VERO BEACH — Fact and fiction are difficult to decipher from one another when it comes to Vero Beach pioneer and local legend Waldo Sexton.
The facts are that between his arrival to the city in 1914 at age 29 and his death in 1967, he was responsible for erecting a string of buildings across Vero Beach now considered historical landmarks, filling those buildings with art and antiques collected from all over the world, launching the Indian River Citrus Growers’ League, beautifying the city by planting trees and opening the McKee Jungle Gardens, and training exactly one elephant to water ski.
And that is just scratching the surface.
According to local historians Pam Cooper and Janie Gould, the facts are made all the more interesting by the stories told and often embellished about the eccentric entrepreneur’s life.
But all of the facts along with the maybe tall-tales about Sexton and the landmarks he is responsible for creating are disclosed on a new tour tailored just as much to the Vero Beach native as it is to the tourist.
An idea born out of the Heritage Center, the Sexton tour is organized by Vero Beach-based “Day Trippin’ Tours.” Passengers ride a comfortable charter bus between eight Sexton buildings and landmarks, each of which is narrated by local historians Pam Cooper and Janie Gould.
From Szechuan Palace to the Driftwood Inn, Waldo’s Mountain and the McKee Botanical Gardens, the tour involves five off-bus tour stops including a stop for lunch at the Ocean Grill, and three on-bus narration stops.
“Vero is such a fascinating confluence for ideas and abilities and talents,” said Cathy Ferrell, a long-time Vero Beach resident and sculptor who often seeks out opportunities to learn more about local history. “I had just heard little pieces about (Sexton) but to have all of the pieces woven together in this beautiful tapestry from our historians has been amazing.”
Best friends Janice Burd and Pamela Bjorkman also joined the Sexton tour as locals and were equally impressed with the abundance of new information they were able to gather about the place they have each called home for more than two decades.
“I had just heard rumors about all of this; it has been great to get the real deal,” Bjorkman said.
“I have friends who come visit me and don’t know anything about Vero, this is a great way for me to find out more about the city so I can share it with them,” Burd said.
Aside from the buildings, sightseers spent a great deal of the day admiring the antiques and art that fill the walls and spaces between them at several of the tour stops.
According to Cooper, it was recorded when Sexton and his wife returned on the Queen Mary from a trip to Europe. They carried with them “19 pieces of luggage more than anyone else” on the ship. Those pieces of luggage were likely chock full of collectables to add to Sexton’s already massive and ever-growing repertoire now on display throughout his buildings.
Standing in the Hall of the Giants at the McKee Botanical Gardens, the last stop on the tour, mother and daughter Tammy and Melissa Morales reflected on the tour together and agreed it was a must-book for anyone interested in local history.
“I really enjoy the Driftwood. When relatives come into town to visit, I make sure I take them there to show them the building and all of the really awesome things inside of it. But I saw parts of it today we had never seen before,” Tammy Morales said.
Melissa Morales said, “I have lived here my whole life and been to most of the places on the list, but it’s kind of neat to see an insider view of it all.”
She added, “We’re so used to going to other cities and being tourists, but this was a way to really be a tourist in my own town.”
The tour was so well received its first time around, according to Vero Beach Heritage Center Executive Director Rebecca Rickey, a second identical tour will be scheduled for September. Tickets cost $55 per person and about half of next tour’s tickets are already spoken for.
Sexton may have been a man shrouded in mystery, much like the buildings, antiques, and artifacts he left behind. But the bonafide truth is, Vero Beach is the beneficiary of his legacy and all of the treasures that come along with it – you just have to know where to find them.
Contact the Heritage Center at (772) 770-2263 to secure a seat on the bus for the next “See What Waldo Built” tour.
