5 Ways to Experience Daytona Beyond the Beach

There’s so much more to Daytona Beach than amazing surf and sand. We’ve partnered with travel writer Susan Lanier-Graham of Wander With Wonder as she explores fun in the Florida sun beyond the beaches.

Daytona Beach is one of those iconic American vacation spots on Florida’s Atlantic coast. It has been a favorite with racing fans since the first cars took to the hard-packed sand back in 1903. Today, it is a hot spot for Spring Break getaways and families searching for fun in the sun, and remains a bucket list destination for racing fans. No matter your reason for being there, great treats await when you wander away from the beach to experience another side of Daytona. Here are five of the must-see Daytona Beach highlights.

Savor Sweet Treats at Angell & Phelps Chocolate Factory

No trip to Daytona Beach would be complete without a visit to Angell & Phelps Chocolate Factory in downtown Daytona Beach. Located at 154 S. Beach Street, it has been creating chocolates since 1925. You can find all sorts of sweet treats here, from gift boxes filled with classic handmade chocolates to gourmet fudge or fun little chocolate alligators.

Photo courtesy Angell & Phelps

Angell & Phelps offers free factory tours Monday through Saturday. After the 20-minute guided tour, where you see artisans hand-dipping chocolates, you get your own free sample of the decadent treats.

Find Culture and Wildlife at the Museum of Arts & Sciences

One of Daytona’s most unique attractions is the Museum of Arts & Sciences (MOAS) situated in the 90-acre Tuscawilla Preserve. There are few places in the world where you can enjoy such a beautiful museum and then go out for a nature walk in a habitat designed to protect endangered plants and animals.

The museum has a large American art gallery, a beautiful collection of Cuban paintings and an interactive children’s museum. Be sure to check out the Root Family Museum, a special collection inside MOAS that houses Florida’s largest collection of Coca-Cola memorabilia, some fun antique race cars and even a few railroad cars.

The surrounding Tuscawilla Preserve includes a nature trail, education center and about a half mile of boardwalks. The museum, at 352 S. Nova Road, is open daily until 5 p.m., with free admission the first Tuesday of each month.

Hang with the Turtles at the Marine Science Center

The Marine Science Center, located at 100 Lighthouse Drive in Ponce Inlet and just a few minutes from downtown Daytona Beach, is not your typical aquarium. You can interact with stingrays in the Stingray Touch Pool, watch undersea life in the living reef aquarium and check out the massive Humpback Whale skull. But there’s so much more waiting to discover at the center.

Get a first-hand look at the hard work that goes into rehabilitating seabirds and turtles, learn about local flora and fauna along the accessible nature trail and visit a few feathered friends as you wander along the wooden birdwalk. The Marine Science Center is open Tuesday through Sunday until 4 p.m. (or 5 p.m. during the summer months).

Feed Your Need for Speed at Daytona International Speedway

For more than 100 years, Daytona Beach has been synonymous with racing. The Daytona International Speedway, home to the Daytona 500, gives everyone a chance to feel the thrill of race day. Board a tram for the 30-minute Speedway Tour, available daily, and check out the racetrack up close.

After viewing the impressive 31-degree banks at turns 3 and 4, you can pose for a photo in Gatorade Victory Lane, where racing’s greats have claimed their trophies. The tour concludes with a peek at the current winning car from this year’s Daytona 500. The Speedway is located at 1801 W. International Speedway Boulevard in Daytona Beach.

Climb High at the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse & Museum

Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1998, the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse & Museum is just 10 miles south of Daytona Beach. The 175-foot tower — Florida’s tallest lighthouse — is open daily at 4931 S. Peninsula Drive in Ponce Inlet.

You can climb 203 steps to the top of the lighthouse for breathtaking views of the beaches and inland waterways.

The surrounding buildings, including the lighthouse keepers’ quarters, are now museums. The nautical history of Florida is filled with intrigue that most of us never learn in the history books.

While at the lighthouse, be sure to check out the gorgeous collection of Fresnel lenses. These beautiful handcrafted glass masterpieces lit the way for sailors in the past. The restored lenses are truly works of art. Perhaps the most intricate is the rotating Fresnel lens from the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse. Manufactured in France in 1860 and installed on Cape Canaveral in 1868, it was in service until 1993.

After you’ve worked up an appetite climbing those stairs, stop by Boondocks Restaurant at 3948 S. Peninsula Drive in Wilbur-By-The-Sea before heading back to Daytona Beach. This is a fun and funky casual restaurant sitting on the spit of land between the Atlantic Ocean and the Halifax River.

You’re in for some breathtaking sunsets over the river and will likely be visited by an assortment of flying friends, but the food is the real treasure here. Boondocks serves up what may be some of the best seafood anywhere. The peel-and-eat shrimp is delicious, but the signature Fried Fish Reuben is the dish you’ll dream about. The restaurant is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

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