“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…” Dr. Seuess
And we’re off! We have the car packed, bags packed, cooler packed. Where are we going? Key West! We are so very excited to tell you all about our Key West CAMPING adventure.
We wanted to tell you about one of our other favorite spots in Florida before we made this new crazy journey. If you love beautiful white sand beaches out-looking a totally gorgeous ocean, then New Smyrna beach is a great spot for you to put on your vacation list! New Smyrna is where my Florida love affair began. The beaches that encompassed my college spring breaks were not my ideal getaways for a relaxing vacation. Nevertheless, once this spot was so graciously put on my radar I will not let it go out of my heart.
I think we would both agree in saying that there are not enough good things to say about the little town of New Smyrna. It is actually one of the best surf spots in Florida, and though I haven’t gotten to ride the waves yet, Andrew was getting really good. I love watching the expert surfers ride, it makes me even more anxious to learn; I promise to make Andrew show you pictures of me (falling). I have the surf board part of the equation but somehow every time we head to the beach with it the wave conditions are not surf appropriate * sigh * just another quest for the bucket list. Anyway, the beach area itself is just breathtaking. With white sand and endless waves it is a dream spot. One of my favorite things to do at any beach is to embark on a lengthy stroll down the waterfront. Miles do seem quite shorter when the ocean is kissing your toes. My favorite walk that we took (and we would definitely recommend you try) was to Ponce Inlet, it is about three miles down from New Smyrna (beach entrance at Flaggler Ave) and it separates New Smyrna from Daytona. You can sit on the rocks and enjoy the view, we caught a few dolphins out there or you can chat up the always friendly fisherman that are there, if you’re really into fishing they caught some huge red drum.
There is also a state park here in New Smyrna. Canaveral National Seashore, I had never been to a state park on a beach. Needless to say it is marvelous. It is just so natural, usually at a beach there are so many man-made aspects but here the shell covered beach is surrounded by massive forests which is home to a sorts of wildlife. Oh and here’s a little fun fact for you; Canaveral is home to one of the only Florida public nude beaches. My favorite part about this park is that after you spend your time on the beach you can go on a hike! Those are two of my favorite things to do in the whole world, in one spot! My mind was truly opened up to a new horizon, the best of both worlds. This is a definite must check out spot!
Another event that occurs here is a beautiful sunrise over the ocean, we promise it is well worth waking up for. The sun sneaks out to say good morning right from behind the rolling waves. If this is not perfection I’m not sure what is. A sunrise is just pure bliss in the most peaceful time of the morning. Please go enjoy it for yourself in New Smyrna.
The town itself has some awesome spots as well, we have enjoyed many restaurants here, if your looking for a spot where you can enjoy an ocean view, Breakers is excellent. Definitely try the Mahi, it is what we have every time. Try it blackened, grilled or my personal favorite, on a sandwich, it is all to die for. While if you’re looking for somewhere in town Jason’s has the best crab cakes I have personally ever had. Another great place to check out is the Hub, it is for local artists to sell their pieces. I got my mother a beautiful hand made glass dolphin that she adores. But, I think we will both agree that our favorite spot is JB’s. JB’s is a restaurant on the lake that also has watersport equipment available for rental. Not to mention the absolutely stunning scenery! Available for rental here are kayaks, canoes and paddle boards. We chose kayaking, I have one word about kayaking, WORKOUT. I definitely held the team together ask Andrew… okay that’s a lie I made it about forty yards before I chose the princess seat and was the travel photographer. What really made our trip so awesome were the dolphins and manatees. The dolphins would jump directly in front of you and the manatees would float right up next to your boat or board and let you rub their belly. I have never experienced something so astonishing; these animals were just loving life. We stretched our time on the water out as long as we could before taking it in and enjoying some excellent seafood. Please do yourself a favor and check out this spot if you are ever in the area!
All in all, this is a perfect, quaint little beach town that has both of our hearts and we are sure will captivate you as well. All of the activities and restaurants here are relatively inexpensive for a beach town, so don’t expect a wallet buster. And though we have been lucky enough to have a place to stay while we visit, the town is filled with precious boutique hotels and beachfront condos! Add this vacation spot to your list, you’re gonna love it!
