Disney trips are awesome and magical and frankly, exhausting! Many clients plan a pool day, which is a great idea. Disney and Universal resorts have great pool and recreation areas to make a full day out of it. We tried something a little different, a day-trip to a local beach. The beauty of a vacation in Central Florida is the proximity to many great locations: Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, Port Canaveral, Kennedy Space Center and east and west coast beaches. With a little research and talk with some locals, we found ourselves hopping in the car on our way to the beautiful white sand and gentle waves at New Smyrna Beach.
-
Morning views, New Smyrna Beach
As first timers, we stopped over at the local Walmart and grabbed some $6 pop-up camp chairs we wouldn’t mind leaving behind if we didn’t want to check them on our way home, sunscreen and some cheap beach towels. Next, over to Publix to get some subs and drinks for a beach lunch.
One of the main public beach areas is the Flagler Avenue beach access. We punched this into the GPS and a short, easy, hour and 15 minutes later, we arrived at a little slice of local paradise. The main parking is on the beach. For $10 you can drive right onto the sand and park. The sand surface is hard enough for any vehicle or golf cart. This is a “thing” as we found out. Some tailgate, some cruise up and down the beach. There are designated areas for this, and plenty of places to set up chairs and umbrellas close to the water. Less daring, like we were in our rental car, we parked right at the beach entrance for $20. Easy. Restrooms and outdoor showers are right at the main lot for convenience.
As we unloaded and headed right for the water, we quickly noticed they have rental chairs for people like us. Oh well, good to know for next time.
Our pop-ups worked great. The sand was as white and fine as described to us, and the water was breathtaking with gentle waves and the ability to walk way out into the ocean. Perfect for kids and adults alike! Lifeguard stands were dotted around the area for safety.
We spent a few hours recharging our ‘batteries’ on the beautiful New Smyrna Beach. While we just ate our Publix subs (if you haven’t tried them, I highly recommend!), there are plenty of walk-up bar and grills along the beach, some with live entertainment which added a delightful sound as we strolled by. Looking for something even easier? A food-truck with snacks and ice cream and other rentals were right at the beach access.
After a few hours, we packed up, rinsed off in the outdoor showers and hopped back in the car headed back toward Orlando, refreshed and rejuvenated. All in all, it was the perfect break. Interested in a stay here for more than a day trip? Trust me, we are thinking about it too! Reach out and lets get planning!
