TAMPA WITH KIDS by PJ Goetz

Daytona “The World’s Most Famous Beach”

By P.J. Goetz 

The one thing I love about my job is it forces me to go new places.  Daytona was one of those new places. The east coast is mostly unexplored territory for me.   After my trip I think that is going to change.   With gas prices at over $4.00 a gallon sticking close to home has become a fact of life this summer.  Daytona is an easy 2.5-hour-one-tank round trip getaway that offers something for everyone in the family.  Here are some of my personal favorites in and around the “Most Famous Beach”. 

Base Camp @ the Hilton Daytona Beach:  This was a great central location for the weekend; it is located on the only traffic tree beach in Daytona Beach.   A spa for mom and dad and a kid’s camp for the junior make being together and time apart possible.  The kid’s camp, D-Dawg’s Kidzone, offers a ping-pong table, Wii gaming systems, movies, crafts and lots of kid fun.  I am very picky about hotel kid camps and have a standing rule with my kids that they can bail out at any time just by calling me.   During our stay the call never came and they wanted to go back every night of our stay.  We put the kids in camp one night and went the Hyde Park Steak House on property.  It was great to have a glass of wine and relax a little after the long day.  (Funny thing, being a west coast girl, as we looked out over the ocean enjoying our meal I kept waiting for the sunset.)  After dinner we picked the kids up from camp headed to the beach for fireworks.  Every Saturday night between now and Labor Day the Hilton Daytona Beach hosts Sizzling Seaside Summer Concerts followed at 9:45 pm by a spectacular fireworks show. Adjacent to the Hilton is Ocean Walk Village, a six-story complex that offers retail shops, restaurants and a movie theater.   Those afternoon showers Florida is famous for don’t have to ruin the fun. One rainy afternoon we saw a movie at Ocean Walk Movie 10 while the storm blew over.  If your family loves the movie Forest Gump you “gotta” eat at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.  The wait staff quizzes you on your “Gump Knowledge” while you dine.  I am proud to say my family and I did not miss one question.   We love our Gump!  Summer Fun Family Packages are available through Labor Day. 

Dayton Beach Hilton Resort/ Ocean Walk Village

100 North Atlantic Ave.  Daytona Beach FL 32118

(386) 254-8200

Dad gets in on the fun!  With most of Florida’s attractions geared towards what the kids want to do The Daytona 500 Experience and Richard Petty Driving Experience is one that lets Dad have some fun too.    The Richard Petty Driving Experience lets you ride “shotgun” in a real racecar with a professional driver.  Speeds of up to 190 miles per hour will have Dad smiling like a little kid.  The Daytona 500 Experience has racecar stimulators that the whole family can enjoy, a 3-D IMAX film that explains the sport of racing, interactive displays that explain the history of racing and the men behind the sport.  I am not car racing fan and didn’t know much about the sport before my visit.  My time at the Daytona International Speedway afforded me a whole new respect for what goes into the sport of NASCAR.

Daytona 500 Experience

1801 W. International Speedway Blvd.

Daytona Beach, FL 32114

(386) 681-6800

Boardwalk & Cars on the beach!  I’ve never been to a beach before that allows cars to drive on the beach.  You can rent golf carts or four wheelers if you like.   This is great if you have lots of stuff.  Pull the car up and open the hatch and all your stuff is at your fingertips.   The speed limit is 10 miles per hours so no more racing on the beach.  $5 a day allows you access to the beach the whole day.  My kids loved this!  Behind the Hilton is a boardwalk.  This part of the Daytona Beach reminds me of California.  Street performers, a Band Shell, a pier with a sky lift chairs all add to the seaside beach charm.

Ponce De Leon Inlet Light Station.  Climb the steps of one of the tallest lighthouses in the nation.  The tower is 175 feet up but once there you will be amazed by the magnificent views of the Florida coastline and the Halifax River.  The museum also features exhibits on the history of the lighthouse and the area and allows visitors to walk through the buildings that once served as the home and workstations of the lighthouse keeper and their family.  One story about a little boy and his dog that managed to get stuck on the concrete platform right below the tower is heartwarming.

Ponce de Leon Inlet Light Station

4931 S. Peninsula Drive

Ponce Inlet, FL 32127

(386) 7961-1821

Daytona Lagoon:  Right next to our hotel was Daytona Lagoon and we had planned for an afternoon of fun.  As happens with kids sometimes meltdowns happen and you have to abandon ship and return to the hotel room for nice nap also known as mission attitude adjustment hour.  We did not get to try this great looking park but it looked like fun and my kid’s want to go back to Daytona just for this.  Here is what there website says:

“Daytona Lagoon offers hours of fun-filled excitement for the entire family in a safe, well-maintained atmosphere.  With attractions to suit anyone's tastes, there is truly something for everyone. Daytona Lagoon boasts the most attraction activities in Daytona Beach with The Lagoon Waterpark, Go-Karts, Miniature Golf, Laser Tag, HUGE Arcade, Carousel, Rock Wall and The Phoenix Extreme Swing.”

Daytona Lagoon

601 Earl Street

Daytona Beach FL 32118 

To and From:  Great stops on the way

De Leon State Park:  In between Orlando and Dayton Beach just a little off of I-4 is De Leon State Park.   I’ve heard about this place and always wanted to go here.  We had a blast.  In the park next to the spring is a large wood cabin that serves as the Old Spanish Sugar Mill Restaurant.  In the middle of your table is griddle.  They bring you a pitcher of pancake batter and your make your own pancakes.  My kids went nuts!   Everybody got to make his or her own.  Once you pour the batter you can sprinkle in any filling of your choice.  Sam picked M&M’s, Jake chocolate chips, and I picked blueberries.  The boys thought this was the coolest thing!  After eating more pancakes than we should of we took swim in the spring right out side of the restaurant’s door.   The water was should I say a refreshing 72 degrees or maybe I’ll just say down right cold.  But the day we went it was 90 plus degrees so it cooled us off quickly.  We rented tubes for $5 and spent a lazy afternoon floating around the spring.  You can rent a canoe, kayak or paddleboat and explore the river.  

De Leon State Park

601 Ponce De Leon Blvd.

De Leon Springs, FL 32130

(386) 985-4212

City of Casadega: It seems to me that all kids around the age of 10 are obsessed with ghost, aliens and Bigfoot.  I went to this town about 15 years ago and it seems like it has actually gotten smaller.   It consists of a hotel and a bookstore.  We were told to go to the bookstore.  In the back of the store is a dry erase board with name of spiritualist that are available for readings.  Pick one and call.  We picked Harry. I warned my son before we went in that we didn’t know this guy and this was just for entertainment and not for life direction.  For $25.00 for a mini reading he gave my son some insight into his past and the “spirit guides” who surround him.  My ten year old loved it.  And Harry was great with him.  And I got a cool mom award for letting him do this.  While we were in Casadega the Ghost pros were they’re documenting or trying to document the existence of ghost at the Hotel.  It was fun to meet them and they were very nice and explained what they do to the kids.  Sam wants to go back and stay in room number 10 which is suppose to have the ghost of a little boy.