I just can’t get over Daytona Beach!
On or off the water, it’s pure fun, and there’s heat without humidity, which I really like. 
Apparently alligators keep their cool here too. After pushing off at the Cracker Creek launch site onto Spruce Creek, I got carried away by the black water, almost into the waiting arms of a 10-foot alligator! I’d never seen fish swimming inches under the water, nor hardwood forests, marshes and cypress swamps co-existing in Canada, but within seconds my fascination ceases…….I look up and lock eyes with a 10-foot alligator lounging at the water’s edge. Screaming and paddling madly to avoid a head-on collision, I head in the other direction of the canoe trail, phew! (The 175-acre natural preserve surroundings have created a variety of habitats for plants, animals and birds, including some endangered species.)
If you’d rather stay put on land and tour Gamble Place you could find out why James Gamble (the famed half of Proctor & Gamble) built his family retreat at Spruce Creek. www.oldfloridapioneer.com
Still water bound on the Halifax River along the Intercoastal Waterway, we’re aboard the River Queen II, leaving the steering to the expert captain and crew. Powered by water jets, the paddle wheeler poses no threat to manatees and dolphins that frolic close by and entertain passengers. The sumptuous luncheon had almost everyone indulging in seconds! www.riverqueenII.com
And while on the subject of food, dining is a breeze in Daytona Beach. Steps from our accommodation at the Hilton Oceanfront Resort, is Bubba Gump Seafood Company and Market at Ocean Walk Shoppes. The menu variety is awesome, from steaks to seafood. I was tempted by the Peel-n-Eat Shrimps, a 12-ounce serving of shrimps flavored by secret garlic and Cajun spices, seafood boil spice blend and Bubba’s smoky garlic butter, but chose Lt. Dan’s Drunken Prawns. The dish is actually barbecued shrimp and Andouille sausage drenched with hot and spicy butter, Bourbon sauce and clam juice alongside rice. www.bubbagump.com
A great breakfast hangout is The Dancing Avocado Kitchen where nine marvelous omelet creations abound, as well as burritos and Amanda’s Belgium Waffles. The juice bar serves fresh squeezed carrot, apple and carrot-apple blend. Check out The Avocado Pantry for souvenir hot sauces, dressings, sea salts and Florida honey. www.avocadokitchen.net
For the full breakfast, no-holds-barred crowd, Daytona Diner on N. Beach St. has a full assortment of eggs, pancakes and biscuits and gravy. The themed hot skillets feature Start Your Engine, Open Road and Five Speed – eggs, melted cheese on potatoes and onions, with either sausage gravy, plain veggies or with ham, bacon or sausage added.
The Inlet Harbor Marina and Restaurant at Ponce Inlet dishes up great lunch fare in challenging portions for tablemate Ruth, but the coconut shrimp, chicken wraps, sandwiches, burgers and ‘dogs or catch of the day with all the fixing’s were more than welcome for the bigger appetites. Kudos for the Key Lime Pie too! www.inletharbor.com
Another favorite eatery is Angell & Phelps Café, where rib eye steaks, filet mignon, lamb and chicken rival shrimp, scallops and salmon on the menu. I selected Shrimp Ponzu, tasty sophistication at its best – citrus ponzu sauce and spicy sirachi on shrimps (the size of prawns) and fresh asparagus crown angel hair pasta. But it’s the heaven sent dessert that makes my night – warm, dark chocolate trickles lava-like from the chocolate cake, so yummy-licious I devoured every last morsel! Too bad we missed the tour at their chocolate factory next door, but the samples were sure testimony to the quality customers have enjoyed since 1925. www.angellandphelpscafe.com
It’s aloha time at Teauilla’s Hawaiian Dinner Show held in a cavernous building filled with tourists hungry for a luau, which is actually an assorted buffet. Tempted by the promise of chocolate lava from the volcano I envisioned something like the sinfully good chocolate cake at Angell & Phelps, only to be faced with plain chocolate pudding. Maybe Teauilla’s can enlist some culinary talent from A&P? The music and dancing hula “girls” gave the show a lift, although a bigger dance troupe might liven things up a bit more. www.teauilashawaii.com
Although there were no races on at the Daytona International Speedway, we had an abbreviated speedway tour, stopped at the winner’s circle platform, and even got to “race” in a virtual Daytona 500 race……the motion simulator ride is worth the thrilling experience, even if it feels weird. www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com
Daytona Lagoon is a grown-up kid’s place if you enjoy a mix of water park activities, mini-golf, rides and games including laser tag. I laughed myself silly getting zapped over and over again, my only excuse - the heavyweight vest. The arcade was fun although I never won any prizes, as was go-karting even if a couple of us got lapped by the likes of Merle. As for the carousel ride, my camel never moved an inch so next time I’ll ride the pig or the rabbit. www.daytonalagoon.com
The climb to the top of Florida’s tallest lighthouse at Ponce de Leon Inlet is all of 203 steps, but it’s worth dispensing the energy to view the Florida coastline and Halifax River as it winds its way from Daytona Beach to New Smyrna Beach.
