A resident thinks Melbourne is a family friendly place that balances small town feel with city convenience. (Reddit)
Outdoor life in the area centers on coastal sanctuaries and nature trails along the barrier island and mainland. (Reddit)
Local schools mentioned by parents, including DeLaura Middle and Satellite High, receive favorable reports. (Reddit, Reddit)
Nightlife in Melbourne is concentrated around downtown Melbourne's bars and brewery district. (Reddit)
“a good medium between big city” (a resident)
Who tends to love Melbourne, FL
Foodies and coffee fans: Many residents praise local coffee, Malaysian, Italian, Mediterranean and ice cream spots across the city.
Social and hobby seekers: People find friends through sports clubs, social clubs, gaming groups, and niche hangouts.
Event and nightlife seekers downtown: Downtown and Eau Gallie offer bars, restaurants, festivals and live music close to work.
General impressions
A current resident thinks Melbourne is a good medium between a big city and small town for raising a family. I think it is a good place for someone to raise a family.(Reddit)
One resident described Melbourne as a place to work and raise a family rather than a tourist or nightlife destination. not a strong tourist area (that's good) but also not a ton of nightlife(Reddit)
Outdoors and trails
One resident described Maritime Hammock Sanctuary in Melbourne Beach as gorgeous. Maritime Hammock Sanctuary in Melbourne Beach is gorgeous.(Reddit)
One resident said downtown Melbourne is bigger and busier to walk around than Eau Gallie, with more to do Downtown Melbourne is a lot bigger and busier though than Eau Gallie and has more to do(Reddit)
Food and coffee
One commenter called Anaya the best coffee in Melbourne. Anaya is honestly the best coffee in Melbourne.(Reddit)
One resident says Wok Hei in Avondale Heights is one of the best Malaysian food places in Melbourne and suggests ordering dishes rather than individual meals. One of the best Malaysian food places in melbourne(Reddit)
One resident says Mustard's in downtown Melbourne is great for food and people watching and Hemingway's on Hibiscus is a must try. Mustard's in downtown Melbourne is great for food and people watching(Reddit)
One resident recommends Amici's and Manny's for good Italian food in Melbourne, Sinbad's for quick Mediterranean in Merritt Island, and Del's Ice Cream as an institution. Amici's and Manny's, both in Melbourne good Italian(Reddit)
Family and schools
One resident whose kids attended DeLaura Middle and Satellite High described both schools as great. Our kids went to DeLaura MS & Satellite HS, and both were great.(Reddit)
One Melbourne Beach resident finds the hot summers more tolerable than dealing with snow elsewhere. Summer is hot obviously, but I'd take it over snow(Reddit)
One resident recommended Melbourne Kids Village, Brevard Zoo, and Wickham Park as kid friendly spots. Melbourne Kids Village is great for that age. Brevard Zoo for sure. Wickham Park(Reddit)
Making friends
One resident said a social club group exists for meeting people and finding events and hobbies around the area. Meet people, find plans, events and social groups around Melbourne and Victoria(Reddit)
One resident said most friends come from niche spots like gyms, kava bars, early morning walks, book clubs, and a tabletop game store. Most friends are going to be niche finds: gyms, Kava bars, early morning walks, book clubs(Reddit)
One resident said community sport is excellent for making friends and building relationships, especially traveling to competitions to see other clubs. Community sport is A+ for making friends and building relationships(Reddit)
One resident suggested doing group activities and trying new things, like attending nerd events such as DnD groups. Go do things you like, group activity stuff. Go try new things(Reddit)
Events and festivals
One resident says there is a lot happening in Melbourne right now including RISING, pop-ups, and live music across the city. There's a lot happening around Melbourne right now with RISING, pop-ups, live music(Reddit)
Getting around
One resident believes anyone driving alone in a car is contributing to traffic and should use public transport or biking if possible. Every person in a car is traffic. If you have the means/ability to do something else(Reddit)
One resident feels that commutes longer than 40 minutes to work harm mental health, citing a recent hour long commute each way. think your mental health drops off a cliff at more than a 40 minute drive to work(Reddit)
One resident shared that getting around by bike is easy if you live in the inner suburbs or CBD. it's much less and really easy with a bike. You can be in the bush or(Reddit)
Dating
One resident says the online dating scene in Melbourne is really good and prefers it The online dating scene in Melbourne is really good. I prefer(Reddit)
One resident suggested meeting people through meetups, local shows, comedy shows, and art galleries, especially ones geared toward 20s or 30s age groups. Meetups, local shows, comedy shows, art galleries, etc. Especially if you look at it just for 20s, or 30s(Reddit)
Through the year
Winter: The cooler season in east central Florida sees much less frequent rainfall compared to summer months.
What Melbourne, FL is known for
Melbourne Art Festival (April): Art festival with artists from around the country in Wickham Park
Downtown Melbourne Food & Wine Festival: Tasting event with restaurants, wine, and craft beer downtown
More on Melbourne, FL
The full Varro guide adds rent and home prices, local taxes, schools, healthcare, getting around, weather by month, and a quiz that shows how Melbourne, FL fits what you want.