4-Day Daytona Beach Sightseeing

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Spend a fun four days on a whirlwind vacation adventure around Daytona Beach, one of the most entertaining spots in the Sunshine State!

Day
1

Ponce Inlet Lighthouse - The Ponce De Leon Inlet Lighthouse is known to be the tallest lighthouse in Florida and the second tallest in the nation, a great first stop on your fun Daytona Beach trip. This lighthouse is an integral part of the Ponce Inlet, the "nation’s best beach," home to the best East Coast surfing and tons of historical, cultural, and entertainment opportunities. The lighthouse itself will allow your group to step back in time and learn all about the rich cultural background of this area, as well as take in the best views the beach has to offer! Standing at an astounding 175 feet tall and boasting 203 steps, this lighthouse is also known as the best-preserved and most authentic historic light station in the nation, with 170,000 guests annually climbing the steps to this National Historic Landmark. Be sure to bring your camera to capture the scenery, and also plan enough time to take an informative group tour here before you go!

Beach Street - End your day and essential Florida experience at this historic retail area located in the heart of downtown Daytona. This scenic riverfront shopping, dining, and entertainment mecca will give your group the perfect mix of local history and culture as well as fun and relaxation. These locally-owned shops and services provide great shopping opportunities, perfect for that essential Daytona Beach souvenir. There are also multiple chances to enjoy great food with everything ranging from fresh and local seafood or sushi to authentic Italian or French cuisine. You can even stop by the Angell and Phelps Chocolate Factory to fill that sweet tooth craving! On the opposite side, be sure to stop at Florida’s oldest farmers market, if you happen to be here on a Saturday, with an impressive spread of local delicacies. Beach Street offers opportunities to see the Daytona Tortugas play on the historic waterfront Jackie Robinson Ballpark, as well as visit the Halifax History Museum for local history and culture lessons!

Day
2

Ocean Walk Shoppes - Ocean Walk Shoppes and Movies, located right on Atlantic Avenue in Daytona Beach, is one of the most popular places to visit, an amazing paradise of shopping, entertainment, and dining that is guaranteed to provide a little bit of something for everyone in your group! This open-air shopping mall was opened in 2001 and features a more modern design, many eye-catching bold, bright, geometric shapes catching the eye of passersby from blocks away. The setting of this complex is unique, a mostly urban architecture style building sitting right alongside a local historic Bandshell, as well as gorgeous beach-side panoramic views! This entire area will delight your group and provide them with some of the most unique and authentic dining, shopping, and entertainment experiences in all of Daytona Beach. After dinner and shopping it’s time for a show, the onsite theater complex providing a RealD 3D theater, IMAX, or Extreme Theater, complete with wall to wall screens and comfortable reclining seats!

Daytona Beach Trolley Boats - Right next to Ocean Walk Shoppes you will find your next "amphibious adventure," an exciting and informative tour of the area aboard a Daytona Beach Trolleyboat! On this fun and immersive tour of Daytona Beach, your group will get to see the sights of the Halifax River, Beach Street, and Daytona Beach itself. See the area between the mainland and the world-famous beach and spot many local iconic historic and natural sights. Enjoy free dolphin and manatee sightings, as well as several sightings of sea turtles, seabirds, and tons of other interesting indigenous wildlife to the Daytona Beach area. Your group will see many local historic buildings throughout the trolley trip and even be able to enjoy an educational 75-minute narrated tour that will lead you through road, river, and beach and fill you in on all the important Daytona Beach details! Be sure to bring your camera to capture all the amazing sights on this stop!

Cracker Creek Canoeing - Welcome to Cracker Creek Canoeing, one of the absolute best spots near Daytona Beach to get close to nature and spend some time exploring the aquatic ways of the Sunshine State. Cracker Creek is a privately owned and operated family ecotourism business that opened here in 2006. This portion of the creek is located on the western end of larger waterway Spruce Creek, a unique natural black water stream near New Smyrna. This gorgeous creek is one of only a few left undisturbed in Florida and will astound you with its natural beauty and abundant wildlife. This spot in Cracker Creek is one of the few launch sites to the Spruce Creek Canoeing trail, and truly the only public access point west of the highway. Enjoy hourly or daily canoe or kayak rentals here, your group able to rent 17-foot aluminum canoes or kayaks!

