Daytona Beach: A Classic Florida Beach

by Outdoor Fam Fun | May 20, 2021 | Florida, Water

Daytona Beach has miles of pristine beaches lined with hotels and tourist attractions. This classic beach features bigger waves and firmer sand than Florida’s Gulf Coast beaches, making it a perfect beach for sand castle building and boogie boarding. It is one of the few beaches in Florida that you can still park your car on.

KID RATINGS

Fun: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (out of 5)
Difficulty: VERY EASY Easy Moderate Hard Very Hard

KEY FEATURES

Time Needed: One hour to all day
When to Go: Anytime of the year

COST

Free to $10 depending on where you park

AMENITIES

Bathrooms at Sun Splash Park or public bathrooms near drive ramps to beach at Granada Blvd. (SR 40) and Cardinal Drive.
Many ocean-side restaurants and hotels
Hotels and home rentals throughout Daytona Beach City

THINGS TO BRING

Water, snacks
Sunscreen
Beach toys, tent, chairs if desired
Boogey boards, skim boards, floaties, etc.
Frisbee, football, etc.

DETAILS

Daytona beach is my favorite Florida Atlantic Coast Beach. I feel like sometimes it has a reputation of a scandalous spring break party beach. However, I visited Daytona Beach at several different times of the year, even spring break, and never saw this. It is a great way to experience Florida’s East Coast with your family.

Daytona Beach in January

When compared to Florida’s Gulf Coast Beaches, Daytona Beach has firmer, darker sand and bigger waves. The firm sand allows for great sand castle building, biking and a game of Frisbee. We loved playing in the bigger waves and brought our boogie boards with each visit. This is a beach where surfing is available. Boogie boards and surf boards are available at several surf shops along the beach.

Daytona Beach is lined with hotels, restaurants, a boardwalk, piers and a small amusement park. Definitely a fun place to take a beach-side stroll.

My husband and his brothers drove early one morning to watch the sunrise at Daytona Beach. So beautiful! There are many hotels along the beach with gorgeous sunrise views for reasonable prices.

Skutumpah Road overlooking Grand Staircase Escalante

We ate dinner at the Cruisin Café where you get to eat in a real race car. The kids absolutely loved it!

Where to Park

You can either pay $10 to drive right on the beach or park in a nearby parking lot. Parking right on the beach was fun and it was nice to have access to our vehicle so close. We often times parked at Sun Splash Park right off the beach because it was free. The kids also loved playing at the playground here and I liked being close to bathrooms. There were also water spouts to wash the sand off your legs and feet here. I hate driving home with sand all over my legs!

Daytona International Speedway

A must while visiting Daytona Beach is to visit or drive by the Daytona International Speedway. It is huge! I was in shock. Paid tours are available to see the inside.

PROS & CONS

PROS

Classic tourist beach atmosphere
Drive and park right on beach
Nearby amenities
Waves large enough for boogy boarding and surfing
Many other activities nearby

CONS

Water isn’t clear due to waves
Not a lot of shelling opportunities
Can become crowded on weekends

DIRECTIONS

Daytona Beach is on Florida’s Atlantic coast, north of Orlando. We parked for free at the Sun Splash Park located 611 S Atlantic Ave, Daytona Beach, FL 32118. You can also take a car ramp a block north of the Sun Splash Park and drive right on to the beach.

MAPS

Map to free parking at Daytona Beach at Sun Splash Park.

MORE INFO

Daytona Beach

OTHER NEARBY ADVENTURES

ABOUT

Hi, I’m Corrine! I’m an outdoor enthusiast and mother of four.

My goal is to inspire you to get outside and create your own amazing memories as a family. Life is precious and there are too many adventures to be had to spend life on the couch or in front of a screen.