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DAYTONA BEACH |
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The consummate Florida beach town, with its T-shirt shops, amusement
arcades and wall-to-wall motels, DAYTONA BEACH owes its existence to
twenty miles of light brown sand where the only pressure is to strip off
and enjoy yourself. Life in this down-to-earth resort now revolves
around three major festivals: February's Daytona 500, Bike Week in early
March, and the relatively new Biketoberfest .
Pioneering auto enthusiasts, including Louis Chevrolet, Ransom Olds and
Henry Ford, came to Daytona's firm sands in the early 1900s to race
prototype vehicles beside the ocean. The land speed record was smashed
five times by the British millionaire Malcolm Campbell who, in 1935,
roared along at 276mph. When high speeds made racing on the sands unsafe,
the Daytona International Speedway was built three miles west of
downtown along International Speedway Boulevard (buses #9A and #9B).
Opened in 1959, it seats 150,000 and hosts several major race meetings
each year, starting in early February with the Rolex 24 , a 24-hour race
for GT prototype sports cars. A week or so later the qualifying races
start for the year's biggest event, the Daytona 500 stock-car race in
mid-February. Tickets sell out well in advance (a weekend package from
$220; tel 904/253-7223); book accommodation at least six months ahead.
Though they can't capture the excitement of a race, guided van tours
(daily except race days 9.30am-5pm, every half-hour; $6) take you around
the remarkable curves, whose gradients make this the fastest racetrack
in the world.
Immediately outside the Speedway, Daytona USA (daily 9am-7pm; $12)
exhibits one of Campbell's many Bluebirds, the car in which he broke the
land speed record at Ormond Beach in 1931, as well as interactive
displays on the great races. A mile west, the Klassix Auto Museum at
2909 W International Speedway Blvd (daily 9am-6pm; $8.50) displays
pristine examples of every Corvette design from 1953 on, plus vintage
motorcycles and a 1938 Woody Wagon that boasts a top speed of 50mph.
For all the excitement that racing generates, the best thing about
Daytona is the seemingly limitless beach: 500ft wide at low tide and
fading dreamily into the heat haze.
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Vacation Rentals in Daytona
Beach |
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from $38.81
USD