Ormond Beach Travel Guide

  My sister (in pink) and me at the beach
by grandmaR
  • My sister (in pink) and me at the beach
      My sister (in pink) and me at the beach
    by grandmaR
  • Parents friends at home
      Parents friends at home
    by gwened
  • Oceanside view 1954
      Oceanside view 1954
    by grandmaR
  • from our unit to the beach
      from our unit to the beach
    by grandmaR
  • My sister and me in 1954 in front of unit
      My sister and me in 1954 in front of...
    by grandmaR

Explore Ormond Beach

Things to Do  

fortunato park

fortunato park, Ormond Beach

 doug48 Says:  pictured is the cupola of the old ormond hotel in fortunato park in downtown ormond beach ocean side. john anderson and james dowing price built a hotel on this site in 1888. in 1890 the railroad tycoon henry flagler bought and expanded the hotel. until it's demolition in... 

the casements

the casements, Ormond Beach

 doug48 Says:  the casements is a 19 th century mansion located on SR 40 across the street from fortunato park. john d. rockefeller bought this mansion in 1918. today the casements is a cultural center and is open for tours. the casements is listed on the national register of historic... 

South to Sugar Mill Gardens - Port Orange

South to Sugar Mill Gardens - Port Orange, Ormond Beach

 grandmaR Says:  One day we drove down to Port Orange just south of Daytona. After we revisited Seven Seas Marina, we went over to the Sugar Mill Gardens. When I went to their website later, I found that the gardens are officially re-opening after the hurricane on January 21st. But the gate... 

Pounce on Ponce

Pounce on Ponce, Ormond Beach

 grandmaR Says:  I always try to see lighthouses whenever I can, so on the trip up to Ormond Beach, we stopped by the Ponce de Leon lighthouse. I wanted to see it because this is also one of the most complete light station museums in the nation. We got to Ponce (which is a village, AND an... 

Meander up to Matanzas

Meander up to Matanzas, Ormond Beach

 grandmaR Says:  I decided it would be good to drive up to St. Augustine and meet our friend Norm of the M/V Bandersnatch. There were some things I wanted to do on the way up, specifically to visit Fort Matanzas (and get a stamp in my passport book).So we had a late breakfast set off about... 

Daytrip to DeLand

Daytrip to DeLand, Ormond Beach

 grandmaR Says:  On the internet, I found that Deland had an NAS museum which had WW II planes and memorabilia - it wasn't in the AAA book, but it looked like something Bob would be interested in. So we drove to Deland.It turned out that the museum was in 2 parts due to hurricane damage.... 

Casements

Casements, Ormond Beach

 grandmaR Says:  We wanted to go on a tour of the property and not just look at the outside. When we got there about 11:30, the lady at the reception desk told us that the lady who gives the tours was just finishing one up and we could go on the next one.The Casements was built by a minister... 

Hotels  

The Cove On Ormond Beach

 1 Review and 221 Opinions  What did we Like?...you mean the dirty floors, strong cat pee smell in hall leading to beach,... 

Best Western Castillo Del Sol

 1 Review and 303 Opinions  This hotel is taller than the one we are staying at and has this big red neon sign at the top. So I... 

Restaurants  

IHOP: Across from the Condo

IHOP: Across from the Condo, Ormond Beach

 grandmaR Says:  We walked across A1A to the IHOP for dinner. The harried waitress said she could seat us but she was by herself and there was a soccer team having dinner so it might be awhile before we got served. There was one cook, and two busboys and that was all to wait on the whole... 

Barnacles Restaurant and Lounge: Not all that

Barnacles Restaurant and Lounge: Not all that, Ormond Beach

 Blessx3 Says:  On June 28, 2007. The service we had was terrible. My husband and I orderthe all you can eat crab legs and 3 kids meals for the children. It took 1 hourfor our first plate of crabs legs to come to the table. My husbands plate of crabslegs were still frozen, not cold, they... 

Nightlife  

billy's tap room: historic bar
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doug48 5204 reviews
billy's tap room

billy's tap room is a historic bar and restaurant located on granada blvd in central ormond beach. in 1922 billy mac donald who was the bar manager of the astor and plaza hotels in new york city established billy's as a tea room and gift shop. in 1937 mac donald started serving beer and liquor and renamed the establishment billy's tap room. billy's tap room is a very interesting historic bar to visit in ormond beach.

Dress Code: casual.

