Moving to Melbourne, Florida

[tarheelmjfan]

Oh I’m sure we’ll be driving over to Tampa a lot with baseball and hockey being over there lol. We’ve also never been to Busch gardens and I’d like to go. Dh has never even been to the beach!

You guys sound like us. When we moved to Tampa, I had been to Clearwater Beach once in my youth. We mostly went to Daytona & Disney though. DH had never been to the west coast of Florida. His family rarely travelled, but he had been to the east coast of Florida twice. The first time either of us has been to Tampa was, when we stayed in a hotel to look for a place to live. I asked every person we ran into at the hotel, stores, restaurants, on the street, etc., where they would choose to live, if they could live anywhere in the area. (Yes, I was a pest, but everyone was more than willing to help us out. ) They all gave us the same answer, so we looked for a place there. When we move, we always rent for 6 months to a year to get to know the area better, so we rented a condo. When our lease was up, we knew exactly where we wanted to buy.

We used to enjoy Lightning games too. DH's boss could get us club level seats. That was awesome. Hockey games can be the most fun, especially when they fight. It helps that the Lightning is always very competitive. We also went to several Buccaneer games, when DH had clients on the team that would give us tickets. We finally quit going, because those games weren't always family friendly. We're major Rays fans, so we actually pay for tickets to see them play.

Tampa has several nice attractions & fun events you may want to check out at some point. You can also hit I-95 & take advantage of all the things that Ft. Lauderdale & Miami have to offer for weekend getaways. We love that we now have easy access to all pro sports here. One thing is for sure. You definitely won't get bored, with all the places you have to explore, within an easy driving distance of the Melbourne area.

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

Be sure to try breakfast at Southern Sisters. We used to go there all the time when they were close to Disney's Vero Beach. Now they're in Melbourne and we haven't been for a long time. We miss it, tho'!

 

[Haley R]

You guys sound like us. When we moved to Tampa, I had been to Clearwater Beach once in my youth. We mostly went to Daytona & Disney though. DH had never been to the west coast of Florida. His family rarely travelled, but he had been to the east coast of Florida twice. The first time either of us has been to Tampa was, when we stayed in a hotel to look for a place to live. I asked every person we ran into at the hotel, stores, restaurants, on the street, etc., where they would choose to live, if they could live anywhere in the area. (Yes, I was a pest, but everyone was more than willing to help us out. ) They all gave us the same answer, so we looked for a place there. When we move, we always rent for 6 months to a year to get to know the area better, so we rented a condo. When our lease was up, we knew exactly where we wanted to buy.

We used to enjoy Lightning games too. DH's boss could get us club level seats. That was awesome. Hockey games can be the most fun, especially when they fight. It helps that the Lightning is always very competitive. We also went to several Buccaneer games, when DH had clients on the team that would give us tickets. We finally quit going, because those games weren't always family friendly. We're major Rays fans, so we actually pay for tickets to see them play.

Tampa has several nice attractions & fun events you may want to check out at some point. You can also hit I-95 & take advantage of all the things that Ft. Lauderdale & Miami have to offer for weekend getaways. We love that we now have easy access to all pro sports here. One thing is for sure. You definitely won't get bored, with all the places you have to explore, within an easy driving distance of the Melbourne area.

I grew up in the south so I went to the beach as a kid. Dh grew up in the Midwest and has never seen the ocean up close (just on a plane). We’re still waiting to hear back because someone is supposed to be helping us with relocating. I really do want to buy a house. I know most people prefer renting first but it’s so stressful to move everything twice and our cats hate moving. I think we kind of know the area we want to be in but we plan to fly down at least once, if not twice, to look at houses and areas.

We just went to a game in Chicago because Dh likes the blackhawks and I like the jets and that’s who they were playing. The lightning was amazing this year but I just saw they lost tonight lol. It’s just the first game but I couldn’t believe it. What was wrong with the buccaneer games? I’m not a football person so idk if we would go to them anyway. Dh has recently gotten somewhat into it just because someone asked him to do fantasy football. I would love to watch some baseball! We don’t have anything good here.

