Explore New Smyrna Beach

EXPLORE NEW SMYRNA BEACH
NAMED by National Geographic Magazine as one of the “World’s Top 20 Surf Towns”, New Smyrna Beach is recognized as the second oldest city in Florida and one of the “Top 100 Small Art Towns” in the United States. Its 13 miles of unspoiled sandy beaches make this fantastic A1A destination an ideal place to rejuvenate and unwind.

Whether you want to spend your day surfing at the beach, swimming, kayaking, bird watching or doing nothing at all you’ll find this quaint seaside community a perfect getaway. Shop along the charming and historic Flagler Avenue Historic District “Loop” to find unique shops, restaurants, galleries, and boutiques. And if your idea of a fun vacation is one that includes the family pet, New Smyrna Beach has got you covered there too.

Visit Florida’s tallest lighthouse, marine science centers, take a river cruise, visit one of many historical sites or showcase your skills on one of nine area golf courses. With a long list of festivals and events held throughout the year, no matter when you visit you’ll likely find that there’s much to do.

From pizza and burgers to fine dining and wine bars, when your day at the beach is done head out to Canal Street or Flagler Avenue for some terrific options. At the end of the day whether you choose an oceanfront, riverfront, beachside, or mainland bed & breakfast, hotel, condominium, RV park or campground to call home during your stay, you’ll discover why visitors from around the corner and around the world return again and again to New Smyrna Beach.

 

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Shop & Dine Along Fantastic Flagler Avenue

This is a pic of the eastern end of Flagler Avenue (near Buenos Aires St.) leading to the ocean. All along Flagler (several of the side streets too) you’ll find wonderful small shops, galleries, boutiques, and several places to eat, beach, and simply be merry. If you decide to make your way here and explore, here’s an address that will bring you near the heart of the action – 518 Flagler Avenue, New Smyrna Beach, 32169.

 

 

03-03 NEW SMYRNA BEACH 48 640 OPTEver wonder how New Smyrna Beach got its name? From FloridaMemory.com we learned that while the British only owned Florida for a brief period, they authorized generous land grants for citizens to step forward and colonize new territories. Dr. Andrew Turnbull, a Scotsman and a physician, convinced a number of his wealthy friends in Britain to take advantage of the land grants and start a new colony in East Florida. Turnbull planned to employ a number of Greeks from Asia Minor (in/near Turkey) and chose a Greek labor force because he felt they would be more accustomed to the warm climate they would encounter in Florida, because he believed he would be able to convince a good number of them to leave the Turkish Empire where he’d spent a number of years as a British consul, and because he had married the daughter of a Greek merchant at Smyrna in Greece. He named the colony New Smyrna in honor of his wife’s birthplace and the homeland of his future Greek labor force. The “Beach” part was added in 1947 when the city took over the seaside community of Coronado Beach. We took this pic in New Smyrna Beach from the SR44/A1A Causeway over the Indian River and so wished we could have made our way out to that sandbar!

 

09-13 NEW SMYRNA BEACH 40 OPTAccording to their website (NSBFLA.com) New Smyrna Beach was the largest British colonization attempt in the New World and was nearly three times larger than the first settlement at Jamestown in 1607. Though some historians believe it to be older than St. Augustine, New Smyrna Beach holds the distinction of being the second oldest city in Florida. Dr. Andrew Turnbull, a Scottish physician and entrepreneur, obtained a land grant from the British Crown and settled New Smyrna with an initial labor force of nearly 1,500 European immigrants. Turnbull named the area in honor of his wife whose birthplace was Smyrna, Asia Minor (what is now Izmir, Turkey). For thousands of years prior to the colonization, the area was inhabited by the Timucuan people whose civilization, like many other native populations, thrived until being destroyed by war and disease brought by European settlers. By the time Turnbull settled New Smyrna in 1768, the Timucuan population had nearly vanished leaving behind historical legends, artifacts, and more than two dozen historical sites to intrigue us. We shot this pic on spectacular New Smyrna Beach (the “Beach” part was added in 1947) and if you decide to come here and explore, head toward 518 Flagler Ave., 32169.



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