For more than a century and a half, Fort Pierce has been able to maintain the charm and appeal of a scenic small town while still developing into a burgeoning coastal city, featuring unique museums, exceptional environmental learning centers, oceanfront accommodations and quaint downtown shops, restaurants and galleries. Known as the "Treasure Coast" - the area got its name after a fleet of Spanish treasure ships that sank off the coast of Hutchinson Island in 1715. These and other shipwrecks combined with natural and artificial reefs make Fort Pierce an excellent fishing and diving vacation. With access to the Atlantic Ocean through the Fort Pierce Inlet and reefs in waters from 15 to 120 feet deep, divers and fishermen can take advantage of the plentiful marine life including spiny lobsters, marlin, snook, flounder and grouper. Those looking for the artistic side of life will enjoy Heathcote Botanical Gardens and the A.E. "Bean" Backus Gallery - home to dozens of Florida landscape paintings by Backus, The Highwaymen and other area artists. With 21 miles of sandy, unspoiled beaches along Hutchinson Island, visitors may just find themselves soaking up the sun, surfing the break or baiting their hooks on more than two dozen public parks and beach accesses.