Daytona Boardwalk Amusement Area and Pier

3.5 Stars
The Boardwalk area is pretty nice near the bandshell, and along the walkway near the back of the Hilton. It’s a good place for a stroll.
Then comes an area for some Boardwalk rides (roller coaster, car racing). And then the typical neon lit shops with junk food, t-​shirts, and beach souvenirs.
The walkways are pretty clean, no trash. Some street entertainers along the way.
Of course, the beach and ocean are the nicest part.

Being from Massachusetts most people visit my state to trace the steps of the Pilgrims and other pioneers of the country. If you visit any summer you will lots of tourists with their maps and cameras in Plymouth looking at Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower. My boyfriend and I went to Daytona on a retro 90s pilgrimage to retrace the steps of the one might argue one hit wonder band Len and their bubble gum pop hit «Steal my Sunshine» I would say it is one of the songs that defines the late 90s. Bands like Pearl Jam and STP were stepping aside for the sticky and sweet sounds of Britney Spears and the boy band invasion. Ok… back to our adventure. This is one of the nicest boardwalks I have seen on the East Coast. It was very clean compared to Atlantic City. I would describe this experience as sticky and sweet. You can indulge in carnival style type foods and pizza. There is a variety of restaurants to choose from. The water was amazingly warm. The perfect setting for a pre-​sunset kiss. The shop workers are nice and helpful. I want to give a big shout to the Daytona Beach Police for being extra nice and helpful to this Yankee gal! This is a great place to grab a drink and just people watch. You will see all types of people. The forecast said rain that day, but the Len gods were on our side and they didn’t steal our sunshine!!! Visit this boardwalk, get in touch with your inner child and just let go!

She Who’s a Fan of the Wrong Football Team and I are both 90s kids who have been talking about a Daytona Road trip, partly inspired by LEM’s Summer of 99 Anthem «Steal my Sunshine» (as well as the blog by a fellow Gen Xer who who made a similar documentary about 3 years ago. Up we went on I-​95 for our pilgrimage, and it was a fun and memorable one!
As you can see in the link below, the song is about a group of friends spending a summer weekend in and around the gift shops, pizza parlors and amusement parks of the Daytona Beach boardwalk. There have been some changes, but I can truly say that summer memories can still be had.
I’m taking one star away because the Ferris Wheel and jet ski rides are no longer there.
The swimming statue and Mardi Gras masks are still there, and Grazianos (now Pizza King) still serves a nice slice and Italian ice ($ 13 for 2 people, a little higher than in 1999!) The souvenir shops are still there to take tangible memories such as fridge magnets for parents and shot glasses for self, and the pier is awesome to take selfies under the full moon (another semi-​pilgrimage) There’s a seafood restaurant on the pier, and one of the police officers in the area told us they do fireworks shows Saturdays after memorial day.
While we were there, there was also a Salsa Festival going (Mar y Sol) going on, and there were a few extra vendors on the pier. We each enjoyed a Piña colada (with a decent buzz) cut in a real pineapple ($ 15)
So take the 4 hours north on 95, and have a wonderful summer (Sharon, I looove you! :)
Music video:
Blog: «Steal my Sunshine revisited»

The boardwalk was ok, went down for bike week. The board walk didn’t have much to offer besides a Joe’s Crab Shack and a very small fishing section at the end of the pier. The views were nice but the pier seems very out dated theirs signs for future improvements. The food vendors by the pier seem (historic) I guess lol
food was good and well priced. Not what I was expecting from a famous place like Daytona beach. Bike week was awesome and very very busy I suggest making reservations well in advance.

There’s really not a lot to do here. They have a small amusement park and arcade, a bandshell, some volleyball nets, and then a small shopping area with a couple stores, restaurants and a movie theater. I’m really surprised that they call this a boardwalk. I live near the Ocean City boardwalk in Maryland and I was wishing I was there instead because there’s so many attractions, stores and restaurants up and down. This place seemed so dead! They really have to renovate this boardwalk. We went twice and both times we only stayed for about 15 minutes. It seemed like everyone else was bored too because most of the parking meters had an hour or more left on them by people who thought they would have spent more time there.

Bad timing when I visited two Saturdays ago, cloudy stormy day. Was only able to walk around for an hour before the cold rain arrived. Even in bad weather people could not resist the driving on the beach experience. Visions of getting stuck kept me away. Several waterfront dining venues along the long boardwalk, will try that under the stars by the gigantic ferris wheel next time.
Another preserved Vintage Florida venue that has thankfully thrived, not to be missed.

This place is such a DIVE that I actually enjoyed myself. Yes, I actually did. Let me explain…
This area is OLD, TACKY, and OUTDATED. Not to mention, when I visited, it was DEAD. I saw about 10 people in total that day.
But what’s better than trying out some go karts that haven’t been used in such a long time that it takes about 15 cranks to get them going? How about standing on a pier that creaks so badly yet you still can’t help but stay and enjoy the view? How about playing some good oldschool arcade games that hardly even work and getting absolutely worthless prizes? It’s hard to experience any of that in today’s day and age. That’s why I’m glad Daytona is what is it.
The beach is beautiful. Everything else is a piece of very tacky garbage. Just embrace it. Take it for what it is and make the most out of it. I did that and I don’t regret it one bit.
Also, drinks in this area are MAD cheap. Didn’t see anything for more than $ 3 anywhere. I suggest starting off with a drink — you’ll probably enjoy the area better.

