Daytona Vacation with Kids

As a kid I always loved Daytona because it was such the stereotypical old beach down. Over tanned old beach bums walking around, a pier with a boardwalk full of lights and excitement, wide beaches, and old beach motels. It was like something right from a Jimmy Buffet song. In the last couple of years though it would seem some one is throwing around some money to fix up the place. When I say fix up I mean make it more tourist friendly. The old nostalgic Daytona is slowly becoming the Orlando of the east coast.

In the last couple of years there has been some major construction in the main area of Daytona. There have been water parks erected, a city walk built, bigger hotels popping up, and much more. The construction is well needed for the time being. Right now Daytona still has its nostalgic charm. This new construction could help keep it that way or may just turn the city of Daytona into a beach side theme park. All of this construction is sure to bring more people and higher prices as the years go buy.

The newly created city walk boasts a few more expensive restaurants, a movie theater, and some expensive stores. It looks nice, though, and has a walkway over the road from the parking garage, to the stores, and beach access. I personally never did much here because it was too touristy for me. I like the older side of Daytona myself.

The beaches are wide, and the water is nice. The time of your visit will determine the crowd. I like to go around the beginning of July, for my birthday. The crowds aren't too big, there's plenty of room on the beach, and the hotels aren't all booked up. If you come here during race week, bike week, spring break, or any holiday weekend, it's a whole different story.

As an interesting fact, Daytona is one of the only two beaches in the state of Florida that you can drive on. Actually, I think maybe in all of the USA (the other being New Symrna). You will also notice that the ocean-facing side of all the lights around your hotel's pool area are painted black. This is to keep baby turtles from mistaking them for the moon and crawling the away from the ocean.

WHERE TO STAY

The Capri Hotel is the perfect spot for a family on vacation or even a group of families on vacation together. The hotel is right on the beach, a 5 minute drive to town, a 10 minute walk to the pier, and it even has a big waterslide for the kids.

There are a number of styles of rooms to choose from here. One thing that is nice for the single family is that you can get a room with a full kitchen. The kitchens have a full size fridge, stove, oven, microwave, and some basic pots and pans. When we go we usually just buy some paper plates and silverware so we don't have to worry about cleaning up our mess and the dishes at the end of our stay. Most rooms have full size kitchens but there are also rooms with partial kitchens that only have small dorms style fridges. The kitchens are nice because it can save you money from not having to eat out every meal and it will make life easier on you when you try to prepare meals. There is also a small table in these rooms to eat off.

One thing that is nice about the hotel is that if you are going on vacation with some other families you can get rooms that join together. This is nice because it makes life easier on everyone. You cut down on doors slamming and kids running back and forth. It may also be possible for one family to get a room with a kitchen and then get a joining room with one that doesn't have a kitchen. This way you can save a little money. The hotel also has apartment style rooms for rent across the street and under a different name. This may be nice for families with older kids but is not idea for those of you with smaller children as the road you need to cross to get to the beach and pool is very busy all day long.

The real reasons this is the perfect hotel to stay at if you have children is the staff and the pools. The staff here is great with kids. The have daily games and activities out by the pool for kids. They can win prizes and play with other kids. There are also two pools, a kidie pool, and a nice size slide. Kids and parents can't help but enjoy a nice ride down the 30 foot slide.

One thing I was unsure about here though was the pet policy. They say that no pets are allowed, but I saw two families there with their dogs, and they said all they did was call ahead of time. But even if they let you bring your dog, dogs are not allowed on the beach.

WHAT TO DO

Its surf fishing season all year here. This is a fun and inexpensive way to spend some time outside. The great thing about surf fishing is you don't need much gear and what you do need isn't expensive. All you really need to get started is medium-weight tackle and some shrimp or mullet for bait. There are plenty of fish to be caught in the miles upon miles of ocean between the northern and southern pier. There is a daily fee to fish off the pier but it is usually about three dollars a day.

The boardwalk at the end of the pier provides all kinds of carnival like fun. There are two large video arcades filled with blinking lights and cheap prizes. There are street performers nightly during the summer who love to put on a show. You also have some adrenaline pumping rides like the sky coaster where you can free fall a few stories and then swing out over the beach. There is also a go cart track on top of the building that lines the boardwalk. And then of course there is tons of shopping in every direction.

You can't stop in Daytona without checking out Daytona USA. Daytona USA is a larger than life motor sport attraction. This isn't a walk through, look at all the pretty cars kind of museum. Here kids can play a TV sports announcer and call the end of a NASCAR race. They can even hop in a simulator and try there hand at driving a famous stock car. Children and parents are sure to be amazed as they watch Jeff Gordon's car come apart in front of their eyes. You can even come face to face with the towering turns of the Daytona speedway. If that isn't enough for you then you can sit back and enjoy the marvels of the IMAX Theater and the NASCAR movie.

WHERE TO SHOP

You know how, in every major tourist city, there is always that one place that everyone comes home with a t-shirt from? Well, Salty Dog is that place in Daytona Beach. As their website puts it, "From the beaches of Daytona to the shores of the Internet, Salty Dog Surf Shop is bringing you the world's most famous t-shirt, direct from the world's most famous beach!"

As always, this is one of those landmark stores that locals and tourists alike can point you in the direction of if you get lost. All you have to do to get there is head south down the street from the pier a few blocks, and you can't miss it.

This place has everything, from their famous shirts and surfboards to shoes, sunglasses, and stickers. Everything in the store is name-brand and mostly over-priced. You can find half of their stuff cheaper at other shops in town, but it's world-famous, so they can do that.

The employees don't really pay much attention to you unless they think you are stealing. The store itself is nice and clean, and it's fun to have a t-shirt from there, but other than the shirt, there is no reason to buy anything here unless you want to pay too much for it.