BEAMING WITH JOY
The list of “bests” that Florida's New Smyrna Beach has garnered could stretch from Daytona to Canaveral. Best beach year after year. Best surfing location. Best family destination. Best seaside dining.
But the only accolade one needs to keep in mind when planning a vacation is simple: “Best for me.” And New Smyrna sweeps this superlative with adventurous families, foodies, surfers (and newbies), beach buggy lovers and folks who savor seaside life.
There's a reason CNN Travel just named it one of the top seven “Waterfront towns worth a closer look.” It's a spot where history meets the arts, where amazing food choices meet breathtaking scenery, and where all kinds of fun can be found.
All this is centered around the pristine beach that stretches 13 miles. While the beach has vehicle access, it's quiet and family-friendly. Rock ledges, four miles out from the beach, cut and toss the sea waves, forming perfect surf for those who love the sport. Pros are often seen practicing offshore, while lessons are available for every level of surfer. More than one surf love affair has been born there. To catch amazing waves or to simply watch masters at play, head to The Inlet, the area's prime surfing location.
There are other outdoor adventures, too, with a bevy of water sports available on-site. Kayak-
ing and paddle boarding are easy to find and easy to learn (thanks to pros who will teach you the ins and outs). Boating off the coast is sublime and the fishing is excellent, with charters available for the avid fisherman in search of the ultimate catch or the vacationer looking to just try it out.
Your artistic side will be satisfied with a visit to New Smyrna Beach. The thriving and still growing art community offers plenty of exciting, original works, and invites visitors to experience it first-hand. At the Hub on Canal, visitors can meander through 70 working artist studios and get up close to glass art, sculpture, painting in many mediums and more. Artists are at work and always willing to chat about their pieces and their inspiration. Artwork is also available to experience at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, a nationally heralded artist-in-residency program that offers events and displays for the public year-round.
And what of those two other beloved vacation “sports”: shopping and dining? New Smyrna has them covered. There's the quaint and walkable downtown and the famed Flagler Avenue, which stretches directly to the beach and is dotted with amazing shops and dining choices. Here's the cool thing: Despite nearly countless dining options to choose from, there is one type you won't find: a chain. The seaside town made a conscious choice not to allow any restaurant chains into its main shopping and dining district.
What you find instead is wide variety, including Italian, Mexican, sushi, classic American and more, all run as mom-andpop businesses.
Some great choices include Norwood's, a treehouse bar and restaurant.
(Yes, really, a treehouse you ascend to dine in.) The cool factor of that setting is worth a visit alone, but the food choices, from seafood casserole to sandwiches and burgers, make it a must-visit as well. (The site started as a Pan Am gas station in 1929.)
There's also Breakers, a great spot for over-thetop burgers and peoplewatching, since tables are along the beachfront.
History always makes a vacation memorable. New Smyrna Beach lays claim to being the second spot for attempted colonization in America (just behind St. Augustine). There's plenty to learn about that effort, as well as things such as Old Fort Park. No one quite knows the true history of the giant and mysterious fort located on the beach. You can tour it, study it and come up with your own theories. There's also the Sugar Mill Ruins, destroyed in the Seminole Wars.
Staying is easy with many options, from major hotels such as the Hampton Inn (which is designed to blend into the Flagler Avenue vibe with its cracker architectural style), to bed-and-breakfasts such as the Black Dolphin Inn, located on the Intercostal Waterway and a great choice for romance, or the clever Inn on the Avenue on Flagler Avenue, with its adorable “theme rooms” such as the Starfish Room and the Lighthouse Room. Visitors can find familyfriendly hotels and motels, B&B's and condos for a relaxing stay.
The area's high season kicks off in December, but unlike other Florida locations, New Smyrna never gets overrun. With its long beach, plentiful restaurants, beautiful ocean, unique shopping, art scene, history and cool vibe, New Smyrna Beach can win your personal “best of” as well. Learn more at nsbfla.com.