Daytona Beach

Located on the Atlantic Coast, Daytona Beach is a magnet for people who love fun and for people who love to go fast. The Speed Capital of the world, Daytona Beach is synonymous with speed, thrills, and exhilaration.

As is the norm with Floridian Beaches, Daytona Beach has nice warm waters and tropical sunshine, but what sets this beach apart from any other beach in Florida is the ability to drive on the actual beach. The sand is hard packed, so cars have no trouble perusing (but always under 10 mph) the shoreline. Speaking of cars on the beach, it was here that humans broke the mile-a-minute barrier (68.19 mph, in 1904 by Barna Oldfield). It was here that the speed wars took place, with the end results being Sir Malcolm Campbell racing across the sands at 276.82 mph in 1928. It is also here that Bill France witnessed these acts of speed, and eventually, organized professional racing, known today as NASCAR. The Daytona 500 is the equivalent of the Superbowl in the Racing World, and every February Daytona Beach is engulfed by racing enthusiasts for this thrilling event. Besides the Daytona International Speedway, there is the Daytona 500 Experience, which allows visitors to experience a pit stop, to cruise around the track, and to visit the garage.

Beyond the professional stock car racing, Daytona Beach also hosts Bike Week and Biketoberfest. Daytona Bike Week is going to be February 29th – March 9th 2008, and Biketoberfest being held October 18th – October 21st 2007, respectively. During these Bike weeks, there is plenty of good pandemonium, games (especially of the drinking kind), competitions, and events. People come from all over the world to showcase their motorcycles and to scope everyone else’s rides.

Daytona Beach also has its share of boutiques, antiques stores, and shopping. Although this is a city that loves speed, the locals live their life at a leisurely pace and the non-tourist traps reflect this attitude. When visiting Daytona, look beyond A1A (the major road that cuts through the city).

Although there are plenty of hotels, bed and breakfasts, RV campgrounds, and motels in the Daytona Beach area, during the NASCAR races and Bike Weeks lodging is hard to come by. Our advice is to book your room as early as possible, for many of these places take reservations up to a year in advance.

Daytona Beach is a gay friendly city. Although this was not necessarily true ten years ago, cultural shifts and changing attitudes have resulted in Daytona Beach having a thriving LGBT community. Although not particularly strong in numbers yet, the residential LGBT community is lively and growing. There are several gay clubs and restaurants in Daytona Beach, which can be viewed from our searching under the “Things to Do”, “Places to Stay”, and “Places to Eat” options on our homepage. Daytona Beach also hosts a yearly Pride fest, which is very popular on the Atlantic Coast. During the speed festivities, many of the gay bars and nightclubs have specials, and they really attract a fun crowd! Yet no matter what you decide to do in Daytona Beach, let Florida Tourists Guide.com help plan your trip!

Florida Tourists Guide