The boardwalk was not as long as I had hoped. Since the bf and I went here during the off season — Dec — there wasn’t a lot of people or vendors around. And granted we walked the boardwalk at night too. lol.
Near the end of the boardwalk, there were some nice restaurants and some statutes and what notes to look at. There was also a mini fair area that has a small roller coaster, bungee jumping attraction, go karts, and other activities that stayed open pretty late — 10 PM ish.
The shops in the area opens around 9 ish in the morning. As in terms of cheap beaches to visit, this is the beach as the area has cheap places to stay and is a popular destination spot for young students.
There was metered parking, but there are a couple of spots that were free. These few spots were immediately as you enter the arch way welcoming you to the beach.

Not as nice as you think. Yes, it’s the beach and decently accessible, but it’s not super nice or really something that stands out aside from the beach.
The beach part has nice sand, can park car on beach, and obviously tons of space. That’s where the positives end. The shopping and restaurants around are lacking anything meaningful and the area does look run down a bit as well. Not the best they could do in my opinion. Has ton of potential though.
If your in the area it’s a okay place to hit up since it is a beach, but there are nicer parts of the Florida coast to visit.

I have lived here for over 20 years. The beach is great with a sand that is made of crushed Coquina rock so it is a yellow orange. The Boardwalk is a great to walk on and watch the sights. There are plenty of restaurants and stores in the area. The movie theater has great seats. The band shell has plenty of performances and events almost every day.

Maybe in the 1950’s this place was nice! Seriously who is rating this place 5 stars…1 star is too much. The whole area is run down and seedy and this so called boardwalk with rides is outdated. There is nothing to do in this area. Oh, there is a miniature golf course and a few non impressive restaurants (LOL!) Seriously go elsewhere!

Ice scream tasted great. But watching a drug deal happen ten feet from my family, one drunk stumbling by, and another straight up passed out was not great. Super high pressure sales in the tshirt shops too, especially on my 7 year old daughter. Literally had to tell the sales lady to back off after a few minutes. I seriously have to wonder if the people giving five star ratings were paid.

Giving 1 star is too much. These people do not know how to treat customers. GoPro go carts treat customers very poorly. There sign states you must show ID to drive. When I produced a military ID, I was told it must show an address. I pointed out the fact that all their signs said ID with nothing about an address. I was told by the manger that the rules are to verify an address. This was bullshit because my son put our address on his paperwork but the address on his drivers license is different. One of the employees acted like a punk making me show him my drivers license after I was cleared by another. He thought he was a big man because I questioned him to show me where it says ID with an address. I will not go back and recommend you stay away from these very rude people.

The Bandshell at the North end of the Boardwalk is undergoing a revival both in quality and entertainment. The summer concert series features tribute bands culled from around the Southeast. with new amusements and restaurants planned for the near future only good things can be on the way.

Run down. Full of street beggers. Pass on it

It’s like a ghost town.
First time up at Daytona and wanted to see what it looked like. Well there were maybe 4 rides. They were all old and missing parts, I was afraid to get into any of them. We rode the go carts and mine had no brakes! Each ride is about 7 $ per person… Whack!
the view is very nice
Street parking sucks and you have to pay for it. All the stores are closed at night on Main street even at 630 pm.
The staff doesn’t look like they want to be working there… homeless walking about (so be careful walking to ur car late at night) barely anyone there.
The sling shot looked like the best ride of all and it was $ 50! What? Um. no thanks.
Would I go back, probably not. At least not to buy or ride anything… only to have a view of the beach.
the restrooms in the arcade are so small not even a child fits in them. I’m not a big girl by any means and had to keep the door open to bend over to pee, not to mention they were dirty and old!
Thumbs down…

Nice board walk to look at the beach and people also to get on some rides and even eat by the ocean but it’s nothing amazing to go crazy over but nice for just a walk or date.
Not to much to do but it’s something to do while in Daytona and worth checking out.

GHETTO!!! Daytona is for ghetto hood rats and Nascar redneck bafoons. Trash trash trash. Weird nasty people, I saw a guy poop in his hand and started throwing it at traffic.
I’ve been to many beaches in the world, do yourself a favor and go somewhere nice. Don’t waste your money here.

Amusement area is very dated and run down. It’s like Coney Island meets Poltergeist. The Pier has since been renovated, but the is not much there except for Joe’s crab shack and fishing.
There is a dated fairground area with a bungee ride for $ 50, and a ferris wheel along with go carts. All look a little precarious, but fun for people watching.

While staying in Ponce Inlet with some girlfriends and finding nothing to do (we are from Miami), I brought them here. It’s not the best but it’s a gold mine for that area where places like this are rare.
They have a movie theatre and a little shopping here and there. It IS touristy (a la Bayside in Miami) and the shops need more variety but it’s a distraction and a nice area to walk around in. I wish that area under the Hilton (miss the Adam’s Mark!) would bring back Fat Tuesdays! Of course, I LOVE that they added a Starbucks several years ago.
It’s also great as a complement to a beach day! drive to the beach, spend the day, walk to lunch, catch a movie and maybe head back out to the beach.
The area is really touch and go but pretty safe during the day.