This week we’re adventuring in New Smyrna Beach! We’re going downtown and biking our favorite route to the New Smyrna jetty, Dune Park, the Inlet, and finishing up with a relaxing lunch and a gorgeous riverview while watching dolphins and boats pass by.
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Downtown New Smyrna Beach, FL
If you’re in the Central Florida area, you might want to consider checking out Downtown New Smyrna Beach. It’s a cute beach town that has a lot going for it with restaurants, shopping, and a relaxed surfer vibe, especially Flagler Avenue.
In one of our previous episodes, we attended the New Smyrna Wine Walk so you’ll probably recognize the familiar main strip of Flagler Avenue. This time though, we’re hopping on our bikes and biking all the way down the beach to the New Smyrna Jetty.
If you want to walk Downtown New Smyrna, the easiest way is to find parking right along Flagler Avenue, but if you visit on the weekend, you might need to park just off the main street in one of their free parking lots. We nabbed a spot right on the main strip and unpacked the bikes.
New Smyrna Beach – Sand & Surf
While nearby Daytona Beach attracts a ton of tourists, it’s hard to beat the small town feel of New Smyrna Beach. You can relax on miles of beautiful white sand as far as you can see and still be close to the restaurants and bars.
During the summertime you can actually drive directly on the beach with a beach pass, park your car, and chill with beach chairs and an umbrella in paradise. It’s a popular beach for surfing, fishing, and playing in the waves.
FYI – One thing to keep in mind is New Smyrna Beach is technically considered the “Shark Bite Capital of the World” but they’re usually only minor bites from nurse sharks. But you’ve been warned!
New Smyrna Beach Dunes Park & Boardwalk
Located just south of the New Smyrna Inlet is the very popular Dunes Park. This is a large boardwalk that you can get to by paying a $10 fee to get your car on per day or $20 per year pass. If you walk or ride your bike though, it’s free!
Dunes Park and boardwalk in New Smyrna is about a 1.5 mile loop of boardwalk that’s popular with joggers and people who are looking for a dog-friendly beach. Walking in from the beach, there’s a pavilion on the second floor that’s great for picnics or to relax in the shade.
Viewing from the second floor presents sweeping vistas of the boardwalk, jetty, inlet, and lighthouse all in one. What a beautiful spot!
New Smyrna Beach Inlet & Jetty
When we set out to explore New Smyrna Beach from Flagler Avenue, we wanted to ride our bikes all the way down to the inlet and check out the rocks in the jetty. Ever since I was a kid, I had always played at the Ponce Inlet jetty just north of New Smyrna but had never made it over to the southern side of the inlet to the New Smyrna jetty side!
It’s a popular spot for wildlife viewing and on this trip we saw tons of pelicans scooping their bills in the water, small brown birds fishing in the shallows, egrets, and even a stingray! There are also tons of fishermen with lines cast out into the water, lots of boats motoring here and there, and jet skis speeding around.
New Smyrna Riverview
After taking a tour of the beach, boardwalk, inlet, and jetty, we made our way back down Flagler Avenue but instead of heading home, we turned off the main road and down some side streets that are located by the river.
When you turn down some side streets, there are several dead ends with steps or lookouts right onto Indian River. Most of the time cars aren’t allowed making bicycles a lot easier to park. Pack a lunch and look close out into the water and you might spot dolphins! They love to play nearby.
Lots to love!
It’s a great ride from downtown all the way to the inlet and jetty! There’s so much more we want to do and explore in New Smyrna. We have kayaking and paddle boarding on our list of things to do in New Smyrna and if you’re a local, you’ve heard of “Disappearing Island.” Ooo! Stay tuned.
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