We were talking about going to Yellowstone later this year before we knew we were moving but we’re gonna be so busy and there’s gonna be so much to see just in the surrounding area. We aren’t cruise people but being right next to port Canaveral will be tempting for sure

 

[Haley R]

Be sure to try breakfast at Southern Sisters. We used to go there all the time when they were close to Disney's Vero Beach. Now they're in Melbourne and we haven't been for a long time. We miss it, tho'!

I’ll have to look it up

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I grew up in the south so I went to the beach as a kid. Dh grew up in the Midwest and has never seen the ocean up close (just on a plane). We’re still waiting to hear back because someone is supposed to be helping us with relocating. I really do want to buy a house. I know most people prefer renting first but it’s so stressful to move everything twice and our cats hate moving. I think we kind of know the area we want to be in but we plan to fly down at least once, if not twice, to look at houses and areas.

We just went to a game in Chicago because Dh likes the blackhawks and I like the jets and that’s who they were playing. The lightning was amazing this year but I just saw they lost tonight lol. It’s just the first game but I couldn’t believe it. What was wrong with the buccaneer games? I’m not a football person so idk if we would go to them anyway. Dh has recently gotten somewhat into it just because someone asked him to do fantasy football. I would love to watch some baseball! We don’t have anything good here.

We were talking about going to Yellowstone later this year before we knew we were moving but we’re gonna be so busy and there’s gonna be so much to see just in the surrounding area. We aren’t cruise people but being right next to port Canaveral will be tempting for sure

At the Bucs games, too many people were drunk, before the games started, then continued drinking throughout the game. We really enjoyed tailgating ourselves, but DH would have a couple drinks with our food, then cut himself off, long before the game even started. We were starting to get concerned about driving with the drunks, after the games.

As I mentioned, we always got tickets from the players. The final straw was when we sat directly in front of a wife & parents of a player on the opposing team. They were very nice people. We only knew who they were, because we were chatting with them, before the game. (This player had played for the University of Florida, before going to the NFL.) Unfortunately, some drunks below us recognized his family & started cursing & threatening these poor people who were just sitting there watching the game. The things they were saying about the player & his wife were disgusting. We were stuck in the middle. We became scared for them & us, before security finally showed up. That's when we decided we were done. DS didn't need to be exposed to that.

Now that DS is grown, we've talked about going to see the Dolphins play. The stadium isn't far from us, so we may use Uber or Lyft & go to a game this season.

Have you been on a cruise? From where you're at, you'll have access to several ports to check for good deals, if you ever decide you enjoy it.

 

[Haley R]

At the Bucs games, too many people were drunk, before the games started, then continued drinking throughout the game. We really enjoyed tailgating ourselves, but DH would have a couple drinks with our food, then cut himself off, long before the game even started. We were starting to get concerned about driving with the drunks, after the games.

As I mentioned, we always got tickets from the players. The final straw was when we sat directly in front of a wife & parents of a player on the opposing team. They were very nice people. We only knew who they were, because we were chatting with them, before the game. (This player had played for the University of Florida, before going to the NFL.) Unfortunately, some drunks below us recognized his family & started cursing & threatening these poor people who were just sitting there watching the game. The things they were saying about the player & his wife were disgusting. We were stuck in the middle. We became scared for them & us, before security finally showed up. That's when we decided we were done. DS didn't need to be exposed to that.

Now that DS is grown, we've talked about going to see the Dolphins play. The stadium isn't far from us, so we may use Uber or Lyft & go to a game this season.

Have you been on a cruise? From where you're at, you'll have access to several ports to check for good deals, if you ever decide you enjoy it.

