Beach, Daytona Beach

it was a publicity campaign from the 70's and just found me a picture of the beach from 1977 when I first got into the city and was wild ,great memories. One of the best beaches around where you can come in with your car, now in summer season you pay 5 dollars per car, the rest of the year is free . I live here while going to university studies ,then end up living for good up north at Ormond Beach.

just a beachbum life with all kinds of accommodations,and restos, bars ,shops and games all around you. A must with the family perhaps except the spring break period, or the car races for the Daytona 500 and bike 200 and the 25 hrs of Daytona,unless you are a fan of course, and great it is

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Daytona Beach is famous for its hard packed sands that have long been driven on by beach goers. In fact these beaches are so famous, the first stock car races at Daytona Beach actually occurred on the sandy beach.

The first street and beach course ran down A1A about 1.6 miles then turned onto the beach at Beach and returned 1.6 miles to the start. The original race was run in 1936, with a purse of $5,000. Bill France, Sr, the founder of NASCAR took over the racing promotion in 1938. The event was extended to a 4 mile course, still down A1A and returning on the beach. The Daytona Speedway was constructed from 1956 to 1959, with the last race on the beach finishing in 1958.

Season beach passes for vehicles are $20 for Volusia County residents and $40 for non-residents. From February 1st to November 30th, day passes for vehicles are $5, other times it is free.

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Daytona Beach has a population of about 70,000, but the beaches, bike weeks, and racing draw some eight million visitors each year. The sand at Daytona Beach is hard packed and suitable for driving cars. In fact this is one of the rare beaches in the US that allows and encourages cars on the beach. Some of Daytona's earliest fame centered around auto racing on the beach, and the Daytona Beach Road Course, located on the sand, hosted races for over 50 years.

daytona beach has been a popular tourist destination since the 1880's. daytona has a wide hard packed sand beach and is one of the few beaches in florida that you can drive on. most visitors come to daytona in the summer months to enjoy it's beautiful beach.

The beach is fairly level and the water leaves the sand soft yet firm, making running or jogging very low impact. The breeze keeps you cool and if you start early in the morning there is little to avoid - early enough you have spectacular sun rises. You can just keep going and going and going... I was able to go long distances every morning. At home I need at least a day to rest in between for a fraction of the distance.

Daytona Beach is one of the TOP TEN beaches in Florida as nominated by the Travel Channel. You can drive on the beach (at no more than 10 mph) and there are a lot of other activities to do on this beach.

There are webcams which will show you what the surf is doing on the beach.

Within the category of "urban beaches of Florida," Daytona has one of the best. The "beach" actually stretches about 25 miles through several adjoining towns. Young people congregate near the Daytona pier; retirees and families prefer the Ormond or D.B. Shores sections.
To drive a car onto the beach costs $5. Entrance ramps are found along Route A1A about every quarter-mile. However, there are numerous public parking lots where you can park for free and walk a few hundred feet to the beach. Within central Daytona Beach a muncipal parking garage (next to the Ocean City convention hall) usually allows 2 hours of free parking; all day parking costs $5. NOTE: If you "borrow" a parking space at a gift shop or a motel, you may end up being towed.
The surf is shallow and safe for little kids near shore. Further out, the waves are considered respectable by surfers.
During Spring Break , college kids from throughout the East gather on the sand. The area becomes boisterous at times, but beach rangers keep things under control. (Drinking on the beach is technically illegal; disguise your beer cans.)
Occasionally a shark nips a surfer but injuries are seldom serious. More annoying are the jellyfish that show up for a few days each year. Overall, the beach is clean, safe and fun. Water temperatures are comfortable May through October, slightly nippy to downright cold other months.
Beach driving is still allowed on about 50 percent of the beach. Speed limit is 10 mph and enforced severely. No night driving or camping is allowed. Most of the beach is hard-packed sand, but some spots get soupy or soft and can bog down a car -- usually a beach ranger or another tourist will help push you free if you get stuck.
Skimpy beachwear, such as a thong, is OK on the beach itself, but cover up if you stroll into restaurants and gift shops -- Daytona sometimes enforces its anti-nudity ordinance.