Active Pursuits in Daytona Beach
Eco-Tours in Daytona Beach
Ponce Inlet Watersports, 4958 S. Peninsula Dr. (tel. 386/405-3445), provides a 90-minute water tour on a 32-passenger flat bottom boat of the area’s ecosystem on the Intracoastal waterways between Daytona and New Smyrna Beach. The boat also anchors off islands along the water so you can get off, explore, go shelling or sunning. Rates start at $31.50 per person.Fishing in Daytona Beach
The best way to fish offshore for cobia, sea bass, sharks, king mackerel, grouper, red snapper, and more is with Ponce Inlet Fishing Charters (tel. 386/290-9897), let by expert angler Captain Billy Rotne, whose knowledge of Ponce Inlet, Mosquito Lagoon and the surrounding areas, as well as history about NASA, flora, fauna, geology, and more is an added bonus to your angling. Rotne has three boats—Hell’s Bay Glades Skiff, Hell’s Bay Professional, and Yellowfin 24 Bay, considered the premiere bay boat—and they go out on six different trips with rates ranging from $750 for two anglers for a full eight hours, to $650 for four hours.Or save the cost of a boat by fishing with the locals on the Sunglow Pier at Crabby Joe’s Deck and Grill, 3701 S. Atlantic Ave., which was pummeled by Hurricane Ian in 2022 and expected to reopen sometime in 2025.
Golf in Daytona Beach
There are at least 20 courses within 30 minutes of the beach, and most hotels can arrange starting times for you.Two of the nation’s top-rated links are at the LPGA International, 1000 Championship Dr. (tel. 386/274-5742): the Champions course, designed by Rees Jones, and the Legends course, designed by Arthur Hills. Each boasts 18 outstanding holes. LPGA International is a center offering workshops and teaching programs for professional and amateur women golfers, and the pro shop carries a great selection of ladies’ equipment and clothing. Greens fees with a cart are usually about $59 to $105, lower in summer. Pssst—they let guys play here, too!
The North Course at The Club at Pelican Bay, 550 Sea Duck Dr. (tel. 386/756-0040), designed by Bill Amick, winds through waterways, loblolly pines, bayberry and white cedars and features long, demanding holes. Fun fact: In 1984, Orville Moody made a famous chip-in in a sudden death playoff to beat the legendary Arnold Palmer. Fees are about $25 to $50.
The city’s prime municipal course is the Daytona Beach Golf Club, 600 Wilder Blvd. (tel. 386/671-3500), which has 36 holes. Winter fees are about $20 to $35 to walk, $30 to $50 to share a cart. Rates drop in summer.
