Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
378
Tips
Driving on the Beach
You can drive and park directly on sections of the sand along 18 miles of the
beach from 1 hour after sunrise to 1 hour before sunset. During sea-turtle nest-
ing season, May 1 to October 31, driving hours are set from 8am to 7pm. Traffic
lanes and speed limits are clearly marked at low tide, but watch for signs warning
of nesting sea turtles. There's a $5-per-vehicle access fee and 10 mph speed limit.
Watch out for the tides.
If you park on an incoming tide and lose track of time,
your vehicle may become an inadvertent rust bucket or artificial reef!
end of Main Street, where you'll find the
Main Street Pier
(also known as the Daytona
Beach Pier or Ocean Pier), the longest wooden pier on the East Coast. Out here you'll
find a restaurant, bar, bait shop, beach-toy concessions, chairlift running its length, and
views from the 180-foot-tall Space Needle. Admission as far out as the restaurant and bar
is free (at about a third of the way; this is far enough for a good view down the beach),
but you'll have to pay $1 to walk beyond that point, and more than that if you fish (see
“Outdoor Activities,” below). Beginning at the pier, the city's famous oceanside
Board-
walk
is lined with restaurants, bars, and T-shirt shops, as are the 4 blocks of Main Street
nearest the beach. The city's $400-million
Ocean Walk Village
redevelopment project
begins here and runs several blocks north, featuring a movie theater, boutiques, restau-
rants, and even a 175-room hotel/condo, the
Ocean Walk Resort
(
&
877/845-WALK
[9255]).
There's another busy beach area at the end of
Seabreeze Boulevard,
which has a
multitude of restaurants, bars, and shops.
Couples seeking greater privacy usually prefer the northern or southern extremities of
the beach.
Ponce Inlet,
at the very southern tip of the peninsula, is especially peaceful,
since there is little commerce or traffic there to disturb the silence.
Lighthouse Point
Park
is the best beach there, consisting of 52 acres of pristine beaches on the northern
end of Ponce Inlet. It features fishing, nature trails, an observation deck and tower, swim-
ming, and picnicking. Admission is $3.50 per vehicle.
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
FISHING
The easiest and least expensive way to fish offshore for cobia, sea bass, sharks,
king mackerel, grouper, red snapper, and more is with the
Critter Fleet,
4950 S. Penin-
sula Dr., just past the lighthouse in Ponce Inlet (
&
800/338-0850
or 386/767-7676;
www.critterfleet.com), which operates two party boats. One goes on all-day trips (about
$80 for adults, $50 for kids 16 and under), while the other makes morning and after-
noon voyages (about $50 for adults, $40 for kids 7 and over, 6 and under free). The fares
include a rod, reel, and bait. Call for schedules, prices, and reservations.
Save the cost of a boat by fishing with the locals at
Main Street Pier,
at the ocean end
of Main Street (
&
386/253-1212
). Admission for anglers is $6 for adults, $4 for kids
11 and under. Bait and gear are available for $14, and no license is required.
GOLF
There are more than 25 courses within 30 minutes of the beach, and most hotels
can arrange starting times for you.
Golf Daytona Beach,
126 E. Orange Ave., Daytona
Beach, FL 32114 (
&
800/881-7065
or 386/239-7065; fax 386/239-0064), publishes an
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