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City in Florida, United States
Photo: Gamweb, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
In New Smyrna Beach, a city in Volusia County of Florida, blue skies meet 13 mi of white sand on what has been named one of the world's "best surf beaches" by Surf magazine and National Geographic. New Smyrna Beach lays claim to the best Florida offers — excellent backwater, offshore fishing, golf, historical sites, cultural events, and eclectic shopping and dining experiences along Flagler Avenue and Canal Street. Although the beach is the "shark bite capital of the world," don't let that discourage you from visiting the beach and having a good time.
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An upscale art gallery on Douglas Street.
Founded by local artist Doris "Doc" Leeper, this tranquil artist seminary plays hosts to artists worldwide, and invites them to come and create art at the center. The center itself is an architectural marvel in the modern architectural style, but in an area that feels surprisingly remote for an arts center, hidden inside the rainforest. Exhibits are always coming and going.
Galleria di Vetro, a unique experience in glass is a thriving gallery and working studio. The Galleria specializes in architectural installations for both commercial and residential spaces, as well as custom pieces in any form. Featuring live glassblowing demonstrations, classes for all ages and world famous and local artists such as Hans Godo-Frabel, John Blazy, Shane Fero, Kyle Carni and many more.
There are several local art galleries here, along with music performances and various arts-related activities and events. A large mural is painted on the side of the building, facing a street that intersects Canal.
The museum includes artifacts dating from pre-Columbian times through to the modern era, with an emphasis on the Turnbull settlement. Among the most notable historical artifacts are thousand-year-old Native American tools and a Byzantine Christian medal discovered at one of the Turnbull colony residences. In addition, the museum includes drawn plans and maps of the city demonstrating land grants and geographical features of the region.
The Old Fort, a former house of unknown origin that was converted into a quasi-fort during the Civil War, existed near the intersection of Riverside and Canal Street; but today, only a stone foundation remains. You can see the fort from the road, but it's also open as a park and the surroundings are walkable. Due to erosion, the foundation is well below the structural level and it is therefore impossible to navigate deep into the pit to reach the rooms, although they can be viewed from above. Around the mansion are several trees and a lawn.
Circa 1830 this sugar mill was built by colonists with slaves performing the brutal manual labor. The mill quickly proved difficult to sustain, as its operation took place amid the Seminole Wars, and the colonial settlement proved strategic to the conflict. Successful counterattacks by the Seminole Tribe captured the site and it was subsequently burned, although being constructed by coquina stone these fires had relatively little impact on the structure itself, much of which still stands. The site was subsequently abandoned and forgotten for decades before being rediscovered and thought to have been a much older site built by missionaries or even Columbus himself. Large pots and other tools related to the production of sugar remain in the building, in addition to the impressive mill, which was constructed with arches, halls, and furnaces.
One of the most beautiful sites in NSB, the islet is tidal and accessible only by boat. Local travel agencies organize tours of the island, while locals who are familiar with the tides and waterways come on their own boats. At low tide the islet, which is covered by low shrubs and beaches, offers beautiful views of Ponce Inlet to the east and the Intracoastal Waterway to the north and south.
Small aquarium and tour agency. Tours launch from the marina on North Causeway, not the site of the aquarium.
Popular with bird watchers, the islet is one of the primary landmarks of the New Smyrna harbor. The mangroves and scrub covering the islet attract various species of local birds. However, boaters should view from a distance and avoid the islet itself and surrounding sandbanks in order to respect the local wildlife.
Hiles Boat Ramp is a concrete single boat ramp off of Hiles Boulevard.
Capt. Tony Pantuso is a full-time fishing guide specializing in light tackle inshore fishing for trophy redfish and seatrout.
Small golf course south of Turnbull Bay and the NSB sports complex.
A larger golf course and Italian restaurant south of Hidden Lakes; the main golf course in the city.
Golf course at Turnbull Estates, a residential community on the west side of Turnbull Bay.
The westernmost golf course on the southern side of Venetian Bay. Like the Turnbull Golf Course, it surrounds residential areas and lakes.
This secluded wildlife preserve offers miles of lonely trails that lead to 60 ft sand cliffs that slope gracefully into Spruce Creek. These sand bluffs are among the largest in Florida. The trail signs tend to be confusing, so use a GPS such as your smartphone on satellite view to keep track of where you are.
A popular beachfront park where Flagler Ave meets the ocean. The park offers unpaved parking space for the surrounding shops and restaurants on Flagler Ave, while a raised walkway and benches provide view of the beach and the Atlantic. It is one of the various points in New Smyrna that offers public beach access, including to vehicles.
Open daily sunrise to sunset. Perched on 250 acres of sand dunes at the northern tip of the New Smyrna Beach peninsula, the area is surrounded by water on three sides, as it's where the Ponce Inlet, the Intracoastal Waterway, and the Atlantic Ocean meet. The park consists of five ecosystems (ocean, river, dunes, scrub zone, saltwater marsh).
Provides a 42 ft custom Newton Dive Vessel, New Smyrna Beach's only U.S. Coast Guard Certified dive vessel. Relaxing SCUBA diving for up to 16, with a divemaster or instructor on every trip. Full service PADI dive center, NITROX Fill station, spearfishing specialists, and a full range of PADI certifications. There are beautiful reefs, along with wrecks, and some of the largest lobsters on the east coast of U.S.
