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Tips For The Trip

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 11, 2007

Here are some things to consider before heading east to the coastal fishing haven of Stuart.

HOW TO GET THERE:

We flew to West Palm Beach from Tampa on Southwest Airlines, and then drove to Stuart, less than an hour away. One-way airfares vary but can be as low as $59.

Some prefer to drive. The trip is about 170 miles and takes about three hours.

WHERE TO STAY:

We stayed at the Hutchinson Island Marriott Beach Resort & Marina, 555 N.E. Ocean Blvd. The complex is within an easy drive to any place in Stuart and about a 10-minute walk to the Atlantic Ocean via golf cart paths.

The attractive complex has a huge swimming pool with a poolside bar; a restaurant, where we had two delicious breakfast buffets; and a large marina.

Our room, with a AAA discount, was $140 a night, which included the complimentary breakfast buffet.

WHERE TO EAT:

We enjoyed an outdoor waterfront lunch at Finz Waterfront Grille, 4290 S.E. Salerno Road. Finz is known for fresh seafood; a huge, friendly bar; and good views of the Intracoastal Waterway. For more, call (772) 283-1929, or go to www.finz

waterfrontgrille.com.

We also recommend Duffy's Sports Grill in downtown Stuart at 6431 S.E. Federal Highway. We found it on our own, but heard later that it is the place to go for drinks, casual meals and TV sports. We had a good time sitting outside people- and dog-watching.

For more, call (772) 781-1388, or go to www.duffys

sportsgrill.com.

For dinner one night, we had tasty stuffed red snapper and a good side salad at The Prawnbroker Grill, a casual, friendly place between the bridges on Sewall's Point and just a few minutes from our resort. We headed there after a local man praised it as his favorite Stuart restaurant. For more, call (772) 288-1222, or go to www.prawnbroker.com/.

WHAT TO SEE:

Be sure to go to area beaches. That's a given. We also recommend stopping by the Gilbert's Bar House of Refuge Museum on the ocean on Hutchinson Island. We walked there from our resort. It's at 301 S.E. MacArthur Blvd. For more, call (772) 225-1875, or go to elliottmuseumfl.org/house

ofrefuge/index.html.

FISHING:

Take your own boat if you have one, or hire a fishing guide. To find one, ask around at area marinas, or search for one online by typing Fishing Guide Stuart into a search engine such as Google.

FOR NFORMATION:

On lodging, dining, sightseeing and fishing in Stuart, go to the city's chamber of commerce's Web site at www.goodnature.org/, or call (772) 287-1088.

Karen Haymon Long

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