The Daytona Beach area, widely known for its beautiful beaches, rich motorsports history and family-friendly attractions, also has some unexpected wonders and unique experiences for visitors to enjoy on their next coastal getaway.
Here’s a peak at some hidden treasures to experience in Daytona Beach:
Ormond Memorial Gardens
The gardens at the Ormond Memorial Art Museum and Gardens are an urban oasis in the heart of downtown Ormond Beach. The lush tropical gardens feature shaded nature trails, fishponds, peaceful streams and fountains and can be enjoyed daily from sunrise to sunset. Be sure to feed the turtles and walk the labyrinth.
Central Park in Ormond Beach
Are you looking for a place to stroll and explore? Central Park consists of four parks totaling nearly 150 acres connected by miles of paved walking/jogging paths and boardwalks. Within the parks, there are lakes, outdoor gazebos, pavilions, picnic tables, playground areas, outdoor grills and more. The self-guided exhibits in the Ormond Beach Environmental Discovery Center are a must-do and provide visitors with a glimpse into the diverse ecosystems within the parks.
Ponce Preserve in Ponce Inlet
On your way to the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse & Museum, don’t miss Ponce Preserve, a 41-acre park that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Intracoastal Waterway. The terrain is varied, from the ocean dunes, through terraced palmetto patches and maritime hammock to the wetlands. The Preserve is part of East Section of the Great Florida Birding Trail and is an excellent site for bird watching.
Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens in Port Orange
Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens, where history, quirky art and shaded, winding garden paths can be discovered. Enjoy lush botanical gardens and the ruins of a 19th century sugar mill which contains the most complete sugar grinding machines in the country. Around many corners there are huge dinosaur statues, remnants of Bongoland, an amusement park open from 1949-1952.
Southeast Museum of Photography
The Southeast Museum of Photography, located on the campus of Daytona State College, is Florida's only museum dedicated to photography and has exhibits, collections, and preserves and interprets photography to facilitate teaching and learning at the college.
Art League of Daytona
You’ve heard of the nationally accredited, Smithsonian-affiliated Museum of Arts & Sciences (MOAS), Central Florida’s primary art, science and history museum, but visitors will discover even more opportunities for art in Daytona Beach. The Art League of Daytona Beach which was founded in 1929 and chartered in 1932, and has grown to a membership of 400 artists. Visitors to the Art League will experience changing monthly exhibits, workshops, exhibitions and an art video library.
Local galleries
Beach Street in Daytona Beach and Granada Boulevard in Ormond Beach each have an eclectic community of galleries that are showcased during the monthly art walks. These fantastic places each highlight local and international artists.
Dunn’s Attic
The Dunn family has owned and operated a business in Volusia County for 125 years spanning seven generations and always supporting the local community. Dunn’s Attic houses a most unique and impressive inventory of high-quality furniture, home decor and collectibles. In true Dunn fashion, they continue to give back to the community.
Rosie’s Café is tucked inside Dunn’s and breakfast includes homemade classics, as well as fresh bakery muffins, coffee and the best old-fashioned sodas and ice cream floats around. Grab one of their famous $1 mimosas and shop the Attic.
Fairchild Oak
The centuries old Fairchild Oak is one of the largest Live Oaks in the southern U.S. and is located at Bulow Creek State Park on Old Dixie Highway in Ormond Beach. While there, explore the Bulow Woods Trail, a path of nearly seven miles that takes hikers to Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park.
Gnomes
Holly Hill Gnome Tree which has been the site of a growing gnome community since 2003, is home to dozens upon dozens of the ancient mythical beings along the Halifax River at Riverside and San Robar Drives. It began as a grassroots labor of love by a neighborhood resident. This treasure has since garnered international attention, and people come from all over the globe to leave notes with the gnomes.
Brownie the Town Dog
On the south end the Riverfront Esplanade, near the water on the corner Beach Street and Orange Avenue, is the statue and gravesite of Daytona Beach’s most famous four-legged friend Brownie the Dog. This stray dog was "owned by no one, loved by all" — as in, he was collectively adopted by the residents of the city from 1939 until his death in 1954.
Ready to start planning your vacation in Daytona Beach? Check out these other hidden gems and all the great accommodations available in the area now, and start planning your amazing beach getaway today! We’ll be looking forward to seeing you in Daytona Beach soon!
