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Ormond Beach, Florida’s
prime location on the east central Atlantic coast, near Daytona Beach, is the major attraction for the community. The area is well-known for its’ smooth, wide, drive-on beach, one of the few available in the world. Nicknamed the “Birthplace of Speed,” due to the speed records set here at the turn-of-the-century, automobile racing in Ormond Beach led to beach races in nearby Daytona Beach and eventually to the founding of NASCAR. Today, some beaches still permit driving, while others in the northern areas of town do not. The appreciation of car racing is celebrated each year in Ormond Beach with a Thanksgiving weekend antique car show. This city, which is bordered by the Halifax River and the Atlantic Ocean and home to several lakes, springs, parks and forests, is ideal for a wide variety of recreational activities. Miles of beautiful beach offer sunning and relaxation, shell seeking, swimming and walking and jogging in the surf. Just a few of the other recreational opportunities include water skiing, surfing, parasailing, scuba diving, boating, charter boat fishing, hiking, biking, tennis and golf. Bicentennial Park in Ormond Beach offers 40 acres with tennis courts, basketball and volleyball courts, a scenic boardwalk, fishing pier, nature trails, picnic areas, pavilions and a children’s playground. Ormond Tomb Park is a serene, 13-acre park with historic markers throughout the park. Just a few miles from Ormond Beach is Bulow Creek State Park, which preserves one of the largest remaining stands of Southern Live Oak Forest along the East Coast of Florida. The park contains over 3,000 acres of upland forest, hardwood swamp, saltmarsh and tidal creeks. The approach to Bulow Creek State Park from the town of Ormond Beach is a very scenic drive. Historic Tomoka State Park is located just three miles north of Ormond Beach and is the site of a Timucuan Indian Settlement discovered in 1605 by Spanish explorers.
Other attractions in Ormond Beach include the former summer home of John D. Rockefeller, one of the community’s earliest residents. His home, “The Casements,” is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is now a cultural center that houses exhibits such as Hungarian Folklore and Italian ceramics. Ormond Beach is also home to the Memorial Art Museum and Gardens, a four-acre botanical garden with native flora such as banana plant, sago palm and bamboo. Special events, festivals, fine dining and shopping are also a part of Ormond Beach’s appeal to visitors. The Fountains Square Shopping Village has an array of upscale shops and specialty stores located within a charming European village atmosphere. The Granada Plaza also has a wide variety of stores, as well as a full service restaurant and jazz club. Ormond Beach sits on the northern border of Daytona Beach near all of its’ attractions and beach activities, and is just 60 miles east of Orlando, 60 miles from the Kennedy Space Center and just 50 miles south of historic Saint Augustine.
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