# Tell Me About Fun Stuff To Do In Daytona Beach! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 9, 2012, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-fun-stuff-to-do-in-daytona-beach/624658 "2012-06-09T22:44:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-fun-stuff-to-do-in-daytona-beach/624658/1 "2012-06-09T22:44:46Z")
So my sons, myself and my parents are going to be staying in a condo in Daytona Beach for a week. We are driving down from Ohio. We have tickets to Universal Studios so will spend one whole day in Orlando checking out the Harry Potter park and riding rides. But aside from that, there’s swimming in the ocean, building sand castles, going out to eat and…what else? We are going to be doing a lot of relaxing and will likely cook a lot of our own meals in the condo kitchen, but what fun stuff is there to do there? My Dad’s a retired Army general, I am former Army and my sons are into military stuff…are there any aviation museums nearby, or any sort of military/historical stuff to do? What about anything else? I have been to Florida before but never to Daytona. I would like some suggestions on nearby things to do from our Florida Dopers. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-fun-stuff-to-do-in-daytona-beach/624658/2 "2012-06-09T23:04:28Z")
There is always that big oval. > [@](#): > > I am former Army and my sons are into military stuff…are there any aviation museums nearby, or any sort of military/historical stuff to do? You mean something like Cape Canaveral? It is about 75 miles away. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-fun-stuff-to-do-in-daytona-beach/624658/3 "2012-06-09T23:16:01Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > There is always that big oval. > > You mean something like Cape Canaveral? It is about 75 miles away. Wow…are we going to be that close to the Cape? Shit, I need to look at a map of Florida! 🙂 Its been awhile since I have been there, and even then my time was concentrated in Orlando, Satellite Beach, Pelican Beach and Boca Raton. And no, no **N** on- **A** thletic **S** ports **C** entered **A** round **R** ednecks please. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-fun-stuff-to-do-in-daytona-beach/624658/4 "2012-06-09T23:31:28Z")
If you’re looking for history and military sites, you’re about fifty miles south of Saint Augustine. You’ve got Castillo de San Marcos and Fort Matanzas there. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2012, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-fun-stuff-to-do-in-daytona-beach/624658/5 "2012-06-09T23:50:26Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > If you’re looking for history and military sites, you’re about fifty miles south of Saint Augustine. You’ve got Castillo de San Marcos and Fort Matanzas there. Oooh…sounds interesting. Keep the suggestions coming! Its starting to sound like there’s not much to do in Daytona Beach proper, which I always associated with the Daytona 500, Spring Break madness and little else. My Dad is 71, so he’s not going to be hip to anything extreme, but we can drive somewhere within a 50 or so mile radius if there’s something worthwhile to do. As much as I love the ocean, I don’t want to spend every day at the beach while we are there. ---
**Author:** ![FeAudrey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7feea3/32.png) [@FeAudrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FeAudrey)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-fun-stuff-to-do-in-daytona-beach/624658/6 "2012-06-10T02:02:39Z")
Here’s the Volusia County visitor page: [http://echotourism.com/](http://echotourism.com/) (plenty more ideas, small museums, special events, etc) The County site itself: [http://volusia.org/](http://volusia.org/) (everything from ocean temperature to directions to the county jail) The Daytona Beach Pier has been renovated and has re-opened: [http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-06-05/news/os-daytona-pier-reopens-20120605\_1\_new-restaurant-restaurant-opening-restaurant-owner](http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-06-05/news/os-daytona-pier-reopens-20120605_1_new-restaurant-restaurant-opening-restaurant-owner) (the Pier’s actual website hasn’t caught up with that news yet) Ocala National Forest is west of Daytona, same kind of distance as Cape Canaveral and St. Augustine: [http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c4/04\_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gjAwhwtDDw9\_AI8zPwhQoY6BdkOyoCAPkATlA!/?ss=110816&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=FSE\_003853&navid=091000000000000&pnavid=null&position=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&ttype=main&pname=Ocala%20National%20Forest-%20Home](http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gjAwhwtDDw9_AI8zPwhQoY6BdkOyoCAPkATlA!/?ss=110816&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=FSE_003853&navid=091000000000000&pnavid=null&position=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&ttype=main&pname=Ocala%20National%20Forest-%20Home) ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-fun-stuff-to-do-in-daytona-beach/624658/7 "2012-06-10T12:39:55Z")
