Daytona Beach

We arrived in Florida in December 2018, and began our winter stay in the state with a month long visit to Daytona Beach, located along Florida’s Atlantic coast. Daytona Beach is 51 miles northeast of Orlando, 86 miles southeast of Jacksonville, and 242 miles northwest of Miami. It is a medium size city with a population of around 61,000, and is known for the Daytona International Speedway which hosts the Daytona 500 NASCAR race each February.

The mild temperatures allowed us to be outdoors a lot, and we were able to get a good feel for the area on our bikes, by taking walks, playing a round of golf, a visit to a State Park, a beach, a wildlife refuge, and a lighthouse. Everywhere in Florida, there are birds – spectacular birds! Pink birds, white birds, prehistoric looking birds, eagles, little birds, water birds, big birds, song birds.

Ponce Inlet is a town located on the southern tip of a beach peninsula, south of Daytona Beach. Here we enjoyed a lighthouse, marinas, beaches, a pier…and birds.

Tomoka Park is a 2,000-acre Florida State Park located along the Tomoka River, where Native Americans once lived. We enjoyed the nature trail, the history…and the birds.

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge spans 140,000 acres with over 1000 species of plants, 117 species of fish, 68 amphibians and reptiles, 31 mammal species, and…330 different birds.

Here are some pictures taken over our month in Daytona Beach.