Updated Mar 14, 2011

Address: 58 east granada blvd (SR 40)

Phone: 386-672-1910

Related to:
 Architecture
 Historical Travel

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Shopping  

Casements Gift Shop: No Internet Ordering
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grandmaR 6478 reviews
Gift Shop from inside the lobby
4 more images

There was a gift shop near the entrance. I took a photo while I was waiting for the tour guide but did not go in. The third picture is one that I took in the "lobby" while waiting for the guide

What to buy: Some of the framed photos of the Casements (photo 2) were for sale. I did not buy anything nor do any of my notes say what kinds of things were for sale or what it would cost, and there doesn't seem to be anything about it on the internet.

Updated Feb 23, 2010

Address: 25 Riverside Drive, Ormond Beach, FL

Phone: 386-676-3216

Related to:
 Museum Visits
 Architecture
 Budget Travel

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Local Customs  

Historic Ormond - After a.d. 800 Indian Mound
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grandmaR 6478 reviews
Indian Mound
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On the corner of Mound and South Beach, this is the last of the many prehistoric mounds that were constructed by native people of the area . This particular St. Johns period mound cates back to about 800 A.D. and has the skeletal remains of more than 125 people buried in the sand. This was common practice at that time. The bones of most of the deceased were 'bundled' and as more bodies were buried and covered with layers of sand, the mound grew over time.

Updated Feb 23, 2010

Website: http://www.volusiahistory.com/ormond.htm

Related to:
 Budget Travel
 Historical Travel
 Archeology

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Off The Beaten Path  

ride a bike on the Loop

ride a bike on the Loop, Ormond Beach

 gwened Says:  From a misc forum question it remind me of the good old days so here it goes in permanent as a tip. It brought many nice memories of my youth and still in the area the now classic event very nice and highly recommended.way way back I did the Loop 23 miles in Ormond Beach... 

Pilgrim's Rest Cemetery - 1908

Pilgrim's Rest Cemetery - 1908, Ormond Beach

 grandmaR Says:  This is the Pilgrims Rest Baptist Church Cemetery formed in 1908. The church was moved when SR 40 was widened, The church was donated to the city of Ormond Beach rather than being torn down.A survey of the cemetery has been done and is posted on Rootsweb at the URL below. 

Historic Hotel in Historic Ormond - 1768

Historic Hotel in Historic Ormond - 1768, Ormond Beach

 grandmaR Says:  This cupola was on the top of the Hotel Ormond for 204 years. It is now in Fortunato park on the northwest end of the Granada (Ormond - State Route 40) Bridge. The building is open from 2 to 4, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. A mural, pictures and memorabilia are on display... 

bulow plantation state park

bulow plantation state park, Ormond Beach

 doug48 Says:  bulow plantation state park is located north of bulow creek state park on CR 2001. bulow plantation state park is home to the bulow sugar mill ruins. the bulow sugar mill was destroyed by seminole indians in 1836 during the second seminole war. at the state park you can... 

Sports & Outdoors  

Tennis in Ormond Beach

Tennis in Ormond Beach, Ormond Beach

 grandmaR Says:  One of my grandchildren does tennis tournaments up and down the Florida coast. Some tournaments are held here at this location. Tennis is one sport that is large in Florida.The Ormond Beach Tennis Center has 8 Fast-Dry Clay Courts with Lights. It is located in the heart of... 

Birthplace of Speed

Birthplace of Speed, Ormond Beach

 grandmaR Says:  When I was 16, we came to Florida and saw Daytona, but we actually spent the time at Ormond Beach which was cheaper and less crowded. There was a hurricane offshore, so the waves and undertow were too great to actually do much swimming though. The sandy beaches are clean and... 

Favorites  

Contrast, Then, and Before Then

Contrast, Then, and Before Then, Ormond Beach

 grandmaR Says:  Over and above the restored house, there were two sets of pictures to put the restoration into perspective. First were the photos which were taken for documenting the house and furnishings for probate. Then there were the pictures taken before the restoration started after... 

Rockefeller Gardens and Grounds of the Casements

Rockefeller Gardens and Grounds of the Casements, Ormond Beach

 grandmaR Says:  The two-acre garden along the Halifax riverfront was the property of John D. Rockefeller Sr. in the early 1900s. The gardens feature citrus trees, a grand promenade, streams and small bridges and a variety of seasonal flower displays during the year. For instance there was a... 

Comments (1)

  • Mar 14, 2013 at 11:13 AM

    The comment for Barnacle's Restaurant is no longer of interest since a new restaurant (different name) opened there in the past year, I believe. They must be doing pretty well , based on the number of cars parked nearby. This local resident didn't notice the new name, though.

 
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