Southern USA Road Trip: A Family Journey, Florida - Part 2
After soaking up the charm of Savannah, we hit the road for Daytona Beach. The drive from Savannah to Daytona takes about 3.5 hours, but we (or should I say ‘I’) decided to add a little extra fun by making a quick stop in the historic city of St. Augustine. Here’s a peek into our journey!
St. Augustine St. Augustine was a great surprise! Known as the ‘Nations Oldest City’, founded in 1565, it’s brimming with charm. We spent a couple of hours exploring historic district, with its eclectic mix of shops, cafes, and galleries. Ideally we could have done with more time here, as it would have been great to visit the National Park, Castillo de San Marcos. This is a 17th-century Spanish fortress offering beautiful views of the inlet, we stopped there for a few photos, but it was hot, and my son was keen to get to the beach so we hit the road again!
Arrival in Daytona Beach Just over an hour later, we arrived at Daytona, known as the "World’s Most Famous Beach." We stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel, which was spot-on for our family. Right on the beach, the hotel had a great atmosphere, a fantastic pool, and most importantly good coffee! The sunrises were truly breathtaking—definitely worth setting the alarm for!
Daytona International Speedway: One of the highlights of our stay was the visit to Daytona International Speedway. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the tour was surprisingly engaging. Here are some fun facts:
The Speedway hosts the prestigious Daytona 500, one of NASCAR’s biggest races. The track is 2.5 miles long with 31-degree banking in the turns, making it one of NASCAR’s fastest tracks. It seats about 101,000 people, so it’s pretty big! The tour includes the Daytona 500 Experience museum, featuring historic race cars and interactive exhibits. Everyone in the family enjoyed the tour. We got to ride around the track, visit Victory Lane, and learn about NASCAR’s rich history (Did you know the track was originally on the beach??!) It was a fantastic experience, even for those who aren’t huge racing fans.
Beach Time Fun We spent plenty of time enjoying the Daytona Beach shoreline. It was nice to take a day to relax. My kids loved the ocean, although it wasn’t without a few mishaps—my husband lost his sunglasses and our daughter lost an earring to the waves! But honestly, it was worth it. The sand at Daytona is almost silver, making the beach truly unique and beautiful.
Daytona Beach was exactly what I expected – a little dated and cheesy, but that’s almost part of its charm. It has a nostalgic feel that’s hard not to love!
Time to move on, and our next stop: the Kennedy Space Centre. Before I dive into the details, here’s my top tip: be cautious when selecting your destination in Google Maps. You’ll want to set your navigation to the Visitors Centre specifically. We ended up on a rather convoluted detour—#rookiemistake!
We all loved this, and it certainly lived up to the hype. The Kennedy Space Centre is massive, with so much to see and do. Here are a few highlights:
Space Shuttle Atlantis: This was my personal favourite. Even though I’m not a space enthusiast, seeing the Atlantis up close was incredibly moving. The shuttle is beautifully displayed and the exhibits surrounding it are fascinating. Trust me, the queues are worth it!
Rocket Garden: Outside, you can explore a collection of rockets and spacecraft that showcase the evolution of space exploration. It’s a great spot for photos and to appreciate the history of space travel.
Kennedy Space Center Bus Tour: A comprehensive tour of the Kennedy Space Center’s launch complex and other facilities, providing behind-the-scenes looks at the spaceport (the waters around this area of full of alligators, so remember to keep a close eye out from the bus!)
A full day is essential to explore the Kennedy Space Centre, and even then, we didn’t manage to see everything. There’s just so much to take in and experience.
Next on our itinerary was Orlando...check out our highlights of Orlando on my next blog!
