Vacation Stay-Cation at the Driftwood Inn and Resort Dedicated to preservation, Waldo’s carefree spirit and eclectic collection of artifacts are still what the Driftwood resort is all about. There are a variety of room types including 1 & 2 bedroom villas with full or partial kitchens, oceanfront suites, studio suites, even a few hotel rooms, with suite rates beginning at $130.00 a night. 1937 a second wing was added which brought the capacity to 14 rooms. After WW2, tourism became big business, and in 1947 Waldo acquired an additional 100 feet of property to the north. $500 bought all the War Surplus cottages at the Army Demolition Camp, and they were moved the four miles to the north edge of the property and finished with cypress paneling and oak flooring. With additional rooms to rent, the existing dining room was inadequate. A new twostory structure was built to house the dining room and four guest rooms on the second floor. The entrance to the new dining area, now the home of Waldo’s restaurant, brought visitors through massive wooden doors with tile inlay. Three immense “outrigger” timbers support the 2nd-floor porches. Guests dined family style at a 25 ft. long solid mahogany table. Waldo’s eccentric tastes are seen all over the Driftwood property with additional buildings built from old barn wood, demolished houses and anywhere he could salvage wood. He collected oddities from around the world and furnished the rooms with chairs from presidents, bishops, and swindlers. He loved bells and couldn’t pass one up when he saw one at auction. There was really no rhyme or reason to his collection. He just loved finding treasure in someone else’s junk. The Sexton family sold the property to timeshare developers in 1979. They took great pride in maintaining the charm and character of the original Driftwood and it remains the gem of Vero Beach. The Driftwood Inn was named to the Registry of Historic Places in 1994.
Volume 23 • Issue 3
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