Drive your car or truck onto New Smyrna Beach and cruise for miles. It’s a drive on beach where you can rent quads, golf carts or a three wheeled moped bug kind of thing. It’s got a great small town beach atmosphere.
Flagler Avenue, the Boardwalk of New Smyrna Beach. This little community still has the old time charm of a small Florida beach town. Everything you need for a day at the beach, surf shops, beach stores, restaurants and bikini bars.
If you don’t want to drive on the beach, there is also a parking here with restrooms and showers.
New Smyrna Beach is just south of Daytona Beach. Finding the drive on ramps is a little tricky, so I’d to print a map before your leave. From I-95 take 44 East (Canal St.) to the North Causeway which turns into Flagler Ave, take it to the end and your driving on the beach.
Map It! Plug this address into you navigation radio or your favorite mapping software. It’ll get you right where you need to go: 518 Flagler Ave, New Smyrna Beach, Florida – This happens to be one of my favorite bikini bars called The Breakers which is at the end of the Flagler Ave Ramp
Drive the Beach!
Before you do anything, drive this bikini beach. There are several entrance ramps for accessing the beach. See Map it above.Watch the tides.
At high tide you’ll only be able to drive south from the Flagler Avenue Ramp in new Smyrna Beach, that’s if they let you on the beach at all.
If the Flagler Avenue Ramp is closed, just follow Atlantic Avenue North to the Beachway Avenue ramp. You should be able to drive on the beach from there. Low tide usually isn’t a problem.
I’d use the ramp at the end of Flagler Avenue, it’s downtown, New Smyrna Beach. The downside is it tends to close earlier at high tide and high tide cuts off access from the north. Drive the beach south and then north.
Your main landmark is the life guard tower, not the little ones, the one that’s three stories high. It happens to be at the park with restrooms, shower and the Flagler Avenue Ramp.
When you’re done driving, park on the beach as close to the "big" life guard tower as you can. There are several snack bars along the beach. They rent beach umbrellas, beach chairs, quads and golf carts. Stay off the soft sand, you don’t want to get stuck. Of course if you do, there are plenty of people to help push you out. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
The other ramp I’d use is a little further north at the end of Beachway Avenue. Once on the sand, head south until you see the washed out foundation wall. I always park a couple hundred yards north of there, it leaves about a ½ mile walk to the life guard tower, bathrooms and shower and the Flagler Avenue ramp.
Motorcycles on the beach? I think they’re allowed. Make sure to bring a board for the kick stand.
Can I drive the beach north from New Smyrna Beach to Daytona Beach? Unfortunately, no you can’t, water gets in the way.
Flagler Avenue “old Florida”
It’s a little strip tucked away in New Smyrna Beach with a lot of charm. It has an “old Florida” appeal with it’s locally owned shops, restaurants and bars. You wont’ find any franchises here which helps give Flagler Avenue some of it’s charm.
This is a true sea side beach street lined with palms. You can also find banana trees, flowering hibiscus and many other tropical Florida plants and flowers. Street signs and lamp posts are painted aquamarine with sculpted in sea creatures.
Where to go and what to do? Check out some of my suggestions:
Restaurants and bars on Flagler Avenue in new Smyrna Beach
Bikini bars are just casual places which welcome beach attire including bikinis. I think most of the bars here allow girls in a bikini, just now guys.
Because it's a beach community, restaurants here are also casual. I think most of these would also allow girls in a bikini. Otherwise throw on some casual clothes and enjoy lunch or dinner.
The Breakers - Walk up the Flagler Avenue Ramp and into The Breakers, it’s the only bikini bar right on the beach. They have a deck where you can watch the cars, trucks and bikini beach traffic cruise by.
Riverview Charlie’s, although it’s not on the water, it’s at the end of Flagler Ave just over the causeway on the inter-costal waterway, located in the Riverview Hotel, enjoy dinner while you watch beautiful Florida sunsets.
Beacon Diner - Learn how to live life in New Smyrna Beach, stop by for some coffee and a chat with the locals.
Flagler Tavern Bar & Grill
Flip Flops Chill & Grill
Shopping in New Smyrna Beach
These aren’t your typical chain stores in New Smyrna beach; there are over fifty little shops just steps from the beach. From beach stores, clothes to surf shops, you could easily spend a few hours shopping.
Nichol’s Surf Shop, rent anything and everything you need for the beach from these guys who have been on the beach since 1969. Bikes, kayaks, surfboards, skims boards and body boards can all be rented, tried or purchased from these guys.
Whether you’re a beginner or experienced surfer the pros that work here will be happy to give you a one on one lesson.
Quite Flight Surf Shop rents boogie boards, surf boards and other beach gear. See my beach gear list. You can also get a surfing lesson from these guys.
Inlet Charley’s Surf Shop on Flagler Ave in New Smyrna Beach is where the locals go for their surf gear. These guys have been in business for twenty years, custom boards to the latest in bikinis.
There’s lots of other shops on Flagler Ave in New Smyrna Beach. I’m not a shopper, but these places seem to keep my wife busy. I go to the Breakers bikini bar while she shops:
- Angels by the Sea
- Anthony Bell Creations
- Beach Buns
- Beach Variety and Hardware
- Beachside Jewelers
- Galleria Di Vietro
- Gone Bonkers
- Island Collection
- Island Images
- Jewelry of Joy
- Jonah’s Cat’s Art Gallery
- Lo Lo’s Lifestyle Boutique
- Nejma’s Boutique
- Silly Willies
- Ta Da Gallery
- Wicker Basket Boutique
- and a whole lot more…
Other Stuff - New Smyrna Beach
Sea Turtles on the Beach - South of New Smyrna Beach and North of Kennedy Space Center is the national sea shore, which is natural beach preserve. Here you can find the highest concentration of turtle nests on Volusia county beaches.
Surfing Lessons are available from Nichols Surf Shop or the Quiet Flight Surf Shop, see shopping above.
Other New Smyrna Beach Ramps Make sure to check the tide tables, you may find that depending on the time of day and tides, certain ramps may be closed. The beach ramps location from north to south are Beachway Ave., Crawford Ave., Flagler Ave. (recommended), 3rd Ave and 27th Ave.
Hotels and Condos on the Beach
New Smyrna Beach Hotels and Condos, there are plenty to choose from on the beach.
New Smyrna Beach (Surrounding Area)
Looking for someplace else to go that's close, instead of bikini beaches:
- Kennedy Space Center, 30 minutes south in Titusville, Florida)
- Ron Jon Surf Shop Cocoa Beach, 60 minutes south in Cocoa Beach, Florida
- Free Casino Cruises (50 minutes south in Port Canaveral, Florida)
- Dayton Beach, 30 minutes north in Dayton Beach, Florida
- Wild alligator watching
- National Sea Shore, 30 minutes south in Titusville, Florida
- Plenty of other shopping
- Air boat rides
- Sun Cruz Casino Ship and Sterling Casinos Ships about 60 minutes south in Port Canaveral Florida
New Smyrna Beach Hotels and Condos, there are plenty to choose from on the beach.
