The Best Day in Daytona
After days of work and rainy weather, it was finally time to take full advantage of our time in Daytona. For us, that's not going to a race or enjoying a beach day. It's taking some nature walks! In 2017 when we road tripped the East Coast, our stop in Daytona was a pleasant surprise, much help due to the gorgeous Ponce Inlet Lighthouse and its wondrous surroundings. The whole Ponce Inlet area is awesome. Whether you want to go to the beach, take your dog to the inlet, walk the boardwalks/jetty, grab some food, visit museums, head out on a boat, or even walk to the top of the lighthouse, you have plenty to keep you busy. The beautiful park is not one to be forgotten, and it was still top of my mind two years later when I started taking my harp into nature. I had this vision of bringing my blue harp down to Daytona, matching it against the ocean, and having a stunning harp hike. How would that be logical, though? We'd have to fly the harp down to Daytona (which we did do when we went to the Everglades), and as much as we love Daytona, it just wouldn't be a destination we would fly to. But now things are different, and RV Life granted me my wish.
Even better, we were staying just 20 minutes away, and a 7:20AM sunrise gave us motivation to wake up early and head over to the park at dawn. We were nervous on the way there because the rain from the day prior was still hanging on, but it cleared up around 7AM and gave us the amazing lighting you see in the photos above.
Now don't worry, this day wasn't all about me and the harp. I needed to make sure my boys were having a good time too! Anthony and I decided to head back to the RV and switch out BB the harp for Tanner. Then we went back to Ponce Inlet. Admission to the park is $10, but you get to leave and come back once in the same day. This was perfect for us! Before we went for our walk, though, we decided to take Tanner for his first outdoor dining experience. We had wanted to do it last summer up in MA but ran out of time. I think this was worth the wait. We went to Hidden Treasure, a beach bar and restaurant right across the street from the lighthouse. They allow dogs on their deck and even have a pet menu for them! Tanner was beside himself with glee when the waitress served him his 1/2lb burger patty.
Anthony seems pretty happy, too.
The food was delicious. The highlight of our meal was definitely the boneless wings, that we got in a key lime jerk rub. Flavorful, spicy, and tender! Fried alligator was also on the menu, but we opted out this time.
Once we finished our meal, we took Tanny for a walk around the park. When we saw the dog beach in 2017, we were excited to see all the pups, but never in a million years would I have thought we'd be bringing our dog to that beach! Granted he doesn't swim, but he did go in up to his shins, which is deep for him!
Ponce Inlet delivered again, and there's still so much we haven't done there. Now that we're RVing, the chances of us visiting again are pretty high. We're definitely looking forward to whenever that day comes.