My family has been going to Daytona for decades before I was born. My Grandpa worked at Harley- Davidson Motor Company his entire career, and many of those years he was in the racing department where he worked on the factory bikes and traveled to race-tracks throughout the U.S. One of these tracks was in Daytona (the famous Daytona Speedway). He ended up liking Daytona so much, that he started taking his family (my dad and aunts) there for vacation. Since then, it’s become a tradition to go there almost every year. Throughout my life so far, I’ve been to Daytona so many times. I even had my first birthday there! Since I’ve been there so much, I know all the good restaurants, resorts, and the best things to do for fun.
Accommodations
Like I’ve said, I’ve been to Daytona a lot. And each time I’ve been there, we (my family and I) stayed at the same place. Perry’s. Perry’s is the best place to go. It’s great for families, couples, really anybody.
Here is everything I love about Perry’s:
Location
Perry’s is located right on the beach. From our hotel room, it was a 2-3 minute walk to the water (depending on high or low tide of course). Across the street is the grocery store Winn Dixie (kind of like a Pick n’ Save) and iHop. Yum. Also, just down the road is the BEST mini golf place. There’s a lot of mini golf places nearby, but Congo River is the one to do. I recommend going there in the evening/night time because the atmosphere is so much better at night with everything lit up. Congo River Mini Golf has waterfalls, scavenger hunts as you go through the course, tropical music, and gators and turtles that you can feed!
Activities
The activities here are probably my favorite. The activities director was so awesome! When you arrive, you receive a schedule with the different activities going on every day, so there’s always something to look forward to. Some activities include:
- Bingo
- Horse Racing (for money) (not real horses haha)
- Water aerobics
- Ice cream socials
- Shuffleboard contests
- Swim races
- Crafts
- Easter Egg Hunts for the kids (was my favorite!)
- Golfing
- Hula hoop contests
- Pool games
- Ty-dye
- Basketball
- Volleyball
- Beach Walk
- Bocce Ball
Breakfast
There’s a donut lounge. Seriously. Every morning there are homemade donuts. I remember walking to the donut lounge in the morning and smelling the donuts way down the hallway. It was so great. We would have donuts, coffee, apple juice, and orange juice every day. They had the best variety too. Rainbow sprinkles, chocolate sprinkles, plain, mample, white frosting, chocolate frosting, powdered sugar, sugar sprinkled, and more. We would always take extra back to the room and eat them down at the beach, too. I haven’t been to Perry’s in a few years now, so the last time I was there I wasn’t vegan or vegetarian. I wish they would have a vegan option (maybe they do?), but if not, I would just have cereal, bananas on toast, fruit, and other stuff in the room, out on the balcony, or bring it down to the beach to eat.
Amenities
There’s a bunch, so I’ll just list them here:
- Indoor heated pool
- Indoor hot tub (big)
- Donut lounge with fresh donuts every morning
- Gift shop
- Shuffleboard
- Two outdoor pools
- Outdoor Kiddy Pool
- Tiki Bar
- Putting Green
Restaurants
My favorite thing about this restaurant is the location. You can eat inside or outside. We always ate outside because it’s right on the water, you can walk out on the pier, and there’s this really cool tree that hangs right over one of the tables. When I was there last, there was a squirrel that made his/her way from table to table- they called him “one-eyed Pete.”
Stavro’s has always been a family tradition. We would go there almost every other day for dinner. They used to have a location across the street from Perry’s, but now you have to drive maybe 15 minutes to their new location. Still worth the drive. Stavro’s is a little Italian restaurant with the best pizza and pasta! Again, I wasn’t vegan the last time I was here, but if I were to go again, I’d order a small pizza without cheese.
This has always been one of my favorite places to go simply because of the location. It’s right on the Marina, there’s piers to walk out on, boats to look at, birds flying by, sometimes dolphins passing through, there’s almost always a live band performing some tropical music or some good ol’ Jimmy Buffet, and the restaurant is painted in bright colors inside and out. I used to always get hushpuppies here. Looking at their current menu, I would have to either veganize a salad, or combine some side dishes the next time I go.
Since we’ve discovered this restaurant, it’s been a favorite. Food is great. Views are great. Like the other restaurants mentioned, they are not too vegan-friendly. After viewing their menu online, my vegan recommendations would include: salad with balsamic vinaigrette, fries, BLT without bacon, or the steamed veggie platter. One cool thing about this place is that there’s a big bird that wanders outside the restaurant that loves when people feed their leftover fries.
DJ’s Deck is one of those hidden gems that nobody really knows about, but once you find it you always come back. Some vegan options I found on their current menu include: tossed salad, fries, sweet potato fries, steamed veggies, and maybe fried pickles and hushpuppies (you’d have to ask your waitress/waiter for ingredients if unsure). This place has a really sweet vibe going on. When you get there, you wait in line and order your food at the counter, then go find a table to sit at (this is all outside). DJ’s Deck is right on the Halifax River and there’s a huge bridge above nearby that cars drive over (no, it’s not noisy). I definitely recommend checking this place out at least once!
Things To Do
Come here to learn all about marine animals! They’ve got sea turtles, fishies, and stingrays! Not only do they educate you on marine animals, but they also have rehabilitation services for injured animals! Perfect thing to do with families in Ponce Inlet!
Visit this attraction to learn about history and climb this 175 foot lighthouse!
Like I said earlier, there’s a lot of mini golf places in Daytona. But, Congo River is the BEST one. I recommend going there in the evening/night time because the atmosphere is so much better at night with everything lit up. Congo River Mini Golf has waterfalls, scavenger hunts as you go through the course, tropical music, and gators and turtles that you can feed!
There’s a bunch of parasailing places you can go to. In 2015, my family and I went to Daytona Beach Parasail for my birthday. It was my first time parasailing and it was so pretty! The Atlantic was so blue and I saw sea turtles swimming at the surface! The boat crew was also super cool and took photos for us!
If you stay at Perry’s Ocean Edge Resort (listed above), the boardwalk is just a 15-20 minute walk down the beach! Walk around, eat, shop, take pics…..
You’re gonna have to drive about an hour to get to Orlando. But, if you’re making a day out of it then it’s worth it. Magic Kingdom is...well..magical! I haven’t been there since I was 4, but I really want to go back soon. Now, Animal Kingdom is my absolute favorite Disney Park. It’s like a really upscale, fancy, big zoo. The animals have huge and elaborate habitats. Each part of the park focuses on a different continent. And the Tree of Life is amazing. You’ll have to go to figure out what I’m talking about! Also, Animal Kingdom has rides, shows, shops, and a huge conservation focus...so you should definitely go and support that!!!
I hope you’ve enjoyed my first Travel Guide! Be sure to like this post, share it with friends, and subscribe to all my social media! Message me with any comments or questions :)