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Daytona Beach Vacations
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But Daytona Beach is not just about speed and partying students. It's the home of a very well regarded art museum and a historical museum tracing the regions' history.... and of course, the fantastic beaches that drew people to the area in the first place. Daytona Beach and the surrounding areas are also popular locations for anglers who visit for the fishing in the rich Atlantic waters off the east coast. This area of the Florida east coast is a popular spot for big game trophy sports fishing and most of the charter operators offer this type of angling.
Daytona Beach International Airport is 4 miles inland from the beach. Continental and Delta fly into this airport. Visitors may find less expensive fares to Orlando International Airport, about an hour's drive away from Daytona Beach. Daytona-Orlando Transit Service provides van transportation to and from Orlando International Airport. Amtrak trains stop at Deland, about 15 miles southwest of Daytona Beach, with a connecting bus service to the beach. VOTRAN is the public transit system which runs a free shuttle around the Main Street Pier and Ocean Walk area. There is a a pay trolley along Atlantic Avenue on the beach. VOTRAN also runs buses throughout downtown and the beaches.
Daytona Beach is home to the Daytona International Speedway, the major attraction in terms of visitor numbers, with a seating capacity of 150,000 and a schedule of approximately nine major events annually. It's also a tourist attraction at non-race times with a free admission World Center of Racing Visitors Center. Visitors can walk out and see the track as well as be entertained by 30-minute guided tram tours of the garage area and pit road. The visitor center houses the extremely popular Daytona USA attraction with state-of-the-art interactive motor-sports entertainment attractions. Visitors get the feel of zooming around the track in a multi-seat motion simulator or blasting away from a standing start to 200 mph in a simulated NASCAR. Along with a whole host of other attractions is an action packed IMAX film where the audience are in the drivers seat of a Daytona 500 race car. Halifax Historical Museum is housed in the former Merchant's Bank Building located in the heart of the downtown historical district of Daytona Beach. The collection includes tools and household effects dating from the Spanish and British periods. There are possessions of past residents such as a ball gown worn at the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, and, this is Daytona after all, model cars. For a town with a population of approximately 70,000, the Museum of Arts and Sciences is quite exceptional. It is best known for its Cuban Art exhibit, donated by former Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1956. Among the collection is a portrait of Eva Perón, thought to be the only painting completed in her lifetime that is still in existence. The African Life display has a spectacular collection of gold ornaments. Ponce de León Inlet Lighthouse & Museum is a National Historic Landmark and is the second-tallest in the United States. The lighthouse and original brick buildings, dating to the 1880's, have been restored. Visitors need to be fit and of sound mind to climb the punishing 203 steps to the top of the lighthouse. Enjoy a commentary cruise spotting dolphins, manatees, herons, pelicans, diving cormorants and other assorted marine wildlife, or the man-made estates and historic downtown district along the river frontages. Book a seat aboard a shared charter and try your luck with offshore fishing for marlin, sailfish, king mackerel and other sporting fish. Save the cost of a boat and fish with the locals from the Main Street Pier. Golfers are well catered for (it's Florida remember!) and two top-rated courses for women golfers are at the LPGA International. The Champions course is a Rees Jones design and the Legends course was designed by Arthur Hills. The most popular city public course is the Daytona Beach Country Club which has 36 holes. Helicopter Rides are a great way to see the whole city. For a whole change of pace, try some horse riding along the local trails. And of course, there's every kind of water sports imaginable.
St Augustine vacations :: Amelia Island vacations:: Jacksonville vacations
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