🌿 RelaxedWeekend · from Jacksonville, FL
Ormond & Daytona — The Scenic Loop, the Casements & the Boardwalk
A relaxed two-day drive down Florida's Atlantic coast to the birthplace of American beach racing and the genteel winter retreat that preceded it. Day one follows the Ormond Scenic Loop & Trail — a canopy road of live oaks and salt marsh along the Halifax and Tomoka rivers — to the Casements, John D. Rockefeller's restored winter home, and the wide, hard-packed sands of Ormond Beach. Day two moves south to the classic Daytona Beach Boardwalk and pier, the surprising art and planetarium collections of the Museum of Arts & Sciences, and the tall, climbable Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse, before an easy drive home. Two days of coastal history, oak shade, and long beaches, at a wholly unhurried pace.
Day 1 — Ormond Scenic Loop, the Casements & the beachDay 2 — Daytona Boardwalk, MOAS & Ponce Inlet Lighthouse
Day 1 — Ormond Beach, FL
Day 1 — Ormond Beach, FL
🚗 1 hr 50 min driving📍 5 stops
🌅
Morning
🚗
Drive
Jacksonville, FL → Ormond Beach, FL
1 hr 50 min
Ormond Scenic Loop & Trail
★ Reviews →The Ormond Scenic Loop & Trail is a designated Florida Scenic Highway that runs about 30 miles through some of the most beautiful coastal landscape in the state. From Ormond Beach the route threads north along a canopy road of ancient, moss-draped live oaks, past salt marsh, the Tomoka and Halifax rivers, and the maritime hammock of Tomoka State Park and Bulow Creek. It is a slow, windows-down drive with frequent pull-offs for photographs, kayak launches, and short walks — Bulow Creek's Fairchild Oak, one of the oldest live oaks in the South, is a highlight. Take the whole loop at a wandering pace; the scenery, not the destination, is the point.
~1 hr📍 See location
🍽️
Lunch
🍽️ Lunch~45 min
Lulu's Oceanside Grill, Ormond Beach
A casual, open-air lunch right on the sand at Ormond Beach, with tables looking straight out over the Atlantic. Lulu's is a local favorite for a relaxed midday meal — fresh seafood, sandwiches, and cold drinks served with your feet more or less in the sand and the ocean breeze doing the air conditioning. It is exactly the kind of unfussy, view-first beach spot that suits the pace of this trip, and an easy pause between the scenic loop and the afternoon's history.
2 options · tap to switch
☀️
Afternoon
The Casements
★ Reviews →The Casements was the winter home of oil magnate John D. Rockefeller, who wintered in Ormond Beach from 1918 until his death in 1937, and is now a restored cultural center and museum on the bank of the Halifax River. Named for its distinctive casement windows, the graceful clapboard house is open for guided tours that tell the story of Rockefeller's Ormond years, when he handed out shiny dimes to locals and played golf into his nineties. The riverside gardens are free to wander, and the whole estate is a quiet, shaded stop steeped in Gilded Age history. Tours are inexpensive and unhurried.
~1 hr📍 See location
Ormond Beach (Granada Boardwalk)
★ Reviews →Ormond Beach is where the hard-packed sand first drew speed record-seekers in the early 1900s — the 'Birthplace of Speed' — and the same broad, firm strand is now a wide, family-friendly beach just north of Daytona. The sand is famously firm enough to drive or bike on, and the beach is calmer and less commercial than its neighbor to the south. Late afternoon is ideal for a long, easy walk along the tide line as the day's heat fades. Public access and parking are plentiful at the Granada Boulevard approach.
~1.5 hrs📍 See location
🌙
Evening
🛏️
Oceanfront hotel, Ormond Beach
Ormond Beach offers a relaxed, less crowded alternative to Daytona's high-rise strip, with a range of oceanfront hotels and condos along A1A that put you steps from the sand and a short drive from the next day's sights. Booking a room with a Atlantic-facing balcony is worth it here — sunrise over the water is the reward. For more choice and nightlife, Daytona Beach proper is just ten minutes south and has the full spread of beachfront resorts. Either base leaves you well-positioned for the boardwalk and lighthouse the following morning.
