Beach Day/Waves/Shells/Dolphins/Nascar

[crazyfordisney2000]

We will have a free day to do something other than the parks. We were initially thinking Discovery Cove, but for our family of 4 its just too costly for this trip. I would love some suggestions. We will have a rental car, and are willing to drive. My daughter really wants to see the ocean and she wants to pick shells, they love dolphins and waves and my son loves Nascar. They are 16 and 18 years old. TIA

 

[hrhdhd]

Well, you can tour Daytona Motor Speedway, but the best beaches are on the west coast, so you'll have to pick what's more important.

 

[JaxDad]

I love waves, so the east coast beaches are better for me. However, the west coast does have better shells. Both coasts have dolphins, but I’ve seen many more on the east coast. (Of course I’m usually surfing on the east coast and just hanging out on the west.) And obviously, Daytona is the capital of NASCAR.

I’d recommend driving to the speedway. There’s a Motorsport Hall of Fame your son might enjoy. Just being at the speedway is cool for fans. From there drive straight to the beach. It will be crowded but fun right in Daytona (obviously less crowded on a weekday), but you can drive north or south on A1A for quieter areas. I’m not super familiar with those areas so don’t have specific recommendations. Your daughter can try her luck among the generally crushed shell line, but might want a stop at a souvenir store to bring home a nicer shell specimen. You could reverse beach and speedway to maybe better beat any crowds.

 

[prairiesarah]

Definitely a bit of a trek (2.5 hours-ish) but I highly recommend Stump Pass State Park (gulf coast). You can walk to the south point of the park then back along the beach. The water was beautiful and shells and shark teeth everywhere. We actually lucked out and saw dolphins the day we were there. A neat stop (depending on time of year) on the the way there is the Manatee Viewing Centre in Apollo Beach just south of Tampa (and not too far off the interstate).