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Volusia County is located in the North Eastern part of Central Florida. The most notable town in the county is of course, Daytona Beach, the self-proclaimed “world’s most famous beach.” Daytona Beach is great, but Volusia County is also home to some of the most charming small towns you’ll find anywhere. Some you may have heard of, others are probably new (at least they were to me even after living in Central Florida for a decade), and some may surprise you. So without further ado, here are 5 charming towns you can find in Florida’s Volusia County.
1) Daytona Beach–
We’ll start off with the most famous, Daytona Beach. These days Daytona Beach is most known for it’s Nascar Racing culture, but there is plenty to do off the track as well. Daytona Beach is home to gorgeous beaches, world class seafood, and loads of beach side fun. Daytona Beach also boasts two of the last all wood piers in the state and a boardwalk complete with carnival rides and games of skill. It really is the quintessential American Beach.
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2) Deland-
Deland really surprised me. Admittedly, I had only heard of Deland in car commercials imploring me to “save a grand in Deland.” Deland is actually the most adorable town. The bulk of Deland is located on a “main street” with local shops and restaurants. In fact, one thing that makes Deland unique is that all of the restaurants and stores are locally owned, no chains! It makes for a one of a kind shopping and dining experience and pumps money into the local economy. One of my favorite spots in Deland is a tropical wine and tea room located inside an antique shop. It’s like my brain started a business! Deland also creates many parks and green spaces like this one that’s modeled after New York City.
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3) New Smyrna Beach-
New Smyrna Beach is one of the top 100 art towns in the U.S.A. It’s also the shark bite capital of the world, making it the best worst. That makes it pretty hard to figure out your feelings on New Smyrna Beach, but they should be mostly good. Even if you are afraid to go in the water, there is plenty to do. Laying by the water is enough, the beach is great. It is also home to The Hub On Canal, an arts mecca that hosts +30 artists in a studio/gallery/retail setting. Besides that the New Smyrna Beach Brewery is great, and well themed, which I love.
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4) Flagler Avenue
Technically part of New Smyrna Beach but across the river from downtown, Flagler Ave. is the epitome of cute beach towns. It has an adorable main street leading all the way down to the beach featuring all sorts of wacky shops full of flamingos, wine, and mermaids. There are lots of great shops to browse on Flagler Avenue, but my personal favorite is Island Collection. Island Collection is a local shop featuring home decor and furnishings designed by the owner and handmade in Bali. They also offer a lucky few patrons the opportunity to travel with them to Bali on buying trips every year.
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5) Ormond Beach
Ormond Beach, not Daytona Beach is actually the original home of beach racing. It’s located right next to Daytona Beach, but that’s an important distinction, as you will notice from all the signs proclaiming Ormond Beach the “birthplace of speed.” Ormond Beach began it’s long history of speed shortly after the turn of the century with racing on the beach. It’s also the former winter home of John D. Rockefeller, the Casements. Currently Ormond Beach is home to a charming main street featuring several unique shops and restaurants, including one of my favorites 31 Supper Club, an art deco Supper Club themed to the year 1931 (though inside is really more like a 1930’s theme party on a cruise ship in the 1970s, but that’s great too.)
So there it is, 5 adorable towns you can check out on your next Atlantic Coast beach vacation! I can promise that none of these locations will disappoint. All are unique, but share the common thread of being just precious.
Have you been near any of these towns? What do you think of this list’s accuracy? Did I miss anything fun?
I hadn’t heard of all of these – how terrible – but had always fancied Daytona. Mind you, other than the sharks (and that’s a fairly big “other” I realise), New Smyrna Beach and all that art sounds terrific.
Sarah Ebner recently posted…Cupcakes and the Queen at the Rubens Hotel in London!
I attended a press trip to Daytona Beach recently, before that I had not heard of most of these towns myself (and I only live about an hour away!)
I’ve only heard of Daytona Beach, though I’m not from the area. I love visiting these cute little towns, especially the kind that you described where there are only independently-owned shops and no chains! I also adore how everything is so brightly painted in colors like pink – I guess that’s Florida for you! I don’t know if we could pull that off in the middle of winter in Toronto 😉
Lauren @ Justin Plus Lauren recently posted…Bruce Trail Hike #4 – Canals and Golf Courses
I love the colors here and the tropical feel of everything. It is unique to Florida however, (and other tropical places) I grew up in Tennessee and everything there is beige!
It’s kinda nice to branch out a little from the regular places you’d visit on the coast. I’ve heard a lot about New Smyrna Beach. I think I’d like Deland too. We’ll have to check those out next time we’re in Florida.
Laura Lynch recently posted…Food & Sightseeing Tour in Tallinn Estonia
They’re all great towns. Deland is the only one that doesn’t have it’s own beach, but it has plenty of other activities to offer and it’s close enough to a beach if you really need it.
I love how despite the tourism these towns still have the small town feel (except Daytona during Bike Week or Spring Break). I love New Smyrna Beach. It is a fun place to hang out and hide from the Daytona crowds.
Jennifer @ Made all the Difference Travel Blog recently posted…10 Revolutionary War Landmarks Every US Citizen’s Should Visit
Central Florida is obviously a tourist mecca, but if you search hard enough you can still find some remnants of “old Florida”
Every time I hear about so many American states it reminds me that the USA is a seriously underrated travel destination for independent travellers. I think a huge USA road trip is definitely on the cards and I will definitely add these little towns to the list!
Michael Huxley recently posted…Experiencing the Wilder Kaiser Alpine Sports Week in Austria.
I would LOVE to do that. I’ve spent my entire life in the USA and there’s still so much I haven’t seen.
I have only heard of Daytona, but now I want to visit them all! My uncle lives in Florida and I keep saying I will get out there to visit.. now I have more places to add to my list!
Karilyn recently posted…Hawaii Big Island Road Trip: A Family Adventure
Florida is a great place to visit and we have great weather year round, so you can come at “off times” and miss out on some of the tourist crowds.
Thanks for such a fab list – have only been to Daytona beach from these and love it, though seems like everything is fairly close to each other so next time we base ourselves in Daytona for a week I’ll be sure to plan for a few day trips to tick these off the list. Thanks!
Meg Jerrard recently posted…Toronto’s Best Kept Secrets: Best Places to Visit in Toronto
These are all very very close to Daytona Beach, it’s very easy to get to all of them. It’s a great to escape some of the tourists crowds that Daytona Beach sometimes gets too.
Have heard of them all, since I lived in Orlando for 19 years, but have only been to Daytona and New Smyrna, though only for the beach! I will definitely need to check out the art in NSB when I return to Florida!
That was me too until this past year! I’ve been in Orlando for a decade now and only visited the beach and none of the other attractions. It’s a real shame. I’ve since minded my ways.
Im not sure where I live because I haven’t heard of any of these towns (Except for Daytona). I love little towns and their creative mom and pop shops!
Alejandra recently posted…Exploring Cueva Ventana. Now I Know Why It’s So Darn Popular
Me too! It’s so easy to think Central Florida is all hotels, theme parks, and tourist crowds, but if you dig a little deeper you can find some real gems.
I’ve heard of all of these but only visited Daytona. Sounds like I need to add a few more to my list.
Lesley recently posted…6 Day Nature Itinerary for Dominica
They’re all great. I was most surprised by Deland though, I was not expecting much and it is a really cute and unique town.
[…] briefly hit on Deland in my recent post about Volusia County towns. Deland a small town located just about equidistant between Orlando and Daytona Beach. Part of […]