Area Guide: Melbourne-Viera, Florida

Relaxed and entertaining.

Melbourne is the region’s premier entertainment and shopping destination. Up and down the streets of Historic Downtown Melbourne you’ll find a number of restaurants, lounges and shops. The Eau Gallie Arts District boasts multiple art galleries from the masterful collage portraits at the Derek Gores Gallery to the Foosaner Art Museum, which many consider to be the pulse of arts and culture in the area with more than a dozen active galleries. The Historic Rossetter House Museum & Gardens is also in the Eau Gallie Arts District where visitors can take historical tours daily and ghost tours in the fall.

More than 800 animals represent 180 species at the Brevard Zoo. Guests have the opportunity to see animal residents up-close, and the Treetop Trek Aerial Adventures at the zoo is an exciting obstacle course and zip-line attraction. Discover Florida’s Space Coast’s stunning wetlands and natural beauty by zipping across waterways filled with native wildlife in an airboat from Camp Holly Fishing & Airboats, or take a ride with Good Natured River Tours and tour the water estuaries filled with bottle-nose dolphins and wild birds.

Melbourne is the home to many theatres, two of the most popular being the Henegar Center for Performing Arts and The Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts. The Henegar Center is located in the Downtown Theatre District, where streets surrounding are lined with both casual and upscale restaurants, bars, and shops so you can stop for a bite to eat while enjoying live music before and after your show. The King Center, an organization of Eastern Florida State College, features live productions, Broadway shows and concert events that feature big names including John Legend and Dave Chappelle.