Daytona Beach Holiday

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Daytona Beach © Visit Florida

Overview: The ocean-front metropolitan area in central east Florida stretching 23 miles (37km) along white sand beaches south from Ormond Beach is known as Daytona Beach, America's favourite family beach holiday destination. Greater Daytona encompasses the towns of Holly Hill, South Daytona, Port Orange, Ponce Inlet, Daytona Beach Shores and all of Volusia and Flagler Counties, all of which are dedicated to making the area an unequalled vacationers paradise. Without moving from the sands at Daytona Beach you can surf, jet ski, go boating, parasailing, feast on hot dogs and cotton candy, go fishing, bicycling, fly a kite and even take a drive in a hired beach buggy. Daytona's hard-packed sands have provided fun for speedsters ever since the early years of the 20th century when daredevils like Sir Malcolm Campbell set and broke records on the beach. Today beach-cruising is still permitted along an 18-mile (29km) section of the beach during daylight, but the speed limit is a strict 10 miles per hour (16km/h): speeding is reserved for the world-famous Daytona International Speedway where the annual Daytona 500 Nascar race is held. With so much to do on the beach, it is difficult to find time to move off it, but those who do are greeted with numerous recreational facilities and attractions in the string of towns along the intracoastal waterway and on the mainland. From archaeological sites to mini-golf, museums to haunted houses, and planetariums to chocolate factories there is never a dull moment in Daytona Beach. Best of all, Daytona Beach is within easy day-trip distance of Orlando with its thrilling Walt Disney World, Sea World, Universal Studios and Epcot Center, to name only a few of the city's world-famous attractions. Also just an hour's drive away is the Kennedy Space Center. Little wonder that this versatile vacation hub receives an estimated eight million visitors a year.

Shopping: Daytona Beach's main mall, the Volusia Mall, is opposite the International Speedway track on U.S. 92 and contains several major department stores along with 100 speciality shops and a food court, all open seven days a week. In downtown Daytona's historic district is the Riverfront Marketplace, good for browsing among the many antique stores and boutiques. Daytona is a popular spot for bikers to gather, and thus along Main Street there are some good deals to be had on motorcycle accessories and leatherwear. A favourite with bike fans is the huge Harley-Davidson store at the north end of Beach Street. Bargain hunters enjoy the Daytona Flea and Farmer's Market with 16 hectares (40 acres) of booths selling fresh produce, collectables, jewellery and clothing. The market, off Tomoka Farms Road, is open every weekend Friday to Sunday. Along the beachside boardwalk there are numerous stores and vendors selling souvenirs, T-shirts, swimwear and sun-cream: in fact anything the well-equipped beach-goer requires.

Restaurants: The Daytona resort area is extremely well supplied with restaurants of varying standards serving a wide variety of food, from sloppy fries to fancy French fare. For a ‘top of the world’ dining experience many visitors are drawn to the Top of Daytona restaurant on the 29th floor in South Atlantic Avenue. Here the American and Continental specialities are served up with a breathtaking view of the coastline. Another favourite with visitors because of its picturesque setting and unpretentious ‘old Florida’ atmosphere (meals are served on tin plates) is Aunt Catfish’s on the River, in Halifax Drive, Port Orange. This establishment specialises in fresh seafood and ribs. Motorsport fans favour the Cruisin’ Café Bar and Grill in Atlantic Boulevard, which is not only a restaurant but a museum as well, exhibiting more than a million dollars’ worth of original racing memorabilia. The menu includes burgers, wings, steaks, seafood, soups and salads.

Nightlife: From Blues bars to funky dance clubs, Daytona Beach has it all in good measure when the bright lights come on along Main Street and Seabreeze Boulevard. Being a favourite destination for leather-clad bikers, particularly during the annual 'Bike Week', and a hot spot for college students during Spring Break, the area has hundreds of bars, some offering topless shows and live music. A favourite beachfront hangout for more than 40 years is the Ocean Deck Restaurant and Beach Club where locals and tourists of all ages gather and live bands play after 9.30pm. The historic Riverfront Marketplace also has some good venues, like Martinis on the Bay. Sport's Bars are a hot favourite, like the Oyster Pub in Daytona Beach and Houligan's Irish Sports Pub in Ormond Beach.

Activities: Daytona's 23 miles (37km) of gently shelving Atlantic beaches with their fine-grain white sand provide hours of fun in the sun for visitors, even during the winter months. All are lined with hire vendors providing equipment for a myriad of water and beach sports, from surfboards to fishing tackle. Beachfront parks provide softball and volleyball courts, playgrounds and picnic areas. Between May and October visitors are delighted when the area beaches play host to sea turtles that come ashore at night to lay eggs in nests dug into the sand. The most popular attraction in Daytona is the International Speedway, which hosts exciting events throughout the year. There are numerous other associated motorsports attractions, including simulators, go-karting, video arcades and museums, in the area. History buffs can visit a variety of places of interest like the home of John D Rockefeller, the ruins of the first steam-powered sugar mill in Florida, or the downtown Halifax Historic Museum. The possibilities for excursions are almost endless, with central Florida's renowned theme parks at Orlando just over an hour's drive away.

Negatives: To enjoy a holiday at Daytona Beach requires a great deal of energy if you are determined to see and do all that is available. The beaches do become crowded during peak periods, and it is preferable to stay away during major events like Speed Week, the Daytona 500 Nascar race in February, Bike Week during March and the Pepsi 400 in July unless you specifically want to be involved in these. Spring Break also draws thousands of young students to the area. Public transport is somewhat lacking, and visitors planning to make the most of their holiday require a hire car.

Attractions

Kennedy Space Centre

The John F. Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral, 46 miles (74km) southeast of Orlando on Florida’s east coast, is one place in this fantasyland state where fact is just as entertaining as fancy. Visitors to the centre follow the story of NASA’s exploration... see full details

Sea World

Spread out between the Disney parks at Lake Buena Vista and the downtown Orlando area is the renowned Sea World attraction, which has been making a major splash in central Florida for more than a quarter of a century. The park, owned and... see full details

Universal Studios

Experienced theme parkers recommend that it takes at least two days to fully appreciate all the delights on offer at the Universal Orlando entertainment complex, which includes two theme parks: the Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios. The movie-themed park with its thrilling, innovative... see full details

Walt Disney World

Orlando's most familiar landmark is undoubtedly the turreted Cinderella Castle that stands in the centre of the original Disney Florida theme park, the Magic Kingdom, at Lake Buena Vista. The park was opened in 1971 and has been making childhood fantasies come true ever... see full details

Wet ‘n Wild

One of Orlando’s numerous water parks, Wet ‘n Wild has the distinction of being the most popular water attraction in the area and also the world’s first amusement park devoted solely to water flumes, pools and slides. The park was designed by George Millay,... see full details

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