Ah okay. Yeah I don't drink alcohol of any kind and if Dh does he barely has any. He knows his limits and never has an issue. I hate being around drunk people. We dealt with that a little at the Blackhawks game, but it wasn't too bad. I had a guy two rows behind us that started yelling at the Jets players which was obnoxious and then after the game we walked behind a guy that could barely walk. We were thinking the same thing about driving out of there with people that might be drunk. We didn't have any issues, but you never know. I just don't understand why people pay so much money just to go and get drunk there. Can't you do that at home and watch the game on tv?

That sounds like a terrible experience! At the Blackhawks game they had a thing on their jumbotron before the game about alerting if people are being rude or aggressive. I've never seen anything like that before. You just do it on your phone and put which section and area you're in and someone comes to check it out. I told Dh they must have problems at the arena if they had to install something like that.

I'm sure Dh will drag me to a football game. Baseball isn't exactly his favorite sport and I'm for sure going to go watch some games so we'll have to take turns.

We've never been on a cruise. It doesn't sound like something I'd enjoy, BUT I would be willing to try one. With us being right by the port I feel like we would have to at least try one. I don't think we would do a Disney cruise. We've watched some vlogs and it just doesn't look that great for the price. I would probably care more about the excursions than the cruise ship itself. Have you been on any cruises that you liked?

 

[Haley R]

Does anybody know about adult softball in the Melbourne area? I've recently really gotten into it and would love to join a team!

 

[paisleys]

My library does something similar but now they’re charging $2 per book to cover shipping costs. I read a lot so I like the idea of having so many libraries to choose from

That's crazy they charge, and that much! I found this on your Brevard County site:
Brevard County Libraries currently has over 1.2 million volumes in the collection. The libraries also own over 112,000 DVD and video recordings and more than 61,900 sound recordings. Your library card is valid at all locations, and materials are loaned between locations through a daily courier service.
Nothing about charging. I can see a big uproar in my county if they started that.

 

[Nayan]

Here's a link to the County Parks and Recreation page, which lists Softball and every other activity they have: https://www.brevardfl.gov/ParksRecreation

Here's a link to the Space Coast Fair: http://spacecoaststatefair.com

I would suggest picking up a copy of Florida Today (the local paper) on Fridays. They have a weekly TGIF section which lists goings-ons, upcoming things like theater, festivals, music acts, etc. plus restaurant reviews and listings. The paper edition of that section is much more in-depth than the online version.

 

[Haley R]

That's crazy they charge, and that much! I found this on your Brevard County site:
Brevard County Libraries currently has over 1.2 million volumes in the collection. The libraries also own over 112,000 DVD and video recordings and more than 61,900 sound recordings. Your library card is valid at all locations, and materials are loaned between locations through a daily courier service.
Nothing about charging. I can see a big uproar in my county if they started that.

Mine’s a little different. We only have one library in the system but they will get books from libraries as far as an hour away. I think that’s why they starting charging but I can usually buy the book used for that price

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

If you are thinking about moving to Viera completely check it out first. I'm from Pensacola and after our DD got a job at a Brevard school we moved 7 tears ago. There is a lot of construction. This area use to be a Duda cattle ranch and some of it was swampland. It seems like they are trying to concrete over the entire area. The traffic is really bad, especially in the winter due to Snowbirds. The circle on Wickham is a nightmare and the diverging diamond at Viera Blvd is worse. The restaurants in the avenue area are mostly chains. If you have kids the schools are good. Sadly though the teachers are underpaid. All retention ponds have gators so don't leave your pets out. We have a lot of different birds, some are large birds of prey. State bird is the mockingbird and you will learn to hate them during mating season, but they are protected. Sandhill cranes are everywhere... they are large, noisy, and very slow. Also protected. And last of all....It gets really hot which is why people move here.

Upside, it is not far from the beaches, WDW, and the Cape. I can see launches from my backyard, there is one scheduled for this afternoon. Dixie Crossroads in Titusville is great for seafood, Grills in Viera... not so much.

This is from the view point of a Floridian. All extended family lives in the Tampa area.

