10 things you may not know about Palm Bay

This is the seventh part of a series dedicated to highlighting the many interesting facts found in cities across the Space Coast. Part 1: 10 things you probably don't know about the Space Coast can be found here. Part 2: Titusville, can be found here. Part 3: Merritt Island can be found here. Part 4: Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral can be found here. Part 5: Cocoa and Rockledge can be found here. Part 6: Melbourne and Eau Gallie can be found here. 

With more than 103,000 residents, Palm Bay is without question Brevard's largest, most-populated city. 

But everybody knows that, right?

And surely if they don't know that, then they know that Palm Bay doesn't have a downtown, the city is laid out in the shape of lumpy doughnut and its crown jewel is a Bass Pro Shop. 

More:10 things you may not know about Melbourne, Eau Gallie

But there's so much more to this sprawling town than housing developments and restaurant chains. Dig deeper into Palm Bay, and there's much to discover. Think you know Palm Bay? Let's put that knowledge to the test. 

Here are 10 things you may not know about Palm Bay. 

1. There once was a restaurant with *live* menus

Perhaps one of the most unique restaurants that ever existed on the Space Coast was Dennis' Truck Stop Rest' Ront. The eatery, which sat along U.S. 1 in Palm Bay during the 80s, was known for its interesting menu presentation. Forget laminated paper, this place featured handwritten specials all over bikini-clad women known as "live menu girls," according to a FLORIDA TODAY report at the time. 

It's true. The truck stop was known for serving meals with a view. 

The women were hired not just for their looks, said owner Dennis LeClerc, but for their personalities (allegedly). 

The entire thing was, admittedly by LeClerc, a gimmick to revive business at the truck stop, which took a hit when I-95 became the main thoroughfare for motorists. The gimmick worked, at least temporarily. The restaurant was featured on the NBC show "Real People," and business was boosted 40 percent, according to the report. 

"We have a lot of church people in this area, and we don't want anybody to get offended," LeClerc told FLORIDA TODAY. "We want to keep it clean here. The girls are wearing bikinis, just what you'll see at the beach." 

Before it was the Rest'Ront, it was Cox's Truck Stop, which may be a more memorable name to old-timers. The truck stop has since been razed. 

More:10 things you may not know about Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral

2. The band Poison has a link here

Every rose has its thorn, but for Palm Bay it's certainly not Bobby Dall. The famous bassist for the 80s hair band Poison calls this south Brevard city his childhood home. Dall lived here from age 9 to 17. He dropped out of high school at 15, so you probably won't find him in old prom photos, and of course, the rest is history. 

Dall even moved back to Brevard in the 90s while his band mates stayed in Los Angeles. He lives in Melbourne Beach, according to a report from the Orlando Sentinel. 

"This is where my roots are," he told the Orlando Sentinel. "I can find peace and serenity within myself by relaxing on the water.''

More:10 things you may not know about Cocoa and Rockledge

3. There's a Disney-themed mansion

If an annual pass isn't enough to curb that Disney obsession, why not just bring the "Most Magical Place on Earth" home? That's what one Palm Bay family decided to do when they designed their home off of Hield Road. The massive house is Disney-themed, complete with a Mickey Mouse entry gate, Mickey Mouse-shaped pool and pond, wall murals of Disney characters and Disney-inspired stained glass windows. 

The only thing missing is an "It's a Small World"-themed moat around the house and an exorbitant entry fee. They can add those during the next reno. 

It is important to note, however, that the house came this way, the current owners told FLORIDA TODAY in 2015. It was the previous owners who had a fascination with Disney. 

The home was built in 1999 and has five bedrooms and six baths, a fountain, fireplace, gazebo, a detached recreation room, a detached suite and not one, not two, but three separate kitchens. It sits on more than 8 acres. The 5,100 square-foot home's market value is about $705,000, according to the Brevard County Property Appraiser. 

4. Brevard's special "sunset spot" 

While most places in Brevard provide spectacular views of colorful sunrises and sunsets, perhaps the best place to catch a romantic sunset spot on the Space Coast is in Palm Bay, locals say. 

Visit areas lining Emerson Road and Heritage Parkway and prepare for a gorgeous view of a sprawling sunset that often attracts spectators. The wide open westward view, provides great photo opportunities and a peaceful setting for those on the east coast who want that coveted west-coast Florida view. 

More:10 things you probably don't know about Titusville

5. It was one of the 2008 "booziest" cities

Move over Las Vegas and New Orleans because it turns out little ol' Palm Bay can out-drink even the big-boys of party towns. At least that's according to a study published by U.S. News and World Report. The ranking, released in 2008, listed the Palm Bay area as the No. 2 "booziest" city in the country. It states about 9.1 percent of the population drinks heavily. It was second only to Reno, Nevada. 

However, the article does not state where it got its figures.

One can only assume that the 9.1 percent is congregated at The Compound. 

Since then, a few similar reports have come out and Palm Bay didn't make those lists. 

6. There's a hidden vineyard

While we're on the subject of booze, for those who enjoy a rich, homemade wine or perhaps a bundle of Space Coast-grown grapes, look no further than the River House Vineyard. It is the only vineyard in Brevard County and is nestled along Hield Road in Palm Bay. 

