Situated near Intracoastal Waterway Mile Marker 830, Daytona Beach is a popular beach get away, but is also a major stopping point for boaters cruising north and south along the Waterway. Daytona Beach is 50 miles south of Saint Augustine and the same distance north of Cape Canaveral. Daytona Beach not only has excellent attractions for tourists, but also an excellent selection of shops for provisioning, restaurants for dining and marinas for resting.

Vacationers have been flocking to the Daytona Beach area for more than a century. During the late 1800s, the area caught the attention and imagination of many wealthy northern tycoons who found the land favorable for investment. One such mogul, Matthias Day, was the founding father of what was then called Daytona. He had built the first hotel, the Palmetto House, in 1874.

Automobile racing became a regular pastime along the hard-packed beaches at the turn of the 20th Century. Ormond Beach became known as the "birthplace of speed" due to the various land speed records set there. In 1947, the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing was founded in Daytona Beach. Motorsports gained new ground in 1959 with the opening of the Daytona International Speedway, which continues to satisfy hundreds of thousands of speed-hungry fans each year. Today, the Daytona Beach area entertains approximately 8 million visitors each year.

Portions Courtesy Daytona Beach Chamber of Commerce

Use NOAA Chart 11485.

There are four bridges to navigate on the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) in Daytona Beach, and two of them are draw spans that operate on restricted opening schedules. The first bridge is the twin Daytona Beach Seabreeze Bridge, which has a fixed vertical clearance of 66 feet. Next in line is the Main Street Bascule Bridge, which has a closed vertical clearance of 22 feet and opens on signal. About a half-mile farther south is the International Speedway Bridge with a fixed vertical clearance of 65 feet. Last, but not least is the only draw span in Daytona Beach with a restricted opening schedule, the Memorial Bascule Bridge (21-foot closed vertical clearance). Year round, Monday through Saturday, except Federal holidays, the bridge does not open from 7:45 to 8:45 a.m. and from 4:45 to 5:45 p.m., but does open for waiting boats at 8:15 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. The bridge open on signal at all other times.

Most of the marinas in Daytona Beach are located just past the Memorial Bascule Bridge (21-foot closed vertical clearance; restricted opening schedule) on the west side of the ICW near Mile 831. Four facilities sit here and all of them accept transient guests. On facility has a lift and repair facilities on site, and all but two have gas and diesel fuel.

Local Notices to Mariners are now exclusively available online from the U.S. Coast Guard.

Delta Comair, Continental Express and United Express airlines all operate on regular schedules out of the Daytona International Airport. Shuttle and taxi service can be arranged by contacting the airport. Alternatively, the Orlando International Airport is only 50 miles away to the southwest.

For detailed flight schedules or to arrange shuttle or taxi service, see the “Helpful Links” section below for further details.

City of Daytona Beach

Daytona Beach Chamber of Commerce

Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau

Daytona Beach Calendar of Events

Daytona Beach Transportation

Daytona Beach International Airport