Offers five hard tennis courts in a predominantly residential neighborhood south of Flagler Ave.
Seafood and chicken of typical local prices.
Florida seafood and luscious tropical drinks. Listen to live music while laying around the pool and sipping on a special cocktail.
Health food store that offers wonderful organic prepared food to grab 'n' go. Delicious smoothies, wheat grass and vegetable juices available daily. The store also has a full array of grocery items, organic produce, gluten-free products and organic meats.
A health foods restaurant with sandwiches, wraps and ice cream.
Seafood. Nice views of the waterway.
An institution in New Smyrna Beach that successfully made the change from fans, screen doors and smoked mullet to fine dining, wines, and air conditioning. It serves American cuisine, such as burgers and fries, but also has an upstairs treehouse, where there is a bar and therefore does not permit kids and teenagers.
Offers fine dining with a great view of the Intracoastal Waterway (Indian River). There is a hotel next to the restaurant.
Ambience is unbeatable at the upscale Garlic, featuring savory Tuscan music, Al Fresco dining, and live music most nights. Surrounding the restaurant is a beautiful garden, with lush plants all around it, despite being close to the South Causeway Road.
Popular restaurant with a large menu, with its emphasis on seafood and steak. For quantity at lower prices, this is the place to come, as you'll get the opportunity to self-serve soup or salad and you'll receive some snacks along with your main course, probably the prime rib the restaurant is best known for. Parking is limited to the immdiate surrounds of the restaurant. The restaurant's main positives are that it has a lively atmosphere, especially in the evenings, and provides a good example of American cuisine. It's not walkable from Canal St but is easily visible by car from US-1.
Canal Street's main attraction, with beautiful tropical foliage surrounding the restaurant's modern, urban-style interior design in a dimly-lit but atmospheric environment. Upscale American cuisine is served here. There are outdoor and indoor options for seating, although it's often quite busy, so you can't trust that the option for outdoor seating (or indoor seating, for that matter) will be available.
Serves meals around the day; the best time to come is around breakfast/lunch, although there is also a dinner menu. There is limited outdoor seating along with a larger dining area indoors.
Receives praise from reviewers for its Thai cuisine.
Locals often recommend this restaurant, although it is one of the smaller units along Canal Street.
Tapas bar and restaurant, which offers Spanish (Basque) and American cuisine. Most options on the menu are in the low double digits in price.
Local cuisine specializing in farm-to-table.
Italian-American cuisine with less seafood than most local restaurants. Has both indoor and outdoor seating; the outdoor seating looks out onto a lake and fountain.
An American cuisine restaurant at Venetian Bay Golf Course featuring excellent prices, even for this area, with some dinner main courses at prices as low as $10. There's a nice seating area behind the restaurant with views of the golf course.
This place is a beach bar/restaurant, far from fancy, with the oceanfront setting and great cheeseburgers.
The old Gilley's Pub has changed hands many times. It is now owned locally and operates as the "Half Wall Brewery", featuring a wide selection of craft beer and locally brewed favorites.
Mixed reviews, with some pointing to the location and others noting poor standards in cleanliness and service.
Poor cleanliness standards according to a review.
Reviews are generally positive, with some criticizing the rooms for being out-of-date.
Twenty-two 2-bedroom, 2-bath non-smoking condo units.
Offering 102 suites featuring a private living area, ocean-side balcony and private bedrooms that can accommodate 6 to 8 guest. Seascape restaurant on-site.
Receives consistently high ratings, with the vast majority of reviewers in the highest categories.
Its location is a significant advantage, being close to the beach, a major contributor to its high ratings.
Another hotel near the beach, it receives generally high ratings from reviewers.
Vacation rentals, highly rated due to its proximity to the Flagler Ave district and the entrance to the beach.
Oceanfront motel with Tiki Bar and restaurant. Microwave, coffee maker and refrigerator in every room. Choice of motel rooms, efficiencies with full kitchens, studio apartments with king beds and sleeper sofa, one bedroom apartments.
This hotel on the western side of Flagler Avenue is painted a light tan color and therefore is easily recognizable from the other buildings along the street. It's generally upscale, and the lobby is kept in mint condition.
House converted to bed & breakfast adjacent to the Intracoastal Waterway.
Mansion turned to hotel on Riverside Dr near the Intracoastal Waterway.
Has views of the beach from its lobby, as well as live music on Friday and Saturday evenings. Much like its neighbor at the other end of Flagler Avenue, on the upscale end of medium-range.
Offers luxurious rentals, and the utmost in privacy.
Over 200 sites. It's well outside of downtown, but this should be expected for those who want to camp in the area.
By car
S. Highway 1 ("Old Dixie Highway") passes through the center of the city.
By train
Amtrak offers the Amtrak Auto Train service with its southern Terminus in Sanford, about 35 miles west of New Smyrna Beach.C. Metro Area.
By bus
By car
Roads in New Smyrna Beach are excellent with few exceptions, and as a visitor you'll want a car to cover the distances around the city and the distance to its neighbors, especially if you're planning…
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