Day
3

Museum of Arts and Sciences (MOAS) - The Museum of Arts and Sciences, commonly known as MoAS, is the premier art, science, and history museum in the central Florida area and is also the area’s largest museum. An affiliate of the Smithsonian Institute, this museum offers information on a wide range of interests hosting over 30,000 permanent objects. Located on a 90-acre Floridian nature preserve, MoAS houses several facets of education including the Cuban Foundation Fine and Folk Arts Museum which holds the largest collection of Cuban art outside of Cuba. Your group can also explore American or European Fine and Decorative Arts, Pre-Colombian and African Artifacts, Pleistocene fossils, an impressive outdoor sculpture garden, and learn about Florida and regional natural history. The complex boasts a 40-foot domed planetarium and a museum dedicated to the history and influence of Coca-Cola as well!

Museum of Art-DeLand - This museum is host to several different rotating exhibits, gallery talks, receptions, educational programs, master artist workshops, and special events each year, with two different museum locations, one near Stetson University and one in downtown DeLand. The original museum, the one near Stetson, holds 5 galleries, the permanent collection including works such as Bust on a Pedestal by Gary Erbe, Street Festival by Purvis Young, and Early on the River by Janet Sigel Rogers. There are ample art education opportunities within the Museum of Art-DeLand, such as group tours and school custom tours. You can take the general group tour, which lasts anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes and enjoy a close examination of an exhibit followed by a lively discussion.

Mary McLeod Bethune's Home and Gravesite - Next stop, the historic home of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, the National Historic Landmark that serves as the former home of a beloved civil rights leader, now turned museum. Built-in 1915, this home of internationally renowned educator and civil rights leader is filled with fascinating artifacts and photos during Dr. Bethune’s occupancy. The home/museum is located on the land in which Dr. Bethune first founded Bethune-Cookman University, the campus proudly boasting her continued legacy. Not only was Dr. Bethune well known for her education and community outreach efforts, but she was also the creator of the National Council of Negro Women as well as the highest-ranking African American Administrator in 1936. Guided tours of the home are available by appointment only, but you are still welcome to come explore the home with or without a tour planned. The interior of this house is filled with fascinating memorabilia and artifacts, such as photographs of celebrity visitors and the U.S. President lining the walls.

Angell and Phelps Chocolate Factory - What better way to end your night than at the world-famous Angell and Phelps Chocolate Factory, the locally loved and nationally acclaimed chocolate factory with a history as rich as their confections! The chocolate here is made the same way as it was in 1925 when two women by the names of Riddell Angell and Cora Phelps created some of the tastiest batches of chocolate in America, even in the days of hot pre-air conditioning Florida! Enjoy old fashioned virtues alongside quick and friendly service, the products at hand being some of the most flavorful and fresh of anywhere in the state! Enjoy a free tour, a great opportunity to learn all about the history, culture, and process behind the old-fashioned chocolate making. After you’ve sampled their most popular treats such as the macadamia honeybee, dark chocolate covered pretzels, popcorn, strawberries, graham crackers, and even potato chips you will easily see why Tripadvisor.com has named this destination one of the Top 10 Sweetest in America.

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4

Daytona International Speedway Tour - Established in 1959, this race track quickly became known as the largest outdoor stadium in the state, one of the largest in the country. The history of racing locally along Daytona’s beach areas and of racing in general around the world is covered here during any field trip or all-access tour, the most popular tour being the 30-minute basic Speedway Tour. Aside from interesting history, you will also be able to enjoy international race car attractions, NASCAR Racing Experiences, and exciting films within the onsite IMAX Theater. The racing experience will give you several options of activities, from the passenger only ‘Ride Along’ experience to the World Champion set of driver races that you get to complete yourself!