Kimberly Bergalis Memorial Park(Surfsie Park)

Located in the city of Fort Pierce, Kimberly Bergalis Memorial Park is a recreational park which has a white-sand beach. This beach is also known as Kimberly Bergalis Memorial Park Beach. This park is named after Kimberly Bergalis, who was a 23-year old local resident who died due to AIDS-related complications. Kimberly’s infection with HIV AIDS was one of the first documented instances of the clinical transmission of the disease. Many kinds of coastal flora are present near the beach in Kimberly Bergalis Memorial Park including beach grasses, palm trees, and sea grape trees. 

Although Kimberly Bergalis Memorial Park does not have lifeguards, the beach and the park near it have many other amenities including restrooms, pavilions, picnic areas, showers, and walking paths. Dogs are not allowed in Kimberly Bergalis Memorial Park.

Kimberly Beach Park offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, fishing, wildlife watching, picnicking, swimming, surfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, scuba diving, snorkeling, bodyboarding, skimboarding, kayaking, canoeing, surf-skiing, water-skiing, jet-skiing, wakeboarding, boating, and parasailing. If you are planning to enter the water near Kimberly Bergalis Memorial Park, we recommend being careful as the water here is known to have considerable depth and unpredictable rip currents. In addition, the presence of sharks has also been recorded in the water near this beach. Depending on the time of the year, you can view many kinds of animals in the water near the beach including sea turtles, dolphins, manatees and many kinds of fish including bait fish and snook. If you are planning to fish in the water near Kimberly Bergalis Memorial Park, we recommend following the local fishing regulations. 

The Manatee Observation and Education Center is a waterfront education and wildlife watching facility which is a great spot for watching manatees, especially in winters - apart from manatees, you can view many other kinds of animals around this facility including dolphins, mullets, terns, and pelicans. The center also has exquisite gardens with many kinds of flowers, a pond a gift shop, a classroom, interpretive exhibits, aquariums, and a touch tank. If you are looking for another attraction near Kimberly Bergalis Memorial Park, A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery has one of the United States’ largest public displays of the works of A.E. "Bean" Backus - Backus was an eminent Floridian artist who is known for his amazing paintings highlighting Florida’s vivid landscapes. In addition, the museum also contains works of the "Florida Highwaymen", which was a group of pioneering African-American artists who were partially inspired by Backus’ works. The museum also hosts artworks by other local and International artists and it also hosts many fun events including raffle draws and luncheons - this museum has been awarded the "Best Museum" award in 2018 and the "Best Tourist Attraction" award in 2021 by Indian River Magazine’s annual Best of The Treasure Coast awards

Getting to Kimberly Bergalis Memorial Park is easy - the park is located near 1400 South Ocean Drive, where a large parking lot is also present. We recommend being careful while parking here and avoiding leaving any valuables in your parked car while visiting Kimberly Bergalis Memorial Park in order to avoid burglary attempts.

There are many attractions near Kimberly Bergalis Memorial Park. Fort Pierce Inlet State Park is centered around an aquatic inlet named the Fort Pierce Inlet - this state park offers many fun activities including biking, fishing, wildlife watching, snorkeling, scuba diving, geocaching, hiking, kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding, surfing, picnicking, swimming, and skating. The state park also has a beach, and an oak hammock forest - this state park also has many amenities including an observation tower, picnic areas, restrooms, and kayak/canoe launching areas. St. Lucie County Aquarium is an aquarium that has many interesting exhibits that highlight the vibrant biodiversity of the Indian River Lagoon and the surrounding Floridian shoreline - the aquarium also has the Smithsonian Marine Ecosystems Exhibit, which is a large exhibit that displays the coral reef ecosystem. The aquarium also has a touch tank and microscope displays which offer a unique insight into the microscopic biodiversity found along the Floridian shoreline. 

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Kimberly Bergalis Memorial Park. Chuck’s Seafood Restaurant is an upscale restaurant that has a relaxed ambiance and a quirky decor - the restaurant has around 150 hats attached to its roof. The restaurant also serves delicious steaks, seafood, poultry dishes, and fries. Archie’s Seabreeze has a unique vintage beach bar-style ambiance. The restaurant serves delicious seafood, poultry dishes, salads, fries, rice, nachos, chicken wings, soups, and burgers - the restaurant also hosts live music performances, along with fun ring games and it has also been awarded the "Best Dining - Hamburgers" award by the Hometown News Readers Choice awards in 2020. If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Kimberly Bergalis Memorial Park, La Hacoedita Super Taqueria offers great Mexican dishes including tacos, burritos, and gorditas.

If you are looking for a hotel near Kimberly Bergalis Memorial Park, there are any great nearby options. If you are looking for a 4-Star option, The Jensen Beach Inn is 23 minutes away by car- this hotel is set in an early 20th-century building and it offers complimentary continental breakfast and a vivid living room. A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Dockside Inn & Resort offers many amenities including two pools, a whirlpool spa, a restaurant, a picnic area with barbecue grills, an on-site bit shop, all day complimentary coffee and complimentary breakfast.  If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Kimberly Bergalis Memorial Park, the 2.5-Star Royal Inn Beach Hotel Hutchinson Island offers many amenities including a pool, a sundeck with beach exit showers, chaises, and cabanas, a patio which is accessible 24 hours a day with a gas barbecue grill, and complimentary continental breakfast.