Is it just me, or am I only the one who didn’t realize I married someone totally opposite from me until we took our first trip together? In real life we’re pretty similar—fairly low-key and laid-back. So, I assumed vacation would be the same, but boy was I wrong. My husband’s version of vacation is a race to see how much he can do, where I thought the goal was straight relaxation! After the first trip disaster, we learned our lesson and found the sweet spot with an outdoor escape to New Smyrna Beach.
New Smyrna Beach is a funky, Old-Florida town full of local mom and pop style restaurants and a cool arts scene, along with beautiful white sand beaches and a surfer-vibe that’s hard to beat. We began our exploration of town with e-Bike rentals from Flaunt Electric Bicycles. Not only was this the perfect mode of transportation to discover fun shops and gorgeous vistas, but I could turn my pedal-assist all the way up and just barely glisten as we rode, while my husband worked up a good sweat. Win-win. The bike shop owner recommended we ride “The Loop”, a 6-mile waterfront loop that offers views of the Intracoastal Waterway, Indian River, and Atlantic Ocean as you pass through the four historic and commercial districts. Along the route we stopped in to a few cute boutiques and Norwood’s Treehouse Bar for a delicious margarita from the canopy!
The next day we hit the greens with a round of golf at Cypress Head, known as the “Best Golf Course in Volusia County”. The views were breathtaking with Spanish moss hanging from the trees and beautifully manicured greens. The golfing venture ended on the patio of the delightful clubhouse, Flagsticks Bar & Grill, over a club house croissant and a Hole in One Doughnut Burger (you only live once, right?).
We were beginning to notice that the NSB area had a beautiful way of incorporating the natural landscape into everything in the area, and our suspicions were confirmed with dinner at the Riverpark Terrace, where our alfresco dining experience was perfectly nestled in the midst of a tropical garden! The setting was so relaxing that we didn’t want the evening to end and were happy to let the evening linger over dessert, coffee, and after dinner drinks for more time in paradise. New Smyrna Beach’s flawless ability to integrate its gorgeous setting into its very DNA won our hearts {and our taste buds}.
