Most people consider Daytona Beach, Florida to be a paradise for spring breakers and bikers only. Part of that is definitely true; there are spring breakers that frequent Daytona Beach and with the bike week event every year, bikers certainly flock to the area from all over the US But, as I recently moved to Daytona Beach for a chance to work, I can definitely say that it has much more to offer! I’ve only been in Daytona Beach for about a month, but I can see that the location itself is very central, the beach is beautiful, and the nightlife isn’t bad at all. Of course, when moving to a new place, you may have to find out the hard way about “risky” areas or dive bars designed for cyclists, so I’ll try to give some first-hand advice on location first.
Volusia County (Daytona Beach area) is absolutely huge and stretches all the way to the waterfront. I work in South Daytona, but when I first decided to move here, I was looking primarily in the Ormond Beach area for a house to rent or an apartment by the sea. Ormond Beach is quite a fancy place with a sprinkling of students, young professionals, and older folks. I chose Ormond Beach because of the Starbucks (I’m addicted!) located right on Grenada, which is the bridge located in the center of Ormond Beach. It is also a very clean and beautiful city and with the housing market in shambles and the already very low cost of real estate in Florida (specifically in Volusia County), I was finding 2-3 bedroom houses for $850-$1200. Unbelievable, considering these are beachfront homes in Florida! Well, not exactly on the ocean, but just a short walk and one street away.
As I became more familiar with the area, I realized it would take me about 30 minutes to drive to work from Ormond Beach. So, I started looking in the area from New Smyrna Beach to Edgewater, Port Orange and Ponce Inlet. I finally settled on a place in Daytona Beach, just north of Silver Beach. I was lucky to find such a great place in a nice neighborhood, because about 2 miles north you start to see the areas of Daytona Beach that are not so “family friendly”. I wouldn’t call it the ghetto, but for a Florida city, the most questionable area in Daytona Beach would be a mile or two around International Speedway Blvd. and Holly Hill. Anywhere in the cities of South Daytona, Daytona Beach Shores, Ormond Beach, Ponce Inlet, and Port Orange is fine to visit.
I haven’t really ventured into Daytona Beach’s nightlife too much, but from what I know, there are a plethora of young people and students (I’m a young person). In Port Orange, off US1 and in between Dunlawton and Silver Beach is a Martini Bar/Restaurant called “Martini’s Chop House”. I went on a Wednesday night for “Wine Down Wednesday” and was very pleasantly surprised by the event – $12 all wines you taste from red to white with free appetizers! I didn’t eat there, but the food looked delicious and the crowd was versatile, from young to old enjoying the outside patio or sitting inside to sample the food.
The only other place I’ve been to that I really enjoyed was Ocean Deck, located in the heart of Daytona, right off International Speedway Blvd. I know, I know, I said before that it was a “risky” area. Well it still is and I would not recommend women or children venturing out alone after dark. But, in terms of nightlife, it’s one of the best bars I’ve ever been to. It opens out to the beach at the back through the patio where you can walk down to the water sipping a Heineken, or Corona…or Vodka tonic, whatever your poison. The crowd is quite young but also quite diverse with some older crowds as well.