Florida’s world famous Daytona Beach has been a haven for spring breakers for years. Daytona Beach has roughly 6 miles of white sand beaches that border the beautiful blue Atlantic Ocean.
Let’s not forget that this city is also home to the world famous Daytona International Speedway (previous article).
You, Me and The Dock spent a weekend touring around this popular vacation destination. Daytona Beach is located on Florida’s east coast between St Augustine and Melbourne. It is only an hour drive from Orlando and Disneyland.
To get to Daytona’s Beaches you have to crossover the Halifax River. The waterway divides mainland Daytona from its touristy island location.
We began our weekend adventure having dinner at Joe’s Crab Shack on the pier. We seated ourselves where we could look out over the pier and the vast Atlantic. And what a site it was!
Needless to say that the pier was populated with plenty of fishermen. They were all looking for that trophy catch to give them bragging rights amongst their peers. Some even set up camp for the day.
People weren’t the only participants looking for a meal. Florida’s Great White Egret was also present and stalking the pier for possible handouts. This beautiful bird can be found all over the Sunshine State.
The subtle ocean breeze gave us some relief from the mid afternoon sun. We completed our stroll of the pier and decided to head to the boardwalk.
Daytona Beach’s boardwalk has the Joyland Amusement Park, along with several eateries, and fun centers. The amusement park has plenty of exciting rides including a bungee sling.
What’s a boardwalk without carnival style food. Pizza King has a menu that offers a wide variety of sandwiches, salads and of course, pizza pies. All this while enjoying the arcades.
The Ice Cream, Mardi Gras & Fun Center has something for everyone. The Mardi Gras faces mysteriously followed us from one end of the building to the other.
We wandered around the arcade for a bit and eyed the ice cream until it subconsciously melted in our minds. The ocean was mirroring the sun’s high noon rays. It was time for us to move on.
The boardwalk, which is approximately a mile in length, took us past a very unique clock tower. When we looked at the time, the numbers were replaced with letters that spelled out “Daytona Beach”.
We continued further down until we came to ‘Richey Plaza’. Here is where a local radio station along with other sponsors, hosted free evening concerts under the stars.
On this particular Saturday, they had two tribute bands scheduled to play. They were Simone & Garfunkel and Crosby, Stills & Nash. We decided to stop and have a refreshing beverage. We parked ourselves on a patio that looked onto the stage.
The Plaza has an open air – five level shopping mall that includes a full service theater, plenty of shops, and a variety of bars and restaurants. We spent time doing some shopping and afterwards, made a brief stop at the Mai Tai lounge for a few adult beverages.
The outdoor mall is exceptionally colorful and creates a festive atmosphere for it wandering visitors.
During the day the stores are filled with tourist enjoying the variety of shops that occupy the multilevel mall. And at night, the Plaza’s arena is flooded with people waiting to enjoy their favorite tunes from the past.
The weather was a bit warm on this mid August afternoon. So many of Daytona’s visiting vacationers were taking full advantage of the waterpark. It offers water slides, several wave pools, and a lazy river.
Before returning for an evening filled with classic rock music, we decided to go back to our room and get cleaned up. It also gave us a chance to relax for a few hours before the night’s event.
We made it back to our reserved seating, which was on the patio at Mai Tai Bar to enjoy lots of great music. In between acts, we met some really great people who were also spending time on Daytona Beach for a fun filled weekend.
The concert went well into the evening. Afterwards, we ordered a flat bread pizza to satisfy those late night cravings. We then went back to our hotel and experienced a great nights sleep. What a great evening it turned out to be.
The next morning we got up very early to witness a fabulous site. Daytona’s sunrise did not disappoint us. The fiery colors spread across its sky reflecting its blazing colors upon the water.
Our well deserved getaway has proven to be a successful one. Before heading home, we are going to stop and explore the Ponce de Leon inlet Lighthouse Museum. At 175 feet high, it is known as the tallest maritime guiding light in Florida and possibly in the United States. Stay tuned for this and more exciting travel adventures.
Author: Anthony Scopel
Photography: Anthony & Maureen Scopel
Article Formatting: Anthony Scopel
Video Production: Anthony Scopel & Matt Kemper
Associate Editor: Maureen Scopel
Technical Mastering & Web Support: Matt Kemper
Publisher: You, Me and The Dock
