Daytona Beach question

[jekajekalynn]

We are thinking about spending the first day of our Florida vacation @ Daytona Beach before we get to WDW.

My question is, besides the beach what is there for families to do there? Ohhh.. and we don't give a poopie about cars/racing btw.. lol

TIA!

ETA , could a MOD please move this thread to appropriate forum? For some reason it backspaced back to Disney resort forum and not the Orlando/outside WDW one.

[babygirlamg]

what day of the week are you spending in Daytona...They have an amazing flea market there....huge ....not sure if thats something you would like

[Lynne M]

Moving it now....

[jekajekalynn]

We are planning to be in Daytona just for one day on 2/16.

[travelcoupons]

Go to the Ponce Inlet lighthouse, located in Ponce Inlet...just a few minutes south of Daytona Beach. (Follow Hwy A1A)
There's a coupon on their website for discounted admission: http://ponceinlet.org/

Then, right next door to the Lighthouse is the Marine Science Center. (It's kind of hidden in the trees, but it's there). Very inexpensive to visit & the kids will love it. They rescue sea turtles and nurse them back to health. There's also other marine & land animals there.

http://marinesciencecenter.com/

Photo i took there:


There's also some good mini golf courses right off the beach. I personally like the One in Ormond Beach, but you would pass by the one in Daytona Beach Shores if you went to the lighthouse: http://www.piratesislandgolf.com/

[DSLRuser]

http://www.beachhunter.net/cocoa-beach/shepard-park.htm

Shepard Park is just north of Daytona on cocoa beach. Secure parking, life guards. Just a good clean beach. We have gone here 3 times in the last 6 years. 50 minute drive from disney, so its an easy day trip. pictures in the link.

""This 5 acre ocean front park is named after astronaut Alan Shepard. The park provides restrooms, picnic tables, showers, and a large paved parking lot. Parking fees are in the $7 to $10 dollar range per car. There are also parking meters on nearby streets if you don't want to park in the lot. Wooden boardwalks lead to the beach and a long boardwalk parallels the beach for several hundred yards. The park has low, grass-covered dunes and a beautiful beach. Because this beach is so close to the pier, it is quite a popular access point and can get crowded, especially on the weekends. There are plenty of surfers here, too. ""

[SarahKate]

Daytona isn't a great shelling beach but we enjoyed it there. Pretty cool that we could park ON the beach! There is a fun restaurant right on the beach called Ocean Deck. Is a bar but was kid friendly.

[LovinPooh]

The convenience of parking on the beach is super cool! And for only $5

[lthiesfeld07]

My cousin lives in Ormand-By-The-Sea, which is just north of Daytona Beach. She lives right off of A1A. (Forgive me, I don't know the names of hotels,roads, etc) There is a beach just north of the Ormand-By-The-Sea sign heading north that we go to! It's free parking and a lovely area.
I will be back (hopefully) in January!

[travelcoupons]

Originally Posted by lthiesfeld07

My cousin lives in Ormand-By-The-Sea, which is just north of Daytona Beach. She lives right off of A1A. (Forgive me, I don't know the names of hotels,roads, etc) There is a beach just north of the Ormand-By-The-Sea sign heading north that we go to! It's free parking and a lovely area.
I will be back (hopefully) in January!

Sounds like Tom Renick Park, that's where I go too.

[loveysbydesign]

Originally Posted by travelcoupons

Sounds like Tom Renick Park, that's where I go too.

This looks lovely!

In june we were planning to stop at daytona and let the kids boogie board for 2 hours before we drive the rest of the wat y to Kissimmmee. But if this beach is nicer and more convenient maybe we;ll go there instead! How far of a drive is it from I95?

[megthewonderful]

Originally Posted by travelcoupons

Go to the Ponce Inlet lighthouse, located in Ponce Inlet...just a few minutes south of Daytona Beach. (Follow Hwy A1A)
There's a coupon on their website for discounted admission: http://ponceinlet.org/

Then, right next door to the Lighthouse is the Marine Science Center. (It's kind of hidden in the trees, but it's there). Very inexpensive to visit & the kids will love it. They rescue sea turtles and nurse them back to health. There's also other marine & land animals there.

http://marinesciencecenter.com/

Photo i took there:


There's also some good mini golf courses right off the beach. I personally like the One in Ormond Beach, but you would pass by the one in Daytona Beach Shores if you went to the lighthouse: http://www.piratesislandgolf.com/

I second the idea of the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse and the Marine Science Center. We did this last summer and my kids loved it! They are 9, 8 and 5 for reference.