 

[Haley R]

If you are thinking about moving to Viera completely check it out first. I'm from Pensacola and after our DD got a job at a Brevard school we moved 7 tears ago. There is a lot of construction. This area use to be a Duda cattle ranch and some of it was swampland. It seems like they are trying to concrete over the entire area. The traffic is really bad, especially in the winter due to Snowbirds. The circle on Wickham is a nightmare and the diverging diamond at Viera Blvd is worse. The restaurants in the avenue area are mostly chains. If you have kids the schools are good. Sadly though the teachers are underpaid. All retention ponds have gators so don't leave your pets out. We have a lot of different birds, some are large birds of prey. State bird is the mockingbird and you will learn to hate them during mating season, but they are protected. Sandhill cranes are everywhere... they are large, noisy, and very slow. Also protected. And last of all....It gets really hot which is why people move here.

Upside, it is not far from the beaches, WDW, and the Cape. I can see launches from my backyard, there is one scheduled for this afternoon. Dixie Crossroads in Titusville is great for seafood, Grills in Viera... not so much.

This is from the view point of a Floridian. All extended family lives in the Tampa area.

Thanks for the info about Viera. I knew it was a new area so I figured there would be some construction. We plan to fly for sure once, if not twice, to see the area and look at houses so hopefully that helps us narrow down an area we like best. What area do you prefer besides Viera in Brevard County? I love chain restaurants so that’s not a downside for me. I think the Avenue looks really nice with all of the stores and restaurants.

We don’t have kids but I’m an elementary teacher. I haven’t researched a ton yet but I need to start looking more into how to switch my license over. I don’t think any teachers are really paid a great salary. Right now I’m currently subbing so that might be what I continue doing when we move.

We don’t have to worry about the pets. We have two cats and they are only indoor cats. Interesting about the birds though lol. I actually don’t like birds at all but I’ll get over it.

I’m really excited to see the launches! That’s so cool! I don’t eat seafood but Dh likes some so that’s not a huge deal if there isn’t a lot of it in Florida. We aren’t moving necessarily for the Florida atmosphere. The main reason is for dh’s job.

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

Thanks for the info about Viera. I knew it was a new area so I figured there would be some construction. We plan to fly for sure once, if not twice, to see the area and look at houses so hopefully that helps us narrow down an area we like best. What area do you prefer besides Viera in Brevard County? I love chain restaurants so that’s not a downside for me. I think the Avenue looks really nice with all of the stores and restaurants.

We don’t have kids but I’m an elementary teacher. I haven’t researched a ton yet but I need to start looking more into how to switch my license over. I don’t think any teachers are really paid a great salary. Right now I’m currently subbing so that might be what I continue doing when we move.

We don’t have to worry about the pets. We have two cats and they are only indoor cats. Interesting about the birds though lol. I actually don’t like birds at all but I’ll get over it.

I’m really excited to see the launches! That’s so cool! I don’t eat seafood but Dh likes some so that’s not a huge deal if there isn’t a lot of it in Florida. We aren’t moving necessarily for the Florida atmosphere. The main reason is for dh’s job.

The demographics in the Viera area lean toward over 55, though I have seen an influx of young families recently. They are building some nice apartment/condo complexes near the Avenues. I would also look closer to Melbourne or beyond. Don't recommend Rockledge at all. When I said teachers pay was not great...Brevard is one of the worse counties. Teachers union is in a constant battle with the board. The school board is also located in Viera. Yeah, the launches are great but I could do without the ones they do at 3am. Good luck!

ETA: It's mandatory that you love Fl college football...Go 'Noles!

 

[Haley R]

The demographics in the Viera area lean toward over 55, though I have seen an influx of young families recently. They are building some nice apartment/condo complexes near the Avenues. I would also look closer to Melbourne or beyond. Don't recommend Rockledge at all. When I said teachers pay was not great...Brevard is one of the worse counties. Teachers union is in a constant battle with the board. The school board is also located in Viera. Yeah, the launches are great but I could do without the ones they do at 3am. Good luck!

ETA: It's mandatory that you love Fl college football...Go 'Noles!