> [@FeAudrey](#): > > Here’s the Volusia County visitor page: > > [http://echotourism.com/](http://echotourism.com/) > > (plenty more ideas, small museums, special events, etc) > The County site itself: > > [http://volusia.org/](http://volusia.org/) > > (everything from ocean temperature to directions to the county jail) > The Daytona Beach Pier has been renovated and has re-opened: > > [http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-06-05/news/os-daytona-pier-reopens-20120605\_1\_new-restaurant-restaurant-opening-restaurant-owner](http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-06-05/news/os-daytona-pier-reopens-20120605_1_new-restaurant-restaurant-opening-restaurant-owner) > > (the Pier’s actual website hasn’t caught up with that news yet) > Ocala National Forest is west of Daytona, same kind of distance as Cape Canaveral and St. Augustine: > > [http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c4/04\_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gjAwhwtDDw9\_AI8zPwhQoY6BdkOyoCAPkATlA!/?ss=110816&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=FSE\_003853&navid=091000000000000&pnavid=null&position=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&ttype=main&pname=Ocala%20National%20Forest-%20Home](http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gjAwhwtDDw9_AI8zPwhQoY6BdkOyoCAPkATlA!/?ss=110816&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=FSE_003853&navid=091000000000000&pnavid=null&position=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&ttype=main&pname=Ocala%20National%20Forest-%20Home) This is exactly the kind of info I need…thank you! My oldest son has recently taken a shine to fishing…I wonder how he’ll like fishing off the pier (assuming you can).? ---
**Author:** ![FeAudrey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7feea3/32.png) [@FeAudrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FeAudrey)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-fun-stuff-to-do-in-daytona-beach/624658/8 "2012-06-10T23:46:19Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > This is exactly the kind of info I need…thank you! Glad to be of help. I am more knowledgable about Brevard County, the next county south. The principal newspaper there has extensive NASA, space, and astronomy coverage: [http://www.floridatoday.com/section/space](http://www.floridatoday.com/section/space) Kennedy Space Center is located between Patrick AFB (an open base) and Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge. Port Canaveral (cruise ships and commercial shipping) is in the area, too. > [@](#): > > My oldest son has recently taken a shine to fishing…I wonder how he’ll like fishing off the pier (assuming you can).? Here ya go: [http://daytonabeachpierfl.com/fishing.html](http://daytonabeachpierfl.com/fishing.html) (or not – last updated, as I warned previously, in 2008) State of Florida fishing regs and license info (official): [http://myfwc.com/fishing/](http://myfwc.com/fishing/) There are many, many websites dealing with fishing; bird-watching, too. Both biggies in Florida. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2012, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-fun-stuff-to-do-in-daytona-beach/624658/9 "2012-06-11T02:13:21Z")
Honestly, when I was there (I, er, did Spring Break as a 25 year old library science student - felt it was my last chance, you know) I had NO interest whatsoever in the racetrack… but we went and it was absolutely fascinating! It’s a bit expensive, but the museum is very interesting and I learned a lot about the early days of racing cars. They had some really cool exhibits, one particularly memorably about how they put together the radio broadcast of a race. And the track tour is neat - they let us try to walk up the banked turns, and you make it maybe three steps and fall down. We enjoyed the lighthouse museum very much - it’s a very complete lighthouse “campus” and they have a first order Fresnel lens IIRC, which is cool. Plus, hilariously we found out that night that the wristbands for the lighthouse fluoresce in the club. 🙂