Indian River County is an ideal location for a quiet, more secluded beach vacation on Florida's Treasure Coast. This county does not have large metropolitan areas. Downtown Vero Beach is a quaint area with boutiques, hotels and ocean-side restaurants. The majority of Indian River's beach accesses are city and county-owned beach parks spread throughout the county.

The northern portion of Indian River County is part of Sebastian Inlet State Park. Indian River Lagoon borders the interior area of the county, and is a prime fishing location. Indian River Lagoon is also a wonderful hot spot for scuba diving, boating, kayaking and canoeing.

Prior to 1821, Indian River County was part of the Spanish Colony of East Florida. During this time, Spanish ships carrying massive quantities of gold and silver passed by this area every summer. In 1715, a storm sank the seven Spanish vessels off the coast of present-day Indian River County. Many artifacts including silver and gold were salvaged in the early 1920s. Today, treasure enthusiasts can be found along the beaches of Indian River County searching for buried treasure and casing the shoreline with metal detectors. The McLarty Treasure Museum in northern Indian River County has exhibits and movies detailing the history of the county along with many of the artifacts excavated from the 1715 shipwreck.

The Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge is a vital nesting area for many types of sea turtles including loggerhead, green and leatherback. Most of Indian River County's beaches feature sprawling sea oats and sand dunes. Some of the coastal birds commonly found in this area include the great egret, wood stork, white ibis and the little blue heron.