Yeah I’ve noticed quite a few 55 and older neighborhoods. We’ve been using Zillow and sometimes they don’t say if a house is in one of those neighborhoods so a realtor should help with that. The main reason we’ve been looking so heavily at Viera is because of the ratings on the schools. What don’t you like about Rockledge? Is there an area in Melbourne that’s preferred like west Melbourne? Just trying to get some more options besides Viera.

That’s weird about the teacher pay because the schools have such good ratings. It’s sad to see it going like that. I may just end up subbing then since I don’t necessarily need a full time position.

Haha I wouldn’t like a 3 am launch either.

 

[Haley R]

The demographics in the Viera area lean toward over 55, though I have seen an influx of young families recently. They are building some nice apartment/condo complexes near the Avenues. I would also look closer to Melbourne or beyond. Don't recommend Rockledge at all. When I said teachers pay was not great...Brevard is one of the worse counties. Teachers union is in a constant battle with the board. The school board is also located in Viera. Yeah, the launches are great but I could do without the ones they do at 3am. Good luck!

ETA: It's mandatory that you love Fl college football...Go 'Noles!

Yikes....I looked more at the teacher stuff and it looks...well not great. I’m still going to transfer my license and try subbing. I may hate it but I need to at least try. I will say, I looked at their website and it’s pretty offputting to see them post about subs not getting paid for lunch. I have NEVER heard that being done before. We get paid by the day...not hourly

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Ah okay. Yeah I don't drink alcohol of any kind and if Dh does he barely has any. He knows his limits and never has an issue. I hate being around drunk people. We dealt with that a little at the Blackhawks game, but it wasn't too bad. I had a guy two rows behind us that started yelling at the Jets players which was obnoxious and then after the game we walked behind a guy that could barely walk. We were thinking the same thing about driving out of there with people that might be drunk. We didn't have any issues, but you never know. I just don't understand why people pay so much money just to go and get drunk there. Can't you do that at home and watch the game on tv?

That sounds like a terrible experience! At the Blackhawks game they had a thing on their jumbotron before the game about alerting if people are being rude or aggressive. I've never seen anything like that before. You just do it on your phone and put which section and area you're in and someone comes to check it out. I told Dh they must have problems at the arena if they had to install something like that.

I'm sure Dh will drag me to a football game. Baseball isn't exactly his favorite sport and I'm for sure going to go watch some games so we'll have to take turns.

We've never been on a cruise. It doesn't sound like something I'd enjoy, BUT I would be willing to try one. With us being right by the port I feel like we would have to at least try one. I don't think we would do a Disney cruise. We've watched some vlogs and it just doesn't look that great for the price. I would probably care more about the excursions than the cruise ship itself. Have you been on any cruises that you liked?

We drink, but drinking & driving is a very different situation. We've been to many pro & college games & pro football seems to be the worst for that.

I don't mind funny drunks, as long as they aren't driving. We went to see an Olympics preparation game many years ago in Orlando. Shaquille Oneal's mom was sitting a couple rows in front of us. This was right after he left Orlando to go to the Lakers. Two guys sitting behind us were the funny kind of drunks. Shaq's mom & these guys were hilarious "yelling" back & forth at each other. They were much more entertaining than the game. Attitude is everything.

If you avoid Yankees & Red Sox games against the Rays, you shouldn't have any issues. We eventually stopped going to those games. Their fans were not only obnoxious, cursing & trying to fight Rays fans, they would also fight amongst themselves. (Yankees fans are the worst.) Those were the only games we've ever seen security have to get involved. I recommend going to see the Rays play any other team.

