The top 3 beyond-the-sand adventures in Daytona Beach, Florida

Billed as the "world's most famous beach" in the 1920s after its firm, driving-ready sands began drawing crowds of racing enthusiasts, Daytona has long been synonymous with seaside fun. This storied destination on Florida's Atlantic coast promises year-round sunshine and mild, tropical weather, making it especially popular with beachgoers.

While its wide, white-sand beaches remain a huge draw, Daytona's appeal extends well beyond the beach. Thanks to decades of conservation and trail-building, the surrounding area boasts a dense network of state parks, nature trails, museums, and landmarks that shouldn't be missed—not to mention the world-renowned Daytona International Speedway.

From touring historic properties to discovering scenic springs and attending adrenaline-filled racing events, here are three of the best beyond-the-beach adventures in the Daytona area.

Exploring history and wildlife at the Ponce Inlet

A stately, brick-red lighthouse punctuates the landscape less than 10 miles south of Daytona Beach, promising sweeping views of the coastline to those who climb the more than 200 steps to the top. Built in the late 1800s, the 175-foot Ponce Inlet Lighthouse is the tallest in Florida. A modest admission fee provides access to the lighthouse and museum, along with the Constance D. Hunter Historic Pacetti Hotel Museum across the street. The Pacetti Hotel, which opened to the public in summer 2024, was a bustling resort in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Today, it is one of the area's oldest surviving buildings and offers visitors a glimpse into what life at the resort was like all those years ago.

After taking a self-guided tour of the lighthouse grounds, check out the Marine Science Center around the corner. The facility closed to the public for renovation in September 2024 and reopens to visitors on May 31, 2025 (while continuing to admit sea bird and sea turtle rehabilitation patients). The center will feature a new indoor touch pool featuring stingrays (without barbs) and a sheltered outdoor terrace offering views of turtles being treated at the center's rehabilitation facility. If you crave more wildlife and views in the Ponce Inlet area, stop by the Lighthouse Point Park, a 52-acre coastal sanctuary where you can often see dolphins, shore birds, and sea turtles, or explore intracoastal waterways with Ponce Inlet Watersports, which offers guided boat tours as well as a kayak and paddle board rentals.

Racing toward fun at Daytona International Speedway

Every year, racing fans flock to the Daytona International Speedway for the namesake race that opens the NASCAR season. Tickets to the Daytona 500—a 500-mile, 200-lap race around the 2.5-mile course—have sold out in recent years, so if you're interested in going, book early. But the February race is only one event in an all-ages, action-packed calendar at the speedway, which has evolved since its opening in 1959 from a racetrack surrounding the 29-acre manmade Lake Lloyd to a 500-acre motorsports complex. Other signature racing events include the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the Daytona 200 for motorcycles.

Would-be racing stars can get behind the wheel of a real race car for a timed racing session at the NASCAR Racing Experience, which is held multiple days a month. (If you'd rather leave the driving to a professional, there are ride-along options, too.) Take an hour-long speedway tour that includes the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America featuring exhibits on feats related to all forms of motorsports, or upgrade to the 2.5-hour VIP tour with an exclusive stop at the NASCAR Archives and Research Center and Press Box. Select events also allow waterfront RV and trailer camping at Lake Lloyd.

Discovering Daytona's vast network of trails

From open skies and sea breezes on the coast to shady marshes and springs filled with manatees, visitors to the Daytona Beach area find a wide variety of scenery and wildlife along its 70 miles of hike-and-bike trails.

Don't miss the scenic Spring-to-Spring trail; currently comprising completed segments that total around 15 miles, the trail will eventually link up to span 26 miles. Starting from the trail's southern end at Lake Monroe Park, which offers campsites and boating access, you can cycle around the lake's curve through the lush, 212-acre Gemini Springs Park and on toward Green Springs Park, home to one Florida's few green sulfur springs. Another section of the trail links Lake Beresford Park and Blue Spring State Park, where hundreds of manatees reside from November to March. Visitors to Blue Spring tend to use words like calm, peaceful, serene, and tranquil to describe the feeling of walking, riding, or paddling this site along the St. Johns River.

For a ride or stroll that includes both park vistas and access to the shops and restaurants in historic downtown Daytona Beach, take the 4.5-mile Sweetheart Trail from Sickler Park along the Halifax River and through the historic downtown. The trail is part of the East Coast Greenway, a 2,900-mile-long walking and biking trail that stretches from Maine to Florida.