Daytona Beach Florida
Day 1 You'll See:
- Daytona Beach Main Street Pier
- Beach TIme
- Beach Street
Day 2 You'll See:
- Marine Science Center
- Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse & Museum
- Angell & Phelps Chocolate Factory Tour
- Jackie Robinson Ballpark Tour
- Starlite Dinner Cruise
Day 3 You'll See:
- The Museum of Arts & Sciences & Planetarium
- Daytona International Speedway Tour
Your students have racked up some serious hours and done so much homework this year they could have easily camped in the classroom; you know a well-deserved break is in order! What better place to cut loose and release their cares to the four winds than sunny Daytona Beach, Florida? They’ll enjoy classic boardwalk amusements, wonderful white sand beaches, excellent shopping, some fantastic sightseeing - including Jackie Robinson Ball Park, Daytona International Speedway and Angell and Phelps Chocolate Factory tours. They’ll meet and mingle with cow nose rays and sea turtles, spend a few hours at Central Florida’s premier museum and enjoy a StarLite Dinner Cruise on an American Paddlewheel Cruise Ship. Talk about the “WOW factor!”
1
Daytona Beach Main Street Pier
Built-in 1938, the historic Boardwalk and Pier have become the premier family entertainment center in the Daytona Beach area. Here, you’ll find a boatload of fabulous family-operated businesses - Joyland Amusement Center, Mardi Gras Fun Center, Pizza King, Michael's on the Beach, Zeno's Boardwalk Sweet Shop and more - indoor and outdoor rides, great live entertainment, the very best classic arcade amusements, and dazzling Saturday Nights fireworks shows from Memorial Day through Labor Day – all in a nostalgia-dipped, fun-sprinkled magical midway setting, just steps away from the warm, white sand!
Beach Time
Daytona’s 23 acres of world-famous white-sand beaches offer student groups on Sunshine State holiday a fantastic fusion of bustling action and quiet, secluded seashore. Handy access points ensure plenty of options - drive right onto the beach of your choice, unroll those towels and unpack that picnic! Whatever you’re after - from sunbathing, volleyball and classic boardwalk fun to surf fishing, marine habitat exploration, and world-class watersports – Daytona area beaches have everything you could ever need for an awesome day in the Florida sun!
Beach Street
Grab your group and head to Beach Street! Browse eclectic locally-owned shops, savor the vibrant flavors of authentic regional cuisines and enjoy unique entertainment and attractions—all in a scenic riverfront location. Season after season, fans crush into the stands to see the Cubs play at historic Jackie Robinson Stadium. Visitors throng to Beach Street’s exhibits, cool outdoor festivals, charming cafés and Florida’s oldest Saturday Farmers’ Market; popular “Riverfront Fridays” feature free movies in the park and an ever-changing variety of open-air activities and special vendors’ promotions to enjoy!
2
Marine Science Center
The Marine Science Center has tended nearly 900 juvenile and adult sea turtles, more than 15,000 hatchlings and wash backs (baby turtles that tumble back to shore during rough seas) and nearly 1,000 gopher tortoises, freshwater turtles, and snakes since it’s opening in 2002. As you may have guessed, turtle rehabilitation is one of the Center’s primary goals! A stroll on the Mary Keller Seabird Rehabilitation Sanctuary’s Birdwalk lets you meet its fortunate feathered residents, while a fabulous 1,400-gallon touch pool lets you shake “hands” with cow nose rays, Atlantic stingrays, several kinds of fish and a variety of intriguing little invertebrates. Hit the Nature Trail, slog through a mangrove estuary, visit Turtle Terrace and drop by the gift shop for a sweet selection of marine wildlife-themed mementos.
Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse and Museum
Your student group will thrill to the breathtaking views of the surrounding area from the top of this National Historic Landmark, just south of Daytona Beach. Wear comfortable shoes; in order to partake of that panoramic magic, you’re going to climb 203 steps up the cast-iron staircase of the second tallest lighthouse in the United States! Built to replace the original lighthouse damaged by a storm before it ever saw use, the “new” 175foot tower was constructed of bricks shipped from New York and Baltimore; the masonry work was considered to be of such fine quality that it was red-washed instead of painted to highlight its natural beauty. Upon its completion in 1887, the new light could be seen 20 miles to sea! Round out your tour with a peek inside the authentic light station buildings, which include several keepers’ dwellings, a two-seater “privy” and a pump house. If you’re lucky, you’ll meet Nellie, the resident feline.
Angell and Phelps Chocolate Factory Tour
The world-famous Angell & Phelps Chocolate Factory has been whipping up luscious batches of handcrafted treats like macadamia “honeybees,” milk and dark chocolate covered pretzels, popcorn, strawberries, graham crackers, and potato chips and all manner of sweet chocolate novelties and tempting assortments since 1925. Peek through the cottage windows to witness professionals making their trademark chocolates the old-fashioned way; these tasty free tours are 20 minutes in length and include a delicious sample! On the hunt for that perfect souvenir for a family member or a friend? If so, Angell & Phelps offers a variety of whimsical options, including chocolate dolphins, flip flops, gators, palm trees and starfish!
Jackie Robinson Ballpark Tour
Visitors flock to historic Jackie Robinson Ballpark - site of the first racially-integrated MLB game in baseball history - for photographs with the memorial statue of baseball pioneer Jack Roosevelt *Jackie* Robinson, who crashed the barriers banning black athletes from the sport by becoming the first African-American to play modern-era Major League Baseball. Renamed in Jackie’s honor in 1989, the ballpark - home of the Daytona Cubs and Bethune-Cookman Wildcats - is a favorite Daytona Beach venue for classic minor league action amidst all of the old-school atmosphere a true-blue fan could ask for!
Starlite Dinner Cruise
You and your young charges are in Daytona having the time of your lives. Why not treat them to a fabulous evening excursion aboard St. Petersburg’s StarLite Princess - the perfect way to show your appreciation for a year of hard work and dedication! This plush American Paddlewheel Cruise Ship offers its passengers a flawless dinner cruise experience: enjoy your choice of fresh, expertly-prepared menu selections served with special Starlite flair, live entertainment, scintillating waterfront views from her spotless decks and dancing beneath the blinking stars.
3
The Museum of Arts and Sciences and Planetarium
The Museum of Arts & Sciences is central Florida’s primary art, science, and history institution, situated in beautiful Tuscawilla Preserve. MOAS hosts an exciting array of multinational and multidisciplinary collections, exhibitions, research, and teaching facilities, including The Root Family Museum – featuring Popular Americana including vintage automobiles, railroad cars and the largest collection of Coca-Cola® memorabilia in Florida, a children’s museum, an authentic prehistoric Giant Ground Sloth skeleton, the finest collection of American art in the Southeast and a wonderful planetarium presenting daily star shows and too-cool Second Saturday Laser Rock concerts!
Daytona International Speedway Tour
Young fans of all things fast and furious will truly enjoy a tour of Daytona International Speedway, the home of "The Great American Race" - the DAYTONA 500! This enormous 480-acre complex, appropriately nicknamed “The World Center of Racing,” boasts the most diverse racing schedule on the planet. In addition to hosting eight major race weekends, the grounds are a wildly popular venue for all manner of civic and social gatherings, photo shoots, car shows, production vehicle testing, and police motorcycle training. Get behind the scenes - experience fascinating highlights of racing history and view first-hand significant NASCAR points of interest; cross the ground where tempers flaring out of control, Cale and Donnie waged their infamous '79 brawl, and stand in the spot where Dale celebrated the victory that defined a generation. What treasured memories for any racing fan!