Daytona Beach with Family

Lodging

Around Town

• Jim Oliver's Smoke House
• Hog Haven BBQ
• Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
• Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery
• Joe's Crab Shack

• Daytona Tortugas MiLB
• Daytona International Speedway
• Museum of Aviation — Check hours when they are open. We have tried to go again, but haven't timed our travel through correctly.

What We Did

We left home and drove to Macon, GA about 14 hours total. We left around 8 a.m. and arrived at the hotel around 10 p.m.

We left the hotel around 8:30 a.m. and arrived in Daytona Beach around 4:30 p.m. After settling into the hotel, we met G, N, H, and S and went to a Daytona Tortugas baseball game. It was O’s first baseball game, where he earned the nickname Tiny Tortuga. A enjoyed sharing food with S and playing with H. Our tickets included hot dogs, popcorn, and drinks. On the way in, we stopped for a dugout photo-op with the boys.

We woke up and went to the beach for a few hours. O slept on the blanket under an umbrella while A dug in the sand, though he refused to go near the water. We returned to the room for lunch and naps. Dinner was at Hog Haven with G, N, H, and S in outdoor seating with fencing by the main road. Afterward, we browsed nearby shops. Once the boys were asleep, C and I hung out on the balcony overlooking the ocean.

We headed to the pool and beach again. A preferred the pool and refused to take off his floaty even on the sand. After beach time, we went to the Daytona Motor Speedway, where A got a picture in front of the Dale Earnhardt statue. Lunch, naps, then dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. O did great in his high chair; A was active, and the restaurant was busy. We returned to the hotel afterward.

Back to the pool and beach, still our best system for kids this age. Short beach time meant less sunburn risk, fewer crowds, cooler temps, and perfect timing for lunch and naps. After naps, C and I got ready for a date night while G, N, H, and S watched the boys and had pizza and soda. C and I went to Rock Bottom near the speedway, then walked the beach at sunset to take pictures and look for shells. H later scared O with the Spongebob “liddle liddle lee” noise.

Last full day! We woke up early and were on the beach by 9 when the UV index was lower. A finally sat with me at the edge of the water and enjoyed the waves and watching tiny mussels bury themselves. After beach time, we went to the pool. O napped under the umbrella again. After lunch and naps, we got ready for dinner at Joe’s Crab Shack. A storm popped up, so dinner ran long. We grabbed a quick family picture outside under storm clouds. As we left, a bird pooped on S while she was carrying A, and I got some on me, too. We ran back to the hotel to change. When the rain eased up, we went to more shops. From the balconies at night we’d been watching people with lights on the beach and finally learned they were catching crabs. We saw small fish and crabs up close.

We got up early, packed, and said goodbye to N, G, H, and S. Breakfast stop: Krispy Kreme. We saw a sign for an aviation museum in Perry, GA, and stopped for a perfect leg stretch. A loved seeing the planes and climbing inside them. We ended the day in Monteagle, TN, at The Smoke House, a cozy 1960s-era hotel located in the middle of Tennessee’s largest state park.

We didn't make any stops here, except for staying in the hotel and then heading home the next day. We decided we needed to head back to this area someday.

Planned vs. What Happened

If We Did It Again