We love cruising, but we have no interest in taking a Disney cruise. I'd rather go to WDW, then cruise on other lines. That may change, if we ever have grandkids, but I doubt it. We prefer Celebrity, because food quality & service are important to us on vacation. We also enjoy Princess cruises, if the itinerary is special. My only Norwegian cruise was horrible, due to the food quality & inferior itinerary. The newer ships are probably better. They have more to do & you have more options for dining. Royal Caribbean's mega ships offer a lot for people who are more active. You may want to try them first, but the newer, mega ships on any line would be worth looking into. I've never been on a Holland America, Carnival or MSC cruise, so I don't have an opinion on those.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

The demographics in the Viera area lean toward over 55, though I have seen an influx of young families recently. They are building some nice apartment/condo complexes near the Avenues. I would also look closer to Melbourne or beyond. Don't recommend Rockledge at all. When I said teachers pay was not great...Brevard is one of the worse counties. Teachers union is in a constant battle with the board. The school board is also located in Viera. Yeah, the launches are great but I could do without the ones they do at 3am. Good luck!

ETA: It's mandatory that you love Fl college football...Go 'Noles!

Don't listen to that nonsense. Go Tar Heels!!!

Yeah I’ve noticed quite a few 55 and older neighborhoods. We’ve been using Zillow and sometimes they don’t say if a house is in one of those neighborhoods so a realtor should help with that. The main reason we’ve been looking so heavily at Viera is because of the ratings on the schools. What don’t you like about Rockledge? Is there an area in Melbourne that’s preferred like west Melbourne? Just trying to get some more options besides Viera.

That’s weird about the teacher pay because the schools have such good ratings. It’s sad to see it going like that. I may just end up subbing then since I don’t necessarily need a full time position.

Haha I wouldn’t like a 3 am launch either.

We could hear the sonic boom, from the shuttles, in Tampa. There's nothing like being woken up in the middle of the night thinking a bomb went off in your neighborhood. I would love to be able to see them launch from my home though.

 

[Haley R]

We drink, but drinking & driving is a very different situation. We've been to many pro & college games & pro football seems to be the worst for that.

I don't mind funny drunks, as long as they aren't driving. We went to see an Olympics preparation game many years ago in Orlando. Shaquille Oneal's mom was sitting a couple rows in front of us. This was right after he left Orlando to go to the Lakers. Two guys sitting behind us were the funny kind of drunks. Shaq's mom & these guys were hilarious "yelling" back & forth at each other. They were much more entertaining than the game. Attitude is everything.

If you avoid Yankees & Red Sox games against the Rays, you shouldn't have any issues. We eventually stopped going to those games. Their fans were not only obnoxious, cursing & trying to fight Rays fans, they would also fight amongst themselves. (Yankees fans are the worst.) Those were the only games we've ever seen security have to get involved. I recommend going to see the Rays play any other team.

We love cruising, but we have no interest in taking a Disney cruise. I'd rather go to WDW, then cruise on other lines. That may change, if we ever have grandkids, but I doubt it. We prefer Celebrity, because food quality & service are important to us on vacation. We also enjoy Princess cruises, if the itinerary is special. My only Norwegian cruise was horrible, due to the food quality & inferior itinerary. The newer ships are probably better. They have more to do & you have more options for dining. Royal Caribbean's mega ships offer a lot for people who are more active. You may want to try them first, but the newer, mega ships on any line would be worth looking into. I've never been on a Holland America, Carnival or MSC cruise, so I don't have an opinion on those.

Drunk people are so annoying. Dh and I play in a band and we encounter drunk people a lot. For some reason a lot of them ask to play my drums. Yeah, like I’m gonna let that happen lol.

I have a feeling we’ll end up trying a cruise if the timing is right

We’re still waiting to hear back from a relocation specialist who can help us. We’ve already picked out about 10 houses that we’d like to come look at.

 

[Darcy03231]

We have friends that lived in Melbourne for several years after moving there from New England. They loved it! Unfortunately he was transferred to Colorado and they had to move. She still misses Melbourne even though they're now closer to family.

 

[Haley R]

We have friends that lived in Melbourne for several years after moving there from New England. They loved it! Unfortunately he was transferred to Colorado and they had to move. She still misses Melbourne even though they're now closer to family.

Thanks that’s good to hear! What did she like about Melbourne?