Wanderlust World Wanderlust World The long Atlantic coastline of eastern Florida was historically an important location for Spanish merchant fleets. Although it sounds like a fantasy tale from a children's adventure book, real treasure has been discovered on the beaches of this coastline. It is believed that most of the gold was deposited from shipwrecks during the 1700s, while some may have been hidden by pirates who had stolen from these ships. There are a number of remote beaches where treasure is awaiting discovery.
Bonsteel Park is found south of Melbourne in central Florida, on the ocean side of state road A1A, about 2.4 miles north of Sebastian Inlet. It has become a prize location for treasure hunters equipped with metal detectors. The area around Chuck's Steak House is also known as Half-Real Beach because of the finding of large numbers of Spanish real coins scattered from a 1715 shipwreck.
Situated less than a mile south of Sebastian Inlet, this treasure beach is adjacent to the McLarty Visitor Center, in the Vero Beach area. North of the McLarty Rockpile is what historians believe to be the wreckage site of the Nuestra Senora de La Regla, another ship from the fleet in 1715. Metal detecting is permitted from the shoreline to the foot of the dunes. Silver and gold coins are regularly found.
About five miles further south along the A1A, at the intersection with State Road 510, is Green Cabin Wreck, the entrance to Wabasso Beach. As with all beaches within the radius of the shipwreck sites, it is against state law to hunt for treasure in the water, but metal detecting on the beach is a common activity here. Most distinctive about this site is that it has been found to be hoarding coins from the 1618 shipwreck of the San Martin, as well as those from 1715.
Located about 1.6 miles south along the A1A from Wabasso is Seagrape Beach and slightly less than a mile farther south is Turtle Beach. Gold and silver deposited from Santo Cristo de San Roman, a huge galleon, is spread over this wide area, known as Corrigan's Wreck. Storms have helped to resurface gold and silver coins and gold artifacts.
Found on the northeastern coast of Florida, this island abounds with treasure. Famous pirates Blackbeard, Kidd, Lafitte and Aury all at separate times led their operations from here. By 2010, treasure hunters had already discovered around $170,000 worth of gold and silver, but historians believe that to be only a small fraction of the total loot on the island.