The beach boardwalk, located right on the Atlantic ocean is a great place to stroll and relax taking in all the sights and sounds. Enjoy old-fashioned fun with the shops and arcades. Or enjoy the historic fishing pier stretching roughly 1000 feet into the Atlantic Ocean. Open daily from 6am-10pm.

Crabby Joe’s Deck and Grill on the pier is a great place to grab a bite with a spectacular view. The best view of the beach and area is the 180 foot Space Needle observation tower, located at the entrance to the pier. When you get to the top, it revolves giving you a 360 degree view. Nice. Or enjoy the skylift that takes you out to the tip of the pier.

There are also lots of little shops on the boardwalk, with great t-shirts, souvenirs, etc. The sights and sounds on the boardwalk, plus the ocean surf, make for a great experience for sure. You will have a lot of fun being in Daytona Beach. It is just an excellent place to vacation.

Daytona Beach was founded in 1870. The area was once inhabited by Timucuan Indians. In 1886 the railroad arrived here. Daytona Beach is in Volusia County, and is the principal city in the “Fun Coast” region of the Florida. In the 1920′s, Daytona Beach called itself “The World’s Most Famous Beach”. The city is historically known as having hard packed sand that has allowed cars for decades to drive up and down the beach. In 1902, car and motorcycles began racing on the beach. The first stock car race was held on the beach in 1936.

 The Kress Building is another interesting place to see (above photo). Located at 140 south beach street, it was built in 1932 for the S.H. Kress Company. This is a beautiful art deco building. Kress operated “five and dime” stores in the U.S. from 1896-1981, and was a very popular retail chain even before Walmart was thought of.

This is also the home of NASCAR Headquarters. There are many annual auto racing events here with the most famous being the Daytona 500. Bike Week started here back in 1937, and has been a yearly event ever since. Also there is Biketoberfest, another yearly event. Hawaiian Tropic headquarters are just next door south in Ormond Beach. Daytona Beach is full of history and sites that you will definitely enjoy.

Daytona Beach has lots of interesting places to see. Probably the best and most popular is Ponce Inlet, which has a historical lighthouse that was built in 1887. The lighthouse tower and museum are located about 10-12 miles south of Daytona Beach on A1A. Ponce Inlet also has a park, marina, nature trail, and fishing from the jetty’s. A really beautiful place. There are also many historical sites are in Daytona Beach and the surrounding areas.

They include the Bulow Plantation Ruins Historical State Park where you can picnic, canoe, explore nature trails, and see the ruins of the plantation. Dummett Sugar Mill Ruins is another site. This was once a working sugar mill starting around 1777. Eventually due to the Seminole War, the current owners at the time, the Dummett family, abandoned the operations and land in 1836. Today you can see the ruins of part of the sugar mill. Tomaka Indian Ruins is another place to visit. Now a state park, you can relax and enjoy fishing, boating, nature trails, and bird watching. At Freemanville Historical Site, there is a house and church built in 1911. And there are many others. Great places to visit and learn interesting history are all around Daytona Beach.

Daytona Beach offers many places to shop no matter what your taste is. Ocean Walk Shoppes (pictured above) is a favorite of many. Located at 250 North Atlantic Avenue. Here you have movie theatres, Bubba Gump’s, surf shops, plus many others. Don’t miss stopping here. Also air brushed t-shirts are very big here. And they are up and down Atlantic Avenue. A popular one is Alex Airbrush, located at 501 Vermont Avenue. Also souvenir shops are very popular all along Atlantic Avenue and the Boardwalk area.

Another great place to shop is Volusia Mall located at 1700 International Speedway Boulevard. With over 125 stores, there is certainly something for everyone here. Also Sunshine Park Mall located at 2400 South Ridgewood Avenue is a nice stop.  With over 44 retailers including supermarkets, restaurants, and various retail stores, there’s plenty for everyone, no matter what you’re looking for. Another great place is Bellair Plaza Shopping Center located at 2425 North Atlantic Avenue, which has a wide variety of retailers. A great place to stop at also. Shopping is indeed a great way to relax and finish your day.

There are many great places to stay in Daytona Beach. Most prefer the oceanside for a spectacular view. Myself included. But if you want to stay at the top rated places as reviewed by travelers such as yourself, in Daytona Beach, or anywhere else in the world, go to Trip Advisor. I have been using this site for years, and have never been disappointed anywhere I stayed. I highly recommend using Trip Advisor.

According to Trip Advisor reviewers, the number one place is Hampton Inn Daytona Shores Oceanfront ( rated #1 out of 110) located at 3135 South Atlantic Avenue. Number two is Bahama House (rated #3 out of 110) located at 2001 South Atlantic Avenue. Number three is Best Western Aku Tiki (rated #4 out of 110) located at 2225 South Atlantic Avenue. Number four is Sun Viking Lodge  (rated #7 out of 110) located at 2411 South Atlantic Avenue.

Daytona Beach is a really great place to visit. I hope you have enjoyed my little blog. I’m more about accurate information rather than creative writing talent, but hey, we do what we can. All the best.