It is a small, but mighty one-acre vineyard that features more than 150 vines that should be ripe for the picking in August. The vineyard does not sell wine, as it does not have a license to do so, but is a u-pick grape business. However, owner Bob Parker will help interested patrons make their own wine upon request. 

"We do a wine-making class, where we go out and pick the grapes, crush them and get them started," said Parker, who runs the vineyard with his wife, Ruth Anne. "A week later, (patrons) come back and we transfer them back into a glass container and then let it ferment for several weeks."

Wine is then clarified and bottled. 

"It’s a lot of fun and you wind up with about 24 bottles of really nice Muscadine wine," he said. 

Grape picking is for all ages, and the vineyard will be open for u-pick starting August 4 from 8 a.m. "until dark."  Grape varieties include Noble, Carlos, Fry (the best for eating) and several other Higgins Muscadine-types, said Parker. 

The vineyard also features a small, historic home that can be rented for events and small weddings. The structure was moved from Cocoa Village to where it sits today. Visit the vineyard's Facebook for more information at Facebook.com/RiverhouseVineyard.

7. There once was a giant coffee pot building

The old truck stop wasn't the only conversation starter in town, there was also once a giant coffee pot that brought a lot of attention to Palm Bay. 

Sisson's Coffee Pot, which sat along the east side of U.S. 1 in Palm Bay, was a giant coffee-pot structure where donuts, light lunches and ice cream were served to guests in the 1940s. 

The structure was built by Harry Sisson, who claimed to be the "world's smallest World War II veteran," according to Florida Historical Society records. Sisson was 5 feet tall. 

Sisson's Coffee Pot was marketed as the midway point between Jacksonville and Miami. 

Sisson, who was a piano tuner by trade, ended up closing the restaurant due to "shoplifting and vandalism," records state. However, the building remained until the 1980s, when it was torn down. Sisson died in 1993 at age 101. 

8. There really is a bay in Palm Bay 

It turns out that when the city changed its name from Tillman to Palm Bay, it wasn't just because "Palm Bay" sounded nice. There really is a bay in Palm Bay, the Florida Geological Survey confirms. Although it's not a landmark like it is in places such as Tampa or San Francisco, it's a bay nonetheless. 

Visit the area where Turkey Creek meets the Indian River Lagoon, and boom, you've found Palm Bay. Zoom in on Google Maps and it will even label it as so. The bay got its name from a time when sabal palms lined the banks of the water. 

According to the Brevard County history book "Crossroad Towns Remembered," part of the bay was filled in during the expansion of U.S. 1.

9. A Backstreet Boy had a foundation here

Howard "Howie D" Dorough is an internationally-known superstar member of The Backstreet Boys, but in Palm Bay (and nationwide) his namesake headlined a very important cause: The Dorough Lupus Foundation. 

Dorough's sister, Caroline Dorough, passed away from the disease in 1998. Lupus is an autoimmune disease that can cause inflammation and damage to the skin, joints and organs. It can also be deadly. 

Wanting to make a difference and bring attention to the life-altering sickness, Dorough founded the organization. The Dorough Lupus Foundation also provided financial support to those with the disease.

It was advertised on the foundation's Facebook page as being headquartered at a home on San Matio Street in Palm Bay. Brevard County Property Appraiser records show the home is owned by another one of Dorough's sisters, Angie. 

“I wanted to raise awareness about lupus and spare another family from experiencing what ours did," Dorough said in a Celebrity Health Minute report. 

Records show the organization was active up to a few years ago, but phone numbers and websites associated with the foundation are no longer functioning and FLORIDA TODAY was not able to confirm if it's in operation. 

Dorough resides in Indian Harbour Beach, according to a report from FLORIDA TODAY, and has quite a portfolio of commercial developments in Brevard County. 

More:10 things you probably don't know about the Space Coast

10. Brevard County's only major mass shooting happened here

Every city in Brevard has its own dark piece of history, and for Palm Bay, it's a mass shooting that made national headlines in 1987. Six people were killed, and another 14 were injured after William Cruse went on a shooting rampage first at an intersection, then at a local Publix and then again at a Winn-Dixie. Two of the six victims killed were police officers. 

It's regarded as the most significant mass shooting that has ever happened in Brevard County, confirmed Tod Goodyear, spokesman for the Brevard County Sheriff's Office. 
The shooting was described as a "suburban nightmare," by the L.A. Times. 

"William Cruse had clearly snapped and was intent on killing anybody who crossed his path," said FLORIDA TODAY news columnist John Torres, who has covered the case and exchanged letters with Cruse. "His rampage included college students, grocery shoppers and two police officers. He took a hostage after his carnage was slowed by a citizen who engaged him in a shootout and surrendered hours later after SWAT teams surrounded him."

Cruse died in prison of natural causes in 2009. 

Contact trends reporter and columnist Jessica Saggio at Jsaggio@floridatoday.com, 321-242-3664 or follow her on Twitter @JessicaJSaggio.