pretty and there’s lots of beach sand before you get to the ocean waves. Sadly, the restrooms were gross the day we visited. There is plenty of parking and a lifeguard but no playground. It’s also not particularly wheelchair accessible.
- Restroom: Yes, but gross
- Lifeguard: Yes
- Outside Showers: Yes
- Playground: No
- Picnic Tables: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
- Vending machines in park and Volleyball nets on beach
South Beach Park Ocean View
Round Island Beach Park
Round Island Beach Park has spacious beaches, a clean restroom, lifeguard, playground, picnic tables and an interesting history. The entry to the beach has a bit of an odd hump to it, but I think that will be reworked in the near future. This location is at the southern end of Indian River County, and it’s tied with Treasure Shores Park for second place in our ranking.
- Restroom: Yes, clean
- Lifeguard: Yes
- Outside Showers: Yes
- Playground: Yes
- Picnic Tables: Yes
- Interesting history with items on display and signage
Round Island Oceanfront Park Ocean View
Round Island Oceanfront Park WWII Training Obstacle and History Signage
Beach Warning Flags
When you visit any of these Florida beaches, don’t forget to check the beach warning flags before you go in the water. There may be dangerous conditions such as rip tides. The flags will give you an indication of what’s to be expected, but of course use your best judgement, even if the flags are green or yellow.
Beach Parks vs Beach Access
It was interesting to visit all these beach parks on the same day and compare them. I didn’t list any public beach accesses, because the parking is limited and there aren’t any amenities (such as restrooms). The nicest public beach access in our opinion is the Seagrape Trail Beach Access which is open from 7am – sunset. If you want a beach access feel, but have access to a restroom, check out Sebastian Inlet South Side Beach.
Seagrape Trail Beach Access
Indian River County Beach Parks Our Top Choices
If we were spending the day at the beach, Golden Sands would definitely be our top choice. It had everything you could think of, except access to food or a restaurant. We also really liked Treasure Shores and Round Island Parks, as well as Jaycee Park all for different reasons. Each has their own vibe and I encourage you to pick the beach that has the features that matter most to you.
Happy beaching!
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