Discover 20 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Daytona Beach (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Daytona Lagoon, Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, and Daytona International Speedway. Also, be sure to include Radiology Associates Field at Jackie Robinson Ballpark in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Daytona Beach (Florida).
Table of Contents
Daytona Lagoon
Amusement park in Daytona Beach, Florida. Daytona Lagoon is a waterpark and family entertainment center located in Daytona Beach, which is owned by a subsidiary of national amusement park operator United Parks. Daytona Lagoon is open year-round for its dry attractions, while its waterpark operates from March through September. The park consists of 12 rides and an 18-hole miniature golf course.[1]
Address: 601 Earl St, 32118 Daytona Beach
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is hall of fame that honors motorsports competitors and contributors from the United States from all disciplines, with categories for Open Wheel, Stock Cars, Powerboats, Drag Racing, Motorcycles, Sports Cars, Aviation, At Large and Historic. Periodic recognition is given to specialty categories including Off Road, Speed Records, Business and Technology. Its annual Induction Ceremony is attended by notables throughout the motorsports community and is reported on widely.[2]
Daytona International Speedway
Racing venue and motor-sports attractions. Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR as well as its season opening event. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts races of ARCA, AMA Superbike, IMSA, SCCA, and Motocross. The track features multiple layouts including the primary 2.500 mi high-speed tri-oval, a 3.560 mi sports car course, a 2.950 mi motorcycle course, and a 1,320 ft karting and motorcycle flat-track. The track's 180-acre infield includes the 29-acre Lake Lloyd, which has hosted powerboat racing. The speedway is operated by NASCAR pursuant to a lease with the City of Daytona Beach on the property that runs until 2054.
The track was built in 1959 by NASCAR founder William "Bill" France Sr. to host racing that was held at the former Daytona Beach Road Course. His banked design permitted higher speeds and gave fans a better view of the cars. Lights were installed around the track in 1998, and today it is the third-largest single-lit outdoor sports facility. The speedway has been renovated four times, with the infield renovated in 2004 and the track repaved in 1978 and 2010. The track is 50 miles north of Orlando.
On January 22, 2013, the fourth speedway renovation was unveiled. On July 5, 2013, ground was broken on "Daytona Rising" to remove backstretch seating and completely redevelop the frontstretch seating. The renovation was by design-builder Barton Malow Company in partnership with Rossetti Architects. The project was completed in January 2016, and cost US $400 million. It emphasized improved fan experience with five expanded and redesigned fan entrances (called "injectors"), as well as wider and more comfortable seats, and more restrooms and concession stands. After the renovations were complete, the track's grandstands had 101,500 permanent seats with the ability to increase permanent seating to 125,000. The project was finished before the start of Speedweeks in 2016.[3]
Address: 1801 W International Speedway Blvd, 32114-1215 Daytona Beach
Radiology Associates Field at Jackie Robinson Ballpark
Baseball field in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Jackie Robinson Ballpark is a historic baseball field in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. It is located at 105 East Orange Avenue on City Island, in the Halifax River.[4]
Address: Daytona Beach, 105 East Orange Avenue
Museum of Arts and Sciences
Museum in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Museum of Arts and Sciences, often referred to as MOAS, is a museum in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. The museum is a member of the American Alliance of Museums and an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. It is home to over 30,000 objects, making it one of the largest museums in central Florida.[5]
Address: 352 S Nova Rd, 32114 Daytona Beach
Daytona 500 Experience
Museum in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Daytona 500 Experience, formerly known as Daytona USA, was an interactive motorsports attraction and museum located at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Intrinsically linked to the Daytona 500, the museum primarily focused on exhibits related to NASCAR. The attraction also included exhibits related to the Daytona 200 motorcycle race, the 24 Hours of Daytona, as well as the Daytona Beach & Road Course.
The attraction opened in 1996. In 2005, the site was one of the finalists to host the NASCAR Hall of Fame. After losing the hall of fame bid, due to high operating costs and low attendance, parent company International Speedway Corporation announced on November 6, 2010 that the attraction would no longer be open to the public but would be available only for private functions.
After being closed to the public for four years, it was announced in 2014 that the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America would relocate to the site. The new expanded and refurbished museum opened in February 2017.[6]
Address: 1801 W International Speedway Blvd, Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach Bandshell
Beach in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Daytona Beach Bandshell is an amphitheatre in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. It is located at Ocean Avenue, north of the junction of Main Street and Atlantic Avenue. On March 5, 1999, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. On April 18, 2012, the AIA's Florida Chapter placed the Daytona Beach Bandshell on its list of Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places.
This property is part of the Daytona Beach Multiple Property Submission to the National Register.[7]
Address: 70 Boardwalk, Daytona Beach
Southeast Museum of Photography
Museum in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Southeast Museum of Photography is located in Daytona Beach, Florida, on the campus of Daytona State College. It opened in 1992, and moved to a new facility in 2007.
