“A trip to Fort Pierce, positioned on the Florida Atlantic coast about 120 miles
equidistant between family-friendly Orlando and tropical Miami, makes for the
perfect road trip destination for the African-American art and literature enthusiast.”
Land-scapes
History Matters
Heritage Trails
History enthusiasts will fall in love
with St. Lucie because of its rich
and fascinating background, and a
multitude of museums, parks and
heritage trails for visitors to explore.
One of the ways to experience and
learn about the history of St. Lucie
is to take a journey along one of
our heritage trails and walk in the
footsteps of such greats such as
Zora Neale Hurston, A.E. ‘Beanie’
Backus, or the group of young African
American painters known as the
Highwaymen.
Zora Neale Hurston Dust
Tracks Heritage Trail
Zora Neale Hurston, the great Harlem
Renaissance author who lived an
amazing and colorful life, spent her
last years in Fort Pierce. Best known
for her novels including Their Eyes
Were Watching God and Mules and
Men, Hurston is a renowned author
with a storied history during the time
she lived here.
The Zora Neale Hurston Dust Tracks
Heritage Trail commemorates Zora’s
life in Fort Pierce. The driving trail
includes three kiosks and eight trail
markers taking you to her home, the
library that carries her name and a
collection of writings and photos, and
her gravesite which was unmarked
until 1973, when author Alice Walker
donated a gravestone describing Zora
as ‘A genius of the south.’ For details
regarding the Zora Neale Hurston
Dust Tracks Heritage Trail, visit
CityofFortPierce.com/248/attractions.
Highwaymen Trail
In the 1950s, a group of 26 African
American artists (25 men and 1
woman) began painting Florida
landscapes which they sold out
of the trunks of their cars, as a
gallery showing would be out of
the question at the time. Decades
later, this loosely-knit group of artists
would become known as the Florida
Highwaymen and inducted into the
Florida Artists Hall of Fame.
Today, the Florida Highwaymen
— Cuisine Noir, Ebony Flake
are recognized as an important
part of American folk history. Take
a self-guided driving tour of the
Highwaymen Trail in Fort Pierce to
discover their fascinating journey
and how they embraced visual art
to overcome adversity. The trail
includes a stop at the home and art
studio of A.E. “Beanie” Backus – one
of the country’s most well-known
Florida landscape painters who was
also a mentor to some of the first
Florida Highwaymen. For details go to
TheHighwaymenTrail.com
28 VISIT ST. LUCIE INSPIRATION GUIDE 2021 VISITSTLUCIE.COM
History Museums
For a full overview of St. Lucie’s
fascinating history, be sure to
schedule a visit to the St. Lucie
County Regional History Center
which gives visitors a glimpse
into community’s beginnings.
And don’t miss a visit to the
one and only National Navy
UDT-SEAL Museum, located on
the same training grounds of
Hutchinson Island in Fort Pierce
where these elite warriors first
trained during WWII. The museum
features exhibits and artifacts that
chronicle the achievements of the
U.S. Navy SEALs.
Plan a visit to the A.E. Backus
Museum & Gallery where
visitors marvel at the largest
repository of original
A.E. Backus paintings world.
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/TheHighwaymenTrail.com
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