In 1887 the 175-foot lighthouse was built at what was once called Mosquito Inlet, illuminated by a kerosene lamp placed in a First Order Fresnel Lens to amplify the light, but in 1933 the flash pattern was changed by the United States Lighthouse Service and a Third Order Fresnel Lens was installed using an electric source instead of a lantern.
In 1970 the lighthouse was decommissioned and the lens were placed in the Coast Guard 
Academy Museum, but was returned three years later to Ponce Inlet. By 1980 the tower was re-activated and a marine aerobeacon was installed to provide the light, only to be destroyed by lightning 16 years later. The lighthouse became a private aid to navigation in 2004 when the restored Third Order Fresnel Lens was re-installed in the tower.
Tours of the lighthouse museum include the restored homes of former lighthouse keepers, station buildings and a Fresnel Lens collection featuring the rotating first order Fresnel lens from the Cape Canaveral and original Ponce Inlet lighthouses. www.ponceinlet.org
Over at the Marine Science Center 46,000 visitors annually tour a gallery of interactive displays, marine mammal bones exhibits and its renowned rehabilitation center for sea turtles and birds. There’s a lot to learn about Leatherback, Hawksbill, Kemp’s Ridley, Loggerhead and Green sea turtles, as well as Blue, Sperm, Right and Humpback whales (these two are endangered species.)
Some turtles are treated for trauma related to shark bite wounds caused by sinking their tiger teeth right through the turtle shell. As victims of boat strikes they are often injured (chopped) by propellers, and they face dangers of shell or plastic impaction – indirect ingestion of bits of plastic (jellyfish look-alikes) and whole crabs, crunched and swallowed, shells and all. This causes them to bloat and float to the surface, eventually washing ashore. By aspirating, water gets into the lungs causing respiratory problems and may also result in infections and pneumonia.
While at the center we learn rehab staff would be releasing two turtles and head to the beach to see them re-enter the ocean - Ebenezer, a six-month old Kemp’s Ridley, the rarest sea turtle species, had recovered from head trauma, and three-month-old Coleman, a Loggerhead, had suffered from impaction.
To witness the turtles regaining their sea legs check www.marinesciencecenter.com for upcoming release dates.
For a slice of Florida history, check out the Museum of Arts and Sciences with designated mini-museums showcasing art from Cuba, Africa, China and the Americana collections in the recently added Root Family Museum. I had no idea that the famous Coca Cola glass bottles were part of the Root Glass Company legacy. Thanks to President Fulgencio Batista and his wife, Marta, it boasts the largest permanent Cuban art exhibition outside of Cuba, a gift to city and people of Daytona Beach some 50 years ago. From December 7, 2007 to April 27, 2008, visitors will be treated to a 90-painting collection called Great Masters of Cuban Art 1800 to 1958, from the private collection of Cuban-born collectors Roberto and Carlos Ramos of Miami. www.moas.org
One evening we head to the Jackie Robinson Ballpark for a night of baseball between the Daytona Cubs and the Jupiter Hamerheads. The $20 outing is an all-inclusive ballgame and menu of salad, chili, pulled pork, hot dogs, hamburgers, sodas and beer, unlimited, y’all. There’s a museum dedicated to the famous baseball player who made history here in 1946 when he played the very first integrated major league baseball game during spring training. www.daytonacubs.com
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n between getting acquainted with the city attractions, I discover there’s a new spa at the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort where I stayed. There’s just enough time for a Green Coffee Body Wrap which promises slimming results by increasing metabolism, zapping fat and minimizing water retention. And it’s all due to the cholorogenic acid and polysaccharides in micronized green coffee, plus proteins and essential oils that help to improve skin texture in trouble spots associated with the dreaded “C” word: cellulite! Pevonia Bontanica inspired treatments I’d love to try next time are the Myoxy Caviar and Pearl Facial and the Water Lily After Sun Soothing Wrap. Rejuvenating treatments for guys are also on the spa menu, just ask for The Spa with SkinFit….Just for Men. www.daytonahilton.com
Little did I know that Daytona Beach would have so many food angles, but these folks have a way of mixing their history with their appetites, and that’s a good thing, because it makes it so much more fulfilling.
I love the idea of grilling my own pancakes and filling it with as many sides at the Old 
Spanish Sugar Mill Grill and Griddle House. Start with either of two batters, early American unbleached white flour or the house mix of stone-ground cornmeal, wheat, buckwheat, rice and rye flour, then add mounds of blueberries, apples, bananas, applesauce, pecans, “real” peanut butter or chocolate chips, your choice, and then drench with raw honey, syrup or unsulphured molasses……yes!
Across the doorway why not take a dip in the 72-degree springs. I venture in with bare feet but there’s no miraculous rejuvenation – maybe I need to drink from the fountain?
The restaurant is located at DeLeon Springs State Park, where Juan Ponce de Leon is said to have discovered the legendary Fountain of Youth…….it figures!
www.floridastateparks.org/deleonsprings