Built by an ‘Irresponsible Screw-Ball’ in a Classy Beach Town: The Driftwood Resort, Vero Beach Florida

Last Updated on February 28, 2024 by Marybeth

My youngest daughter looks around Vero Beach and says “Mom. Where are the hotties?” Okay, yes, Vero Beach has a certain concentration of oldies. (Average age being 50.9: way better than Venice, at 69!)

“The hotties are your bartender, your server, and the guy driving the ATV beach thing.”

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Right in the staid, chronicled downtown of Vero Beach sits a historical oddity that may make some blue-haired residents cringe. Waldo Sexton built The Driftwood Inn in 1935 mostly just from – yes, driftwood! And a ton of weird and anomalous objects he found on his travels all over the world. He’d visit a place, see a really cool something, haul it back and helter-skelter cement it onto a wall.

Screw-ball perhaps in some people’s minds, but we prefer to think of him as imaginative. The fact that he’s also been called “one of the most colorful persons that Florida has ever known”  makes us wish he was still around to hang out with. And with all that he accomplished, whoever called him a screw-ball was probably just jealous anyway.

Could those name-callers have:

  • Become independent citrus farmers in 1917 setting out 10,000 orange trees in their first year
  • Operated Indian River Products Company, a grove maintenance service
  • Become president of the Oslo Citrus Growers Association
  • Developed three varieties of avocados
  • Established the first dairy in Indian River County
  • Cross bred two kinds of cows producing an animal that required less feed and withstood Florida’s heat
  • Belonged to an organization that made short-term loans to farmers during the Depression
  • Established the Vero Beach Real Estate Board
  • Partnered in and served as the “idea man” for “McKee’s Jungle Garden,” an early 1930’s tourist attraction

All the while fathering four children and traveling all over the world to bring back stuff? We think not.

The Driftwood Inn began as Waldo’s family residence, called “The Breezeway” because of the structure with an open-air hallway down the middle. Mrs. Sexton started operating a small resort hotel, cooking breakfast for her guests in her own kitchen. Her breakfast success led to Waldo’s restaurant being built in 1947. Can you imagine turning your home into a resort, cooking meals in your kitchen for strangers? Or more to the point, your husband being okay with that??

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Waldo’s original residence, “The Breezeway”

Over time when Waldo would return from his world travels, antiques, cannons, mosaics, paintings, furniture, and especially bells (he was very fond of bells, and would ring them when a guest would arrive, and depart; not sure the hubbie would love that, either) were incorporated into the ever-expanding, not quite ramshackle but kind of, Driftwood Inn. Not only did he ferry in tchotchkes, truck in remains of barns blown down by hurricanes, he also transported old fishing shacks that became guest cottages. I wanted to stay in one of THOSE! But they were all booked.

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One of the best rooms in the house, in our opinion:  direct oceanfront, above the pool and the bar. Talk about people watching!

For travelers who wish to just “park it” and swim, play and stay without needing your car until it’s time to go, the Driftood Resort is perfect. And Vero Beach is a beautiful, walkable old-Florida town with shops and restaurants to explore when you’re not lazing in the sun, lounging at the bar, or snoozing in your room.

THE BEACH

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Lovely blue and white beach umbrellas provided by a more swishy resort up the way 

THE BAR

Waldo’s at the Driftwood

3150 Ocean Dr.

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A vibrant, fun atmosphere where the view is the star,  sitting outside is always the best choice but there is indoor seating as well.

Try The Traveler’s Shrimp, World Famous Chicken Wings, or fresh local catch of the day. The menu is full and varied with munchies to wraps, tacos, salads, quesadillas, burgers and full dinners. The Sea Bucklers menu is “for our Swabbies 12 and under.”

Open 11 am-11 pm, Happy Hour is every day 4 – 7 p.m. Live music most days, check their Event Calendar for updates.

