Ormond Beach has fabulous beaches making it perfect for family vacations! It is the beauty sandwiched between the more well-known Daytona Beach and Flagler Beach.

If you’ve never been to Ormond Beach, you’re missing out on a great part of what makes Florida a premier destination. For a great resort on Ormond Beach check out where we stayed at The Cove On Ormond Beach .

But aside from the obvious beach, what else is there to do at Ormond Beach? Let me tell you the best 7 things to do that we have personally found to do as a family! You can click on the numbered headers to get more information.

Even if you’re not into chocolate, you will love this tour! We, however, absolutely love chocolate so this was a must-see. Tours at Angell & Phelps Chocolate Factory are free and informative. Your tour will include views of how they make the chocolate, fascinating things they usually make, and best of all…free samples! You get a choice of your free samples which is great because I’m not a fan of white chocolate, so you know they’ll be other choices. It’s also located in a shopping plaza, so there is free parking, too.

The Tour

The Samples!

I tasted the chocolate covered potato chips and they were the best combination of sweet & savory. They were so good that I had to buy a bag!              

Castillo de San Marcos National Monument is a Spanish fort located in the city of St. Augustine. St. Augustine is about one hour north of Ormond Beach, but it is well worth the drive. Make sure to take good walking shoes because this won’t be your only stop in St. Augustine. This city has many things to do and see.

The fort is situated on the west shore of Matanzas Bay. Matanzas is Spanish for “killings.” Just with this name, you can guess why they called it this. You would be correct in guessing that a lot of deaths happened here back in its time. It has withstood the test of time from enemy attacks and fires. This fort is over 400 years old!

There is a lot of history here. If these walls could talk, I would have a seat and listen. Signs throughout the premises will tell you what happened in these rooms. You will be on your own here as there no guided tour.

This fort was amazing! If you have kids, like we do, then this is a piece of history they will always remember. We highly recommend it.          

The Colonial Quarter is located just across the street from Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. The best way to get there, if you don’t want to pay for a trolley, is to leave your car parked across the street at the fort. That way you can park and visit the fort and Colonial Quarter and pay only once. It is not expensive to park. 

You will want to spend some time at the Colonial Quarter because there are souvenir shops, dining options, snack shops and other interesting things to do that won’t break your budget. It has an old-world feel and is very quaint. 

Dole Whip

I bet that if you’re a Disney fan, you would have never guessed that you could find it here, right? Well, they do! And of course, being a Disney fan myself, I had to get one while we were here. As usual, it was delicious! I wish I would have taken a photo of mine, but it was a hot day and it was melting so I ate it quickly.

Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse

Something else you can do while you’re visiting the Colonial Quarters is the oldest wooden schoolhouse. This, especially, would be a great thing to show your younger children. There is a small entrance fee of only $5 for adults, $4 for students, and under 5 years old are free. Its grounds are so cute & pretty. They’ve taken good care of this schoolhouse.

Indoors

Outdoors

There is a small gift shop inside as you head to the exit (just like many attractions). Here are some of my favorite items. Being a teacher myself, I can totally understand. This would also be a great place to buy your children’s teachers gifts! Just saying.

The Spanish Military Hospital Museum is only an 8-minute walk from the Colonial Quarter, so leave your car parked at the fort while you visit here.

I found this tour creepy and downright gruesome. This hospital was used to treat the wounded and because medicine was not like it is today, they used any means and tools that they could. WARNING: THIS TOUR IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART! If you get squeamish at even the thought of teeth pulling and amputations, this may not be for you. 

However, will all that being said, I believe this tour was also one of the most fun and informative tours. It will give you much appreciation for today’s technology, hospitals, and medicine.

We are a Second Spanish Period Military Hospital. We offer a 30-40 minute guided presentation on St.Augustine’s Historical Spanish Medical Practices.

The Fountain of Youth is one of the oldest settlements in the U.S. and is also classified as an archeological park. If you come during the summer, make sure to bring a water bottle as it may get hot. The entire park is outdoors.

Ponce de Leon is supposedly said to see Florida here for the first time. He thought it was an island!

The Indian villages that are still here help us learn how these civilizations used to live.

The common weaponry in its time is demonstrated by some of the staff. 

You’ll also see weaponry that is no longer in use, but still there.

In 1587, Franciscan friars constructed the first mission in the continental United States right here on the grounds of the Fountain of Youth. 

With signed guest books stretching back to 1868, the Fountain of Youth is the oldest attraction in Florida, and the Spring House is the centerpiece of the historical Juan Ponce de Leon experience at the Park. 

There are small paper cups provided for you to drink from this fountain!

Watch out for the animals here. They are very friendly. 

The Daytona Boardwalk is located directly on the beach which that in itself makes for a wonderful day trip! However, there is much more you can do while you’re here. You can hang out at the beach all day and then walk to the boardwalk to grab some lunch and/or dinner. You can try out the carnival rides*, play arcade games, grab a snack, or go souvenir shopping.

*The rides will be reopening December 15, 2018, due to a ride malfunction that happened on June 14, 2018.

If you are an avid fisherman, this is also an ideal place to do that just off the bridge.

Remember the reason why you’re on vacation. It’s really nice to visit new places and sightsee, but if you get home and you’re exhausted then I say that you didn’t do things right. People sometimes forget to actually have some downtime and not schedule anything at least 1 day for a 1-week vacation and 2-3 days on a 2-week vacation. Spend time with the ones you love and chill! If you’re traveling alone, relax at the hotel hot tub or get a massage.

By the way, you can always make an excuse to come back for another vacation if you didn’t see everything you wanted! 

Check out where we stayed during this trip!