Daytona Beach - A Family Friendly Destination

Daytona Beach


Daytona Beach is a perfect family-friendly vacation destination, featuring sandy beaches stretching for more than 20 miles. This beach holds claim to the "World's Most Famous Beach" and is devoted to the normal seaside pleasures with glitter of a fun resort. Daytona Beach is the perfect location to escape from the stresses of everyday life. You will find numerous activities for everyone in your family to keep you occupied so you will never be bored while you are soaking up some rays and taking in the breathtaking vistas of this paradise setting.

Daytona Beach has numerous attractions, but it all starts along the beach. At low tide the hard packed surface invites cycling, jogging, fishing, and vehicle traffic is permitted on 11 of the 23-mile long beach area with a posted 10 mph speed limit. At times the beach can reach up to 500 feet wide at low tide, which makes it appealing to beach goers to play a game of beach volleyball or practice sand-surf skimming at the edge of the waves. Take a ride on the Sky Lift to the end of the Daytona Pier or enjoy the view from the top of the 180-foot space needle on the beach at the end of Main Street. To get a great view of beach life try parasailing and for a real adrenaline rush try the Daytona Slingshot which launches riders 300 feet in the air at about 100 mph. For a more traditional beach experience consider fishing at the Pier.

The best time to travel to Daytona Beach depends on what you value most. If you prefer fewer visitors, but still great weather then consider visiting April to May and September to November. You will also find better accommodation value. If you want to be in with the crowd the peak period is May to September. The accommodation prices will be at their peak and this is also the rainy season, but typically showers will only marginally affect vacations. The off-peak period is December to April. Hotel and motel rates will be at their lowest, but the weather will be colder.

Some of the more popular attractions at Daytona Beach are:

Daytona International Speedway - Regularly hosts major racing events that begin in February with the Daytona 500, in March with Bike Week, July with the Coke Zero 400 and Biketoberfest.

Daytona 500 Experience - This multi-faceted attraction takes you on a journey through racing history including the current Daytona 500 winning car in the exact condition when it crossed the finish line! Battle for victory in stock car motion simulators in Acceleration Alley, experience the ultimate race with the NASCAR 3D movie, the IMAX Experience, get a first hand look at the 31-degree, high banked turns aboard the speedway tram tour and check out the latest NASCAR clothing and collectibles and video game arcade. Open 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. daily.

Haunts of the World's Most Famous Beach Ghost Tours - An entertaining journey blending history, scientific data and haunting tales. Tours are available seven nights a week starting at 7:30 pm. and leave from northwest corner of Main Street and Peninsula Drive. Call for reservations

Daytona Beach River Cruise - Provides sightseeing tours on Daytona's beautiful Halifax River with frequent sightings of dolphins and manatees.

Angell & Phelps Chocolate Factory - This fascinating chocolate factory is known for high quality, handmade chocolates made fresh every day. Take a free, guided 30-minute tour through the chocolate-making process and learn what makes their chocolate creations so good! Tours begin at 10: a.m. - 11 a.m. 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Closed Sunday.

Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse - The tallest lighthouse in Florida and the second tallest lighthouse in the United States, this National Historic Landmark lighthouse features magnificent views of the Florida coastline from the 175 foot lighthouse tower. A lighthouse museum is also on site that features exhibits on lighthouse life, Daytona Beach and Florida history, lighthouses, shipwrecks, and much more.

And, still there is much more to see and do including several miniature golf courses, helicopter rides, Adventure Landing Water Park, go carts, shopping, golf courses and much more.