Daytona Beach, located on Florida's east coast, has a lot more to offer than being the birthplace of NASCAR, like, for instance, the beach itself. Once the city's raceway, this immensely popular stretch of sand is lapped by inviting blue-green waters. Or let the kids release their surplus energy at the fun-packed Daytona Lagoon water park, with its multi-level water playground, climbing wall, tidal wave pool, tube float, laser tag and go-karts. There's even a foam-ball blasting cannon and an erupting volcano!
Make the most of your hire car with a short six mile trip from Daytona Beach to the vertigo-inducing Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse. As you'll quickly discover, as your breathing rate rises and your heart pounds harder, this 53m-tall nineteenth century structure, with its 203 spiral steps, is the tallest lighthouse in the whole of the Sunshine State, affording glorious (if dizzying) views of the Atlantic Ocean below.