Why Vacation In Daytona Beach?

Escape to Daytona Beach, Fla., for some surfside beachcombing and all- around fun. Located on Central Florida's East Coast, Daytona Beach is filled with excitement. From water sports to great shopping, there's a wide array of things to do.

Daytona Beach has long been famous for the Daytona® 500, one of the most prestigious NASCAR® races, but that's only the beginning. Visitors can satisfy a need for speed with a simulator drive at the Daytona 500 ExperienceT. If you really want to go fast, get behind the wheel of a real NASCAR stock car at the Richard Petty Driving Experience.

Daytona Beach is truly unique because you can drive on the beach. There's plenty of water fun, too. Take a Banana Boat ride, go boogie boarding or do some surfing. Deep-sea fishing is also popular here. Renting a beach cruiser and pedaling down the beach is another relaxing way to spend an afternoon.

There are a number of golf courses in Daytona Beach and two of them are especially outstanding. The Legends Course at LPGA International will challenge any golfer, and Indigo Lakes Golf Course is rated among the top 10 courses in Florida by Golf Magazine.

For some spooky fun, take the Haunts of the World's Most Famous Beach tour. This is owned and operated by a real ghost hunter and certified paranormal. It combines history, scientific data and frightening ghost stories.

If you're a bit of a history buff, you might enjoy exploring the Halifax Historical Museum. It features the history of Daytona Beach dating back to 5000 B.C. At the Marine Science Center you'll experience an environmental odyssey. One of the main goals of this center is sea turtle rehabilitation which you can see in action at the seven turtle hospital pools.

Just to the south of Daytona Beach lies the Kennedy Space Center where you can get up close and personal with amazing rockets and enjoy hands-on exhibits and simulators. Within an hour and half's drive you can take in all the spills, chills and thrills of Orlando's many theme parks including Walt Disney World® Resort, Universal Orlando® Resort and SeaWorld® Orlando. There are also plenty of water parks in the area including Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park, Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park and Wet 'n Wild®.