Cleveland is great and you know I love it — but sometimes getting away for a bit is fun, and even necessary! And, luckily for us in northeast Ohio, we have lots of great options for getaways both near and far.
I recently went on a girls getaway with my friend Shawna from northeast Ohio to the Daytona Beach area in Florida, and it was so great! We enjoyed unique eats, nature-filled tours, beach walks, and so much more. And the best part? We never had to set foot inside a big airport.
Read on to learn exactly how we did it, and to steal our itinerary for your own warm-weather getaway!
Why visit Daytona Beach from Ohio?
First things first: what makes the Daytona Beach area and Volusia County in Florida such a good getaway option from Cleveland? Well, a few reasons!
- There are several flight options from northeast Ohio to the Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB). We flew from the Akron-Canton Airport (CAK) direct to DAB on Breeze Airways (you can’t beat going from one small, relaxed airport to another!), and there are also connecting flights available on Delta and American from CAK and Cleveland Hopkins (CLE).
- Daytona Beach is so much more than just the beach! You can hang out around the beach and pier, sure, but you can also go on wildlife cruises, delve into local history, visit natural springs, tour a racetrack, and so much more.
- The food scene around Daytona Beach? It’s incredible!! We ran out of meals to try all the local spots we wanted to.
- You can have whatever kind of trip you want. Whether you’re looking for a relaxed beach trip, a fun girls getaway, a family-friendly adventure, or Spring Break vibes, you can find it all in Volusia County.
A 3-night itinerary for Daytona Beach
A trip to Daytona Beach can (and should) include some of the surrounding towns, too. My friend and I visited Daytona Beach, Ponce Inlet, New Smyrna Beach, and DeLand/West Volusia on our quick trip down to Florida.
As for exact dates, you’ll want to check your flight options into the Daytona Beach International Airport. We left Ohio on a Wednesday and returned on a Saturday, which worked perfectly for us. I recommend at least 3-4 nights so you can fit everything in!
If you’re interested in planning a similar trip, feel free to use our itinerary for inspiration for your own!
Note: This post is brought to you as part of a paid partnership with the Daytona Beach International Airport. As always, though, my opinions are my own and based 100% on my own experiences!
Day 1: Arrival
Afternoon: Flight to Florida
For our trip, we flew from the Akron-Canton Airport on a nonstop Breeze Airways flight to the Daytona Beach International Airport — but remember that there are other flight paths to choose from, too. Ours was an afternoon flight, so we arrived to Florida in the early evening.
Once you arrive at Daytona Beach International, pick up your rental car (this could not be easier at a small airport like DAB, as all the cars are parked right outside the baggage claim area) and drive to your hotel to check in.
Hotel check-in
We stayed in Daytona Beach Shores at the Delta Hotels Daytona Beach Oceanfront, which is a Marriott-affiliated property with a lovely outdoor pool and hot tub, beach access, and beach views from a lot of rooms!
This hotel is also located perfectly on the barrier island that is home to Daytona Beach, and we liked it because it wasn’t too huge and also had plenty of onsite parking.
Evening: Dinner
For our first dinner, we decided not to drive very far; just 5 minutes down the road to Millie’s Restaurant, a small farm-to-table (and ocean-to-table) spot with delicious scratch-made dishes.
From there, maybe you want to head back to the hotel for a nighttime beach walk or a dip in the outdoor hot tub.
Day 2: Daytona Beach + Ponce Inlet
Today I recommend sticking around Daytona Beach/Ormond Beach/Ponce Inlet; there’s honestly SO much to do here, no matter what your interests are.
Start your morning with a hearty breakfast at a spot like Casualbird in Daytona Beach Shores. This spot does yummy breakfast sandwiches and plates along with really good coffee.
Morning: Dolphin cruise
Pre-book yourself a seat on a dolphin-watching cruise on the Halifax River this morning with Ponce Inlet Watersports. These 90-minute eco-tours head out into the Halifax River and Ponce de Leon Inlet to look for marine life including dolphins, manatees (during certain seasons), sea turtles, shore birds, and more.
You’ll have a captain and a guide on board to help spot wildlife and tell you all about what you’re seeing. We saw SO many dolphins on our cruise!
