Is New Smyrna Beach worth visiting?

New Smyrna Beach attracts more than 8 millions visitors annually with its white sandy beaches, scenic nature and small town charm.

Conveniently located a little over an hour away from Orlando and 1 hour and 18 minutes from Disney World – New Smyrna Beach is a the perfect beach day getaway for families traveling from the Orlando area.

Does New Smyrna Beach have public access?

New Smyrna Beach has 17 miles of white pristine coastline with public beach access and a state park to explore.

Here are some of the popular public beach parks in New Smyrna Beach with paid parking:

You can also visit Smyrna Dunes Park, which is a state park that has an expansive boardwalk through protected dune vegetation and views of the second tallest lighthouse in Florida – Ponce Deleon Lighthouse.

You can also access Canaveral National Seashore at the southern end of New Smyrna Beach and a hidden gem called Bethune Beach.

Smyrna Dunes Park in New Smyrna Beach, FL

Surfing

New Smyrna Beach is known as one of the surfing capitals of Florida, along with Cocoa Beach. This title is due to it having the most consistent break of waves on the east coast of Florida.

Fishing

Along with deep sea fishing charters, there are many popular spots to fish such as the pier or jetty at Smyrna Dunes Park, north and south causeways and Manatee Park.

Kayaking

New Smyrna Beach offers many amazing paddling adventures throughout the Indian River Lagoon, which is the most bio diverse estuary in the world. There are opportunities to see sea turtles, dolphins, manatees and a plethora of native bird life.

Historic District

If you can bring yourself to leave beachside there are a lot of unique historic attractions in New Smyrna Beach. Spend an afternoon shopping on Canal Street and go to lunch at one of the many eateries such as Corkscrew, Yellow Dog Eats or Jason’s Corner.

Check out the New Smyrna Beach museum and take a walk down to Old Fort Park is checkout mysterious ancient ruins underneath the live oak trees.

Old Fort Park, New Smyrna Beach, FL

You also can’t miss the Hub on Canal Street, which is a gallery of local artisans that is free to the public. They host events and festivals throughout the year and offer classes for a range of creative disciplines.

Is New Smyrna Beach Worth Visiting? 

If you like white sand beaches and a laid back small town then yes! There are also many New Smyrna Beach restaurants with outdoor seating that get rave reviews.

Us enjoying dinner in the outdoor Treehouse Bar