Day 2 — Daytona Beach, FL
Day 2 — Daytona Beach, FL
🚗 2 hr 15 min driving📍 4 stops
🌅
Morning
🚗
Drive
Ormond Beach, FL → Daytona Beach Boardwalk & Pier
15 min
Daytona Beach Boardwalk & Pier
★ Reviews →The Daytona Beach Boardwalk and Pier is the classic, slightly retro heart of 'The World's Most Famous Beach' — a stretch of amusement arcades, the historic Main Street Pier, an old-fashioned bandshell, and rides overlooking the wide Atlantic strand. Walk out to the end of the pier for the full sweep of the coast, ride the SkyRide or the Ferris wheel for a bird's-eye view, and stroll the boardwalk's carnival atmosphere. It is unabashedly touristy in the best mid-century way, and a fun, low-effort morning of people-watching and ocean views. The beach itself, famously drivable and hard-packed, runs for miles in both directions.
~1 hr📍 See location
🍽️
Lunch
🍽️ Lunch~1 hr
The Cellar Restaurant, Daytona Beach
A memorable midday meal in the historic 1907 house that once served as the winter home of President Warren G. Harding, tucked a few blocks off the beach. The Cellar serves upscale Italian in an intimate, brick-walled setting with real historical pedigree, making it a lovely change of pace from the boardwalk's arcade fare. The pasta and osso buco are the draws, and the quiet, candlelit rooms are a welcome cool-down in the middle of a beach day. Reservations are wise, even at lunch.
2 options · tap to switch
☀️
Afternoon
📍
Museum of Arts & Sciences (MOAS)
★ Reviews →The Museum of Arts & Sciences is one of the most surprising cultural stops on this coast — a Smithsonian-affiliate museum whose collections range from a complete 13-foot Giant Ground Sloth skeleton excavated locally, to one of the country's finest collections of Cuban art, American decorative arts, and a full planetarium. The eclectic mix makes it an easy, air-conditioned couple of hours out of the sun, with something for every interest. The surrounding Tuscawilla Preserve adds shaded nature trails if you want to stretch your legs afterward. Check the planetarium show times when you arrive.
~1 hr📍 See location
Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse
★ Reviews →At the southern tip of the peninsula stands the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse, the tallest in Florida at 175 feet and one of the best-preserved light stations in the country, now a National Historic Landmark. The climb of 203 steps to the gallery rewards you with a sweeping panorama over the inlet, the Atlantic, and the Halifax River. The restored keepers' cottages at the base form an excellent little museum of lighthouse and maritime history, complete with original Fresnel lenses. It is a fitting, memorable finish to the trip before the drive north.
~1.5 hrs📍 See location
🌙
Evening
🚗
Drive
Ponce Inlet, FL → Jacksonville, FL
2 hr
← All Jacksonville trips
More getaways from Jacksonville
Big & Little Talbot Islands & Fort George — Undeveloped Beaches, a Boneyard Shore & Kingsley Plantation — Day trip🥾The Okefenokee Swamp — Blackwater Prairies, Alligators & Cypress Boardwalks — Weekend🥾Osceola National Forest — Olustee Battlefield, Ocean Pond & the Pinhook Swamp — Long weekend🥾Palatka & the St. Johns River — Ravine Gardens, Bartram's Riverfront & the School of the Arts — Day trip🏛️Thomasville, Georgia — Victorian Rose City & the Red Hills Quail Plantations — Weekend🏛️Gainesville & Micanopy — Museums, Marjorie Rawlings' Cross Creek & the Old Florida Interior — Long weekend🏛️Ponte Vedra & the GTM — Wild Dunes, Quiet Trails & an Oceanfront Lunch — Day trip🌿Rainbow River — Dunnellon's Crystal Springs & a Slow Float — Weekend🌿
© 2026 theweekendgetaways.com · All itineraries are original content. Terms
Plan your own escapeExplore more trips →