The boat also makes a stop on a small island in the Halifax River for you to take some photos and also hunt for some sea shells, which is a fun added bonus.
Late morning: Ponce Inlet Lighthouse
Ponce Inlet Watersports is located basically across the street from the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, so you can visit that next. This iconic brick lighthouse dates back to the 1880s, and you can climb it (203 steps!) for some excellent views over the inlet, river, beach, and surrounding neighborhoods.
You can also visit the various buildings here like the keeper’s house and the Lens Exhibit Building (our favorite), where you can see several restored lighthouse lenses on display.
Lunch: Waterfront dining
By the time you finish at the lighthouse, it will probably be time for lunch. There are several great options nearby for waterfront dining, but we asked the locals and they all said the same thing: Down the Hatch. So off to Down the Hatch Seafood Company we went!
Down the Hatch has both indoor and outdoor dining options, and a huge menu of seafood and coastal classics. It’s a relaxed spot, and we enjoyed sitting in the outdoor patio/bar area.
Further up the Halifax river, Off the Hook at Inlet Harbor is another good spot for waterfront dining.
Afternoon: Marine Science Center
If you have time after lunch (or if you want to stop here before lunch), head over to the Marine Science Center. This place is part aquarium and part marine life rehab center, and there are lots of educational displays and interesting things to look at.
Our favorite parts were getting to “pet” stingrays in the touch tank, and checking out the sea turtle hospital where they rescue, rehabilitate, and release (when possible) local sea turtles. There are also exhibits on reef conservation, and a Raptor Education and Conservation Exhibit where you can see birds like hawks and owls that cannot be re-released into the wild.
This spot is understandably popular with kids, but we thoroughly enjoyed our visit as adults, too!
Optional late afternoon: Daytona Speedway tour
This one may not fit into every girls trip itinerary, but since I’m a motorsports fan, I really wanted to take a tour of the famous Daytona International Speedway. This track is home to NASCAR’s Daytona 500 race, as well as the Rolex 24 (a 24-hour IMSA endurance race) among others. And the track offers tours almost daily!
The classic, 60-minute tour of the Daytona Speedway includes a tram ride to some key areas around the track, along with admission to the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America after your tour (where the most recent Daytona 500-winning car is always on display).
Even if you’re not into NASCAR racing, this tour is really interesting. We also lucked out by visiting on a day when the tram gets to drive on a portion of the track!
If you go for this option, expect to be here for at least 2 hours between the tour and visiting the museum afterwards.
Optional late afternoon: Beach time or Daytona Beach Pier
If you’re just really not interested in motorsports (or if you’re perhaps visiting on a day when tours of the Speedway aren’t available), another option for this afternoon is to go check out the Daytona Beach Main Street Pier and the Daytona Boardwalk. This area is home to all the usual beach boardwalk things like t-shirt shops, ice cream stands, carnival-style rides, and more.
You could also opt to have some beach time for a couple of hours; our hotel had direct beach access to Daytona Beach, as do many others. And did you know that you can actually drive your vehicle straight onto the beach? There’s 47 miles of beach here, and 14 miles are designated for driving! (Though note that the fee to drive your vehicle onto the sand is around $30.)
Dinner in Ormond Beach
Regardless of what you opt to do this afternoon, I recommend making to short drive up to Ormond Beach for dinner this evening.
We ate at Rose Villa Restaurant (a beautiful spot in a converted historic house that serves up classic southern dishes), but 31 Supper Club is also a great option. If you eat at Rose Villa (reservations highly recommended), be sure to head upstairs to check out their speakeasy-style bar hidden behind a bookshelf!
Day 3: West Volusia + New Smyrna Beach
This is the day where your rental car will really come in handy, as I recommend branching out from Daytona Beach today.
Breakfast at Soraya Cafe
Get an earlier start to your day so you can drive to Ormond Beach again to have breakfast at Soraya Cafe. This Turkish-Persian spot serves up delicious coffee plus things like baked goods and breakfast sandwiches — we LOVED this cafe!
Optional morning: DeLand
If you hit the road early enough, you can make a stop after breakfast in the town of DeLand in West Volusia County to soak up the Old Florida vibes. There are several shops and art galleries to explore along Woodland Blvd, plus plenty of restaurants and cafes.
