Driving and Parking On New Smyrna Beach

After moving to Orlando from Canada I first took my family to New Smyrna Beach for an afternoon at the beach in early August 2013.  We had heard the beach was beautiful and perfect for families.  We were not disappointed.  When we first arrived we parked on Flagler Avenue but were not comfortable  driving onto the Beach.  Boy did that change.

Although I now enjoy driving on the breach and feel no apprehension about getting stuck, the tide coming in or fearing for little children running out into the driving lane, the actual ‘driving’ is not what sold me.  Call me old but these days I get much more pleasure sitting on the beach with a great book, a surfboard or a shovel and bucket with my 5 years old.  No it was not the driving that sold me – it was the Parking.

Why parking on  New Smyrna Beach is so great.

The Cost

The cost of parking on New Smyrna Beach is only $5 dollars a day between February 1st to November 30th otherwise it’s free.  When you approach the gate you hand the attendant the cash and he gives you a parking or driving permit for the beach.  With this permit you can drive the 4 or 5 miles of the beach and pick any spot to park and spend the day.

Once you have your permit you can come and go, on and off the beach, as many times as you want. The permit allows you unlimited entry onto the beach for the day.

Season Beach Pass

You also have the option of buying a season pass which is a great deal at only $20 a year if you are a resident of Volusia County.  If you are not a resident of the pass will cost a bit more at $40 but that is still a great deal for a family like mine who take a trip to the beach at least once a week.

The convenience

The first time we visited New Smyrna Beach and parked on Flagler Avenue, we had to unpack the van and carry our beach chairs, umbrella, boogie boards, surf boards, cooler, towels, snacks, buckets etc. etc. from the lot to the beach. With five children you can imagine the tonnage we needed for the day.

The second time we visited New Smyrna Beach … we paid the five dollars, drove onto the beach, picked a great quiet spot and parked.  We didn’t even bother taking the cooler, snacks or other supplies out of the van.  Instead we open the back of the van, pitched the sun cover out over behind the van with our chairs under the cover, yet still in reach of the cooler.  There was no carrying or trips back and forth to get more supplies.  It was never unpacked.

Since then I have notices people erect tables behind their vehicles and under covers, with snacks, lunch and drinks ready to go. I have also notices young families with babies less than a year old sitting quite comfortably under cover and never far away from a car sear for the baby to sleep in.  You could not go to the beach with a 3 week old baby without the convenience of parking on the beach …. well you could, but you would need to be rather insane.

No Parking Lots

One of the reasons why National Graphic picked New Smyrna Beach as one of the beach Surfing Towns in the world is because it is has a great small town feel, and it really does feel like a great little town without the huge Hotels and big box stores.

New Smyrna Beach can accommodate over a thousand cars and in the summer it gets pretty full.  Now imagine trying to accommodate 1,000 cars every week-end.  Instead of a quaint, quite downtown you would need street parking, plus several parking lots and that means a lot of traffic as people drive around looking for a spot (Have you tried to find parking in Clearwater on the week-end?).

With beach parking, not only does it alleviate the need to create these huge open eyesores in the center of town, but it also alleviates the traffic.  People drive into town, onto the beach and later, after a lovely day at the beach, they drive out.

As much as I never thought I would be comfortable with a vehicle on MY beach – I would have it no other way – beats a parking lot any day!