Mom’s birthday was last week and we took her on a private cruise of the Indian River Lagoon. We went out at 6pm and came back in at 8pm. It was the perfect time because we got to see the sun set over the lagoon; it was incredible! They have manatees and over 1,200 dolphins in the river but of course, we weren’t able to spot any but it was still worth it! 🐬

The captain also took us by John’s Island where the most expensive homes in Vero Beach are located. It has tight security to access the island by car; you must live there or be invited to get it. But, by boat you can get a look at some of the homes that face the river, the other side of the island faces the ocean. Our captain said that the homes here start at a mere 20 million dollars 💵💰

We also got to boat by Bird Island. It’s a small island where birds flock to. It is protected so no one is able to enter the island for any reason. No one knows why the birds picked this island to call home, but it was pretty amazing to see! You could hear it as we got closer. With all the birds together, it was really loud!

We also got to see an Osprey’s nest. The parents we out of the nest so the chick poked out to say Hi! We didn’t get too close because we didn’t want to upset it. We learned the Ospreys mate for life and come back to the same nest year after year. If it gets destroyed, they will rebuild in the same spot!

Finally, we got to see an interesting rainbow! It hadn’t rained that day so it must have been reflecting off the river? The river and lagoon offer a great way to see local wildlife and spend time out on the water! The breeze made the hot weather so much more bearable, Ralia even got chilled toward the end of the evening. Not bad for a Florida in summer 😅.