For lunch, grab a sandwich from Manzano’s Deli (there will probably be a line!), and maybe another coffee at Sidecar Market and Bar.
Afternoon: Blue Spring State Park
From DeLand, it’s a short drive to Blue Spring State Park, home to one of Florida’s many natural springs. The spring here is a recognized manatee refuge, so if you’re visiting during the winter months (November-March), there’s a chance you might be able to spot manatees!
There’s a very nice boardwalk that takes you to the spring head at Blue Spring, and from April-October you can even go for a swim in this part of the park.
You can also rent kayaks or take guided nature cruises, like the 2-hour cruise my friend and I went on up the St. Johns River with Blue Spring Adventures. We saw so much wildlife, including lots of birds, several gators, and even a wild hog!
This is such a nice state park; it oozes Old Florida charm even though it’s less than an hour away from Daytona Beach.
Optional late afternoon: New Smyrna Beach
From Blue Spring State Park, it’s an easy drive back east toward the coast and the city of New Smyrna Beach. If you have some time this afternoon, definitely stop to explore the New Smyrna Beach Historic District, especially the shops and galleries along Canal Street.
Early evening: Smyrna Dunes Park
Before the sun starts to set, make your way to Smyrna Dunes Park, a public park with a boardwalk through sand dunes, a fishing pier, and several beaches — including a dedicated dog beach!
We visited here in the early evening when it was basically empty, and it was honestly one of our favorite things we did! You do have to pay a fee to enter the park (it’s a parking fee, really), but that means it doesn’t tend to get super crowded.
We took a really nice walk here on the boardwalks and then across one of the beaches before dinner. (The main boardwalk loop is roughly 1.5 miles long, and is wheelchair accessible.)
Dinner: Norwood’s Treehouse
Stay in New Smyrna Beach for dinner this evening, where there are several great options for eating. The Garlic is very highly rated if you’re looking for a nice Italian meal, and you can also make a booking at Norwood’s Restaurant & Treehouse Bar — which, yes, does indeed have an outdoor bar built around a real tree!
We ate at Norwood’s on the regular patio (the seafood pot pie is absolutely delicious) and then checked out the treehouse bar afterwards.
And then it’s a short drive back to your hotel in Daytona Beach.
Day 4: Head home
Have breakfast at your hotel this morning (the Delta we stayed at has a great a la carte menu, and we were even able to eat outside by the pool).
You can also probably fit in one last beach walk or dip in the ocean/pool before it’s time to check out and head back to the airport.
We flew back to Akron-Canton through the Daytona Beach International Airport, and leaving from DAB could not have been more stress-free; it took just a few minutes to return our rental car, walk into the airport, get through security, and walk the short distance to our gate. Small airports that make all travel feel like a VIP experience for the win!
With the ease of traveling here from northeast Ohio, one visit to the Daytona Beach area might not be enough.
When to visit Daytona Beach
So when is the best time to visit Daytona Beach and explore this part of Florida? You can take a trip here year-round, to be honest; there are always things going on, and everything I mentioned in this itinerary is available/open year-round.
But there are certainly times that might be better or worse, depending on what you’re looking for.
The Daytona Beach area is busiest when kids are off school (which includes around the holidays, during spring break, and in the summer), and also around big race/event weekends at the Daytona Speedway.
The summer months (June-August) might be ideal if you want to spend most of your time at the beach or out on the water, as it’s the hottest time of year.
Conversely, the winter months (December-February especially) are better for some of the non-beach activities since the weather is cooler. (This is also the best time to visit if you want to try to spot manatees at Blue Spring State Park.)
We visited in mid-March, right after manatee season ended but before the Spring Break crowds showed up, which was actually kind of perfect; we ran into zero crowds and never had trouble finding parking anywhere!
Whenever you decide to go, it’s great to know that Daytona Beach and Volusia County are such an easy trip from northeast Ohio!
Who’s ready to plan a trip?
Amanda was born and raised in northeast Ohio, and has always been a fangirl of her home state. Now, she’s sharing her love of the Cleveland area, highlighting all the best things to do, see, and eat in the CLE. She’s been running Cleveland Traveler since January 2019.