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THE BUNGALOW

The Driftwood Resort

3150 Ocean Drive

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Stay at The Driftwood Resort: eclectic, with rich history, and you can walk out your door to the beach, the bar, and the cute downtown. Some units have wood paneling that look like pecky cypress, which is very cool. Literally; the darkness is welcome after the bright sunshine. A mixture of antiques, some basic furniture, and typical beach art. Check out the virtual tours on their website. Some units have full kitchens, some have partial kitchens (which include refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, toaster, electric skillet and all utensils.) The Driftwood was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

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The early Driftwood with the more modern Driftwood behind

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Time for a confession:  We didn’t do much walking around the town taking photos for you, because it was hotter than hen sh*t on a pump handle.  (Thank you crotchety old great Uncle Ray for that beauty.) We keep telling our non-Floridian friends “Oh, you get used to the heat!” You do, to an extent. So it’s not a total lie. But you do not “get used to” walking around in 97 degree weather, 150% humidity, with sweat pouring down your face and pooling in your shoes. So we just parked it at The Driftwood Resort and were happy as a newborn in a topless bar! (Once again, the illustrious Great Uncle Ray to thank.)

A few cool places for you to check out when you visit (hopefully when it’s cooler):

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Casey’s Place for breakfast, lunch and dinner

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Mulligan’s Beach House Bar and Grill

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Mulligan’s 

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The Ocean Grill, built by that busy guy, Waldo Sexton!

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The very end of Beachland Blvd., Mulligan’s is on the left, The Ocean Grill is behind us. Prime, gorgeous locations!

Do you get it, now, why we spent most of our visit settled in at The Driftwood Resort? When you go, maybe choose a month that isn’t August!

Vero Beach is on Florida’s Atlantic coast, approximately 65 miles south of Cocoa Beach, and 80 miles north of West Palm Beach

7 Comments

  1. This place looks really neat! Love hearing about the history. By the way, big fan of Mulligan’s as well. Only been to the Lake Worth one but it was a lot of fun!

    1. Thanks Tom! Glad you liked the article, it was fun for us too, learning about the colorful Waldo Sexton. And yes, Mulligan’s is a cool place; I love how family-friendly they are. Will have to try the one in Lake Worth!

  2. Pingback:Instagram Monday – Bloggers at Beach Bars and a Bunch of Driftwood | Beach Bar Bums

  3. Oh My God MaryBeth, you are too freaking funny! Thanks for the great laugh I had when I read this one! Really made my day & hell ya it’s true!!!!
    Time for a confession: We didn’t do much walking around the town taking photos for you, because it was hotter than hen shit on a pump handle. (Thank you crotchety old great Uncle Ray for that beauty.) We keep telling our non-Floridian friends “Oh, you get used to the heat!” You do, to an extent. So it’s not a total lie. But you do not “get used to” walking around in 97 degree weather, 150% humidity, with sweat pouring down your face, your cleavage, and pooling in your shoes. So we just parked it at The Driftwood Resort and were happy as a newborn in a topless bar! (Once again, the illustrious Great Uncle Ray to thank.)

  4. Lee Olsen (GM) Waldo's

    Waldo Sexton as you wrote built The Driftwood Resort way before we where a “CLASSY TOWN” Couple of things I do want to correct for your readers. First we have no meter parking in our town. We do have 3 hour parking limit on the street but “NO METERS”.
    Also most important for travelers The Driftwood Resort has 100 guest rooms. 87 are time share but the other 13 are rooms that are available at all times for rent. They range from standard hotel rooms to One bed room suites with full kitchens and some even have Jacuzzi tubs. Yes parking is always an issue thats whay we have a saying here…”Lousy parking since 1937″.
    Otherwise it was an awesome article and from The Driftwood & Waldo’s we thank you for the love.

    1. Thank you SO much for this info Mr. Olsen! I am always glad to receive corrections. I try to remember every detail of our trips but sometimes I get home and think “Wait. DID they have free parking??” Plus, the heat that weekend fried my brain a bit. I will make corrections in my article, but want to have your comment here as well. We LOVE your place; you’re fortunate to be in such a beautiful coastal Florida town!

  5. Pingback:Built by an Irresponsible Screw-Ball in a Classy Beach Town: The Driftwood Resort, Vero Beach Florida | Vero Crush

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