The Best Free Thing's to Do in Daytona Beach

Daytona Beach is world famous and only a one hour drive from Orlando, so jump in the car and head on over to the east coast for a day, a weekend, or a week at the beach!

Of course the beach is the biggest draw in Daytona, and quite rightly so, but there's a lot to do in the Daytona Beach area that won't bust your budget, Daytona offers value after value.

Check out our handy list of all the FREE things to do during your time in DAYTONA BEACH!

The Best FREE Thing's To Do In Daytona Beach!

The Beach

Of course top of our list of free thing's to do in Daytona Beach is of course, the BEACH!

The beach is what Daytona is famous the world over for, and there truly is something special about driving on Daytona Beach, it's something you have to do, but remember, it's not free to drive on the beach, it costs $20 per vehicle, per day.

If you are a regular visitor, it's with buying an annual pass, passes are $25 for Volusia County residents and $100 for non-residents.

We have so many memories of parking up on the beach, spending the day on the beach, and having the best days ever.

Although the beach is mostly known for the stretch near the pier, the beach which is known as “the world’s most famous beach”, has more than 23 miles of coastline with various coastal parks along the way.

Daytona Beach offers warm sand, crystal-clear water, wide shallows, and pure, fresh air, perfect for time away from Orlando!

You can enjoy the many beach bars, swimming, surfing, shell collecting, boating, water skiing, and any other water sport you can think of.

Daytona Beach Boardwalk and Pier

The Daytona Beach Boardwalk and Pier is one of the most popular things to do in Daytona Beach, the Pier traditional pier that extends a quarter mile into the ocean and is surrounded by stores, arcades, and amusements.

You can people watch or rent bikes and cruise along the boardwalk.

Sun Splash Park

This four-acre oceanfront park at south Atlantic Avenue features decorative walkways, a shaded playground, picnic areas, restrooms, outdoor showers and two beach access ramps

Best of all, it features an interactive water fountains and a sea-themed interior that is ideal for young children.

It offers free, off-beach parking (95 spaces) and is open sunrise to sunset.

Angell & Phelps Chocolate Factory Tour

Located in the historic Riverfront Shops in downtown Daytona Beach at 154 South Beach Street, Angell & Phelps Chocolates has been a Daytona Beach tradition since 1925.

Take a free self-guided tour anytime during regular operating hours of the chocolate factory, and enjoy a free sample!

Gourmet chocolate, fudge, candies, and presents are what Angell and Phelps Chocolate Factory is all about, and in the retail shop, you’ll be amazed at the selection of unique chocolates and other confectionary treats.

The Casements

Formerly the winter home of multi-millionaire John D. Rockefeller, The Casements located at 25 Riverside Drive, Ormond Beach, now serves as the City of Ormond Beach's cultural center and museum containing art and historical exhibits.

The Casements is registered on the National Register of Historic Places, and free tours of the Rockefeller period rooms and other exhibits are offered 10 am to 2:30 pm, Monday through Friday and 10 am to 11:30 am, Saturday.

Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation Home & Gravesite

Bethune-Cookman University is one of the richest resources of African-American historical and cultural exhibits in Florida.

Located on the Bethune-Cookman University campus in Daytona Beach, the Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation Home & Gravesite is a historic home that offers free tours.

The Mary McLeod Bethune Home & Gravesite is a must-see, and features fascinating antiques and images of notable guests and US presidents.

The house also showcases the exquisite furnishings and early 20th-century architecture, as well as the thought that went into their selection.

Southeast Museum of Photography

Located at Daytona State College, 1200 West International Speedway Boulevard, Daytona Beach, The Southeast Museum of Photography is one of only 12 specialized museums of its kind in the United States, and one of fewer than 30 throughout the world.

The museum is Florida's official museum of photography. Free admission. Check the website for hours.

Michael Crotty Bicentennial Park

The Michael Crotty Bicentennial Park at Ocean Shore Boulevard, Ormond Beach, stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Halifax River and covers five ecological systems.

It features tennis and racquetball courts, a softball field, a fishing pier, an exercise trail, and picnicking facilities.

Admission is free, and the park is open daily from sunrise to sunset.

North Peninsula State Recreation Area

5 miles north of Granada Blvd. on Hwy. A1A, Ormond Beach you will discover the 900-acre North Peninsula State Recreational Park that offers over two miles of sandy beaches for recreational use.

The area, which is open daily with free admission, features palmetto dunes and sea turtles, as well as some of the best surf fishing in the area.

Ormond Memorial Art Museum & Gardens

Ormond Memorial Art Museum & Gardens is located at East Granada Boulevard, showcases paintings, drawings, video, mixed media, photography and three-dimensional works of art.

Adjacent to the museum are lush tropical gardens that offer a beautiful setting complete with gazebo and nature trails, fish ponds and fountains.

Open daily, dawn to dusk. Admission is free, but a $2 donation is requested for each visitor, with the exception of seniors (60 and older) and children.

Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens

Set amid 12 acres of lush botanical gardens on Old Sugar Mill Road (U.S. 1 to Herbert Street), Port Orange, stands the remains of an English sugar mill.

Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens were once home to the 1940s theme park, Bongoland.

Life-size dinosaur statues remain in the tropical setting and are still a favorite with children. The gardens also house a human sundial. The facility is open daily from dawn to dusk, and admission is free.

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