Daytona Beach is More Than Racing, Beaches and Biker Festivals, It's the Winter Time Escape You Deserve

I’ve lived in Central Florida for over 20 years and one of my favorite cities in the state is Daytona Beach. When I think of Daytona Beach several things come to mind. When I was younger I came for Spring Break a couple of years it was a blast. I remember hanging out on the beach during the day getting ‘the perfect tan’ then going back to the room to freshen up, out to dinner and then clubbing all night. I really enjoyed meeting all the people from all over the country there to party and have a good time.

One of my favorite things about being on the beach at Daytona is the fact that you can drive on some of the beaches there, you have to be respectful of the dunes so they have where you can and can’t drive clearly marked. They also have beach patrols there in case of an emergency so don’t be afraid to suntan there it’s not like you’ll be run over form all the cars. Every year they have runs for charity and good causes on the beach, one I know of is around the Easter holiday every year it’s appropriately called the Easter Beach Run. It runs right by the Main Street Pier which is a great place to spend the day.

The Main Street pier is reminiscent of the Coney Island style pier, all our friends from the North East can appreciate. They have several restaurants with fare including ‘by the slice pizza’ hot dogs, corn dogs, cotton candy, popcorn, you know, all the junk food one would associate with a good time. They have a midway will all the games and prizes you’d imagine plus some hair raising thrill rides like the big swing where you go up some hundred feet then they drop you to swing up and out, it’s quite breath taking. You can also fish off the pier so it makes for a great family day. Up at the other end of Main Street there’s a different kind of fun to be had.

Many of the bars of Daytona Beach are on the Main Street strip. Two of the draws to Daytona Beach are the yearly events of Bike week, normally held in February or March, and Biketoberfest, as you’d guess in October. Bikers from all over the country and world converge on Daytona Beach for a few days of booze, bikes and babes. The Hogs Breath, Dirty Harry’s, Froggy’s and the Boot Hill Saloon, the Bank and Blues club; these are just a few of the names you’ll see. If you go to any one of these places during Bike Week or Biktoberfest you’ll find a party going on, wet t-shirt contests, live music, drink specials, food, fun and some fabulous bikes, its well worth the trip.

During these events they also have something else Dayton Beach is known for – races. They have many races and special events to enjoy and there is normally a swap meet and many vendors out in the parking lot so even if you don’t go into the stadium stop on by and see the sight for yourself. Dayton Speed week is the start of the NASCAR season and there are several races and events to enjoy and as with Bike Week the vendors and parts sellers come out to make a deal with you.

There is so much to do all year long in Daytona Beach I guess that’s why I called it one of my favorite cities in this big state, oh and on your way out of town if it’s the weekend and you’re headed to I-95 go under the over pass and on your left there is a great little flea market called the Daytona Flea and Farmers Market. Actually it’s rather a large flea market and voted by USA Weekend one of the top 5 markets in the country not a bad way to spend a few hours.