The museum's permanent collection has "more than 3,500 photographs and includes work by William Klein, Sally Mann, Harry Callahan, Gordon Parks, Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, Paul Strand, Aaron Siskind and Robert Rauschenberg among others." It holds approximately 20 exhibitions per year.[8]
Address: 1200 W International Speedway Blvd, 32114-2817 Daytona Beach
Daytona Flea & Farmer's Market
Shopping, Shopping centre, Flea market, Farmer's market, Food and drink, Flower shop
Address: 1425 Tomoka Farms Rd, 32124-3725 Daytona Beach
The Art League of Daytona Beach
Art center in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Art League of Daytona Beach is located at 433 South Palmetto Avenue, Daytona Beach, Florida. It contains exhibits by local artists, and holds regular classes and workshops.[9]
Address: 433 S Palmetto Ave, 32114-4921 Daytona Beach
Municipal Stadium
Multi-purpose stadium in Daytona Beach, Florida. Daytona Stadium, is a 9,601-seat multi-purpose stadium in Daytona Beach, Florida, built in 1988 and home to the Bethune–Cookman University Wildcats football team. It is also used to host home games for the Mainland High School and Seabreeze High School football teams. The stadium is also known as Larry Kelly Field, a name honoring former Daytona Beach Mayor Lawrence J. Kelly.[10]
Address: 3917 Lpga Blvd, 32124 Daytona Beach
Basilica of St. Paul
Basilica in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Basilica of St. Paul is a Minor Basilica of the Catholic Church located in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. It is also a parish church of the Diocese of Orlando.[11]
Address: 317 Mullally St, 32114-3105 Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach Boardwalk
The Daytona Beach Boardwalk, also known as the Daytona Beach Broadwalk, consists of the concrete promenade which was installed in the late 1920s, followed by the bandshell and coquina embellishments which were completed in 1938. It is a structure located on the beach in Daytona Beach, Florida at the east end of Main Street, east of Ocean Avenue. It is open seven days a week and consists of a concrete walkway with various stores and shops including the City Walk shopping and entertainment complex, hotels, gift shops, amusement centers, arcades, restaurants and bars. It also features outdoor and indoor rides like the Ferris wheel, Slingshot, Hurricane, Tilt-O-Whirl, go-carts and formerly a roller coaster called the Sand Blaster. Free concerts are given in the summer at the Bandshell on the north end of the area. The Daytona Beach Pier, also known as the Main Street Pier, was built by Thomas Keating in the late 1800s. The pier begins at the east end of Main Street, south of the boardwalk and extends 1,000 feet into the Atlantic Ocean.
The actual name of the area is the "Broadwalk". It was named this because of the width of the walkway and the fact that the structure was made of cement, not wooden boards. The editor of the local newspaper refused to call it the "Broadwalk" in print, changing it to "boardwalk" because of the negative connotation of the word "broad". The common name has since become "Boardwalk" for that reason alone.
An article appeared in the Daytona Beach News Journal on May 21, 2015 stating that Volusia County is looking into possibly expanding the boardwalk.
On June 14, 2018, two riders fell 34 feet and six people were injured after a roller coaster derailed. The cause of the derailment was determined to be an excessively high speed, and the rollercoaster was removed from the park at the order of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in 2019.[12]
Halifax Historical Museum
Museum in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Halifax Historical Museum displays local history from 5,000 BC to the present day in a National Register of Historic Places listed building designed by Wilbur B. Talley in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. The museum is housed in the former Merchants Bank building, added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on January 6, 1986. It is located at 252 South Beach Street.[13]
Address: 252 S Beach St, 32114-4407 Daytona Beach
Mary McLeod Bethune Home
Museum in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Mary McLeod Bethune Home is a historic house on the campus of Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida. Built in the early-1900s, it was home to Mary McLeod Bethune, a prominent African-American educator and civil rights leader, from 1913 until her death. It was designated a United States National Historic Landmark in 1974 It is now managed by the Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation as a historic house museum.[14]
Address: 640 Dr Mary McLeod Bethune Blvd, 32114 Daytona Beach
Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University
Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University is a private university focused on aviation and aerospace programs. Founded at Lunken Field in Cincinnati in 1926, today its main campuses are located in Daytona Beach, Florida, and Prescott, Arizona, United States. It is the largest accredited university system specializing in aviation and aerospace. It has numerous online programs and academic programs offered at satellite locations.
It began as a regional school for pilots and aircraft mechanics. With the expansion and development of aviation and related space programs, today the university enrolls more than 33,000 undergraduate and graduate students.[15]
Address: 600 South Clyde Morris Blvd, Daytona Beach
Halifax Harbor Marina
Sailing, Park, Marina
Address: 450 Basin St, 32114-5061 Daytona Beach
Embry-Riddle Observatory
Observatory in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Embry–Riddle Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach. Hosting an array of optical instruments, this observatory is situated on the roof of the College of Arts and Sciences building in Daytona Beach, Florida.[16]
Bethune-Cookman University
Private university in Daytona Beach, Florida. Bethune–Cookman University is a private historically black university in Daytona Beach, Florida. Bethune–Cookman University is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The primary administration building, White Hall, and the Mary McLeod Bethune Home are in the National Register of Historic Places.[17]
Address: 640 Dr Mary McLeod Bethune Blvd, 32114-3012 Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach Coquina Clock Tower
Historical landmark in Daytona Beach, Florida. Daytona Beach Coquina Clock Tower is a clock tower located in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is a contributing property within the Daytona Beach Bandshell and Oceanfront Park Complex historic district which was entered into the United States National Register of Historic Places on February 25, 1999 from a multiple property submission under the following areas of significance: Entertainment, Recreation, Community Planning and Development, and Architecture.[18]