Daytona Beach has attractions beyond oceanfront views

DAYTONA BEACH AREA CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU

The Jackie Robinson Ballpark is now home to the minor league Daytona Tortugas. The park features a statue of Robinson, historical markers and a museum, all commemorating where Robinson played in the first integrated Major League Baseball spring training game in 1946.

As the home of a 23-mile stretch of Atlantic shoreline known by many as the world’s most famous beach, Daytona Beach is familiar to many who love its beautiful waters and classic boardwalk and pier.

There is far more to discover beyond the beach, too. Anyone looking for variety, and particularly those who enjoy delving into a destination’s history and culture, will find plenty of options, including landmarks and attractions that chronicle important moments in African American history.

Daytona Beach is between St. Augustine and the Kennedy Space Center and just an hour east of Orlando, with easy access via Interstates 95 and 4. The Daytona Beach International Airport is convenient for air travelers and offers non-stop flights from select cities.

For those who want to enjoy a variety of beyond-the-beach activities, there are many avenues to explore, including some that may be unexpected. The Daytona Beach Trail introduces many aspects of Daytona Beach’s Black heritage at 18 locations. Here are just a few:

Daytona Beach

The Mary McLeod Bethune Home & Gravesite is a National Historic Landmark and is the former home of civil rights leader, educator and founder of Bethune-Cookman University Mary McLeod Bethune.

Born to former slaves a decade after the Civil War, Bethune devoted her life to ensuring quality education and freedom from discrimination for African Americans. The home, located on the grounds of the university, is filled with furnishings, artifacts and photos of famous visitors during her life and tenure.

Guided tours are available.

Many of her papers and writings are housed in the university archives on the second floor of the Carl S. Swisher Library. The home is closed for renovations and is expected to reopen in early 2025. Bethune is also honored with statues both on campus and at Daytona Beach’s Riverfront Esplanade.

The Historic Howard Thurman Home aims to preserve Thurman’s legacy and to serve as a place for the public to learn about the intellectual roots of the civil rights movement. This is the childhood home of Thurman, who became a noted 20th century theologian and one of the most influential early voices shaping the nonviolent philosophy of the modern Civil Rights Movement. It is said that his most famous book, "Jesus and the Disinherited" (1949), profoundly influenced a young Martin Luther King, Jr. and other young activists and leaders in the movement. The home is open for tours on Friday and Saturday afternoons and other times by appointment.

Mount Bethel Baptist Institutional Church was formed when, in 1885, a group of Christians, under the leadership of Rev. Joseph Brook Hankerson, recognized the need for African Americans to have a place to worship in the community. Mount Bethel was constructed on the corner of Fremont Avenue and Church Street. The current sanctuary was built in 1921.

The Jackie Robinson Ballpark and Statue is home to the minor league Daytona Tortugas, but it was here that Jackie Robinson played in the first integrated Major League Baseball spring training game in 1946. The park features a statue of Robinson, historical markers and a museum.

Nearby, another marker notes the former location of Kelly Field, where Robinson and fellow Negro League veteran Johnny Wright practiced with the Montreal Royals during spring training in 1946.

Around the county

African American Museum of the Arts in DeLand, Florida, features art from Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Madagascar and Kenya in its permanent gallery and also has six rotating visual arts exhibits and amphitheater events throughout the year.

Founded in 1994, it is the only museum in the area devoted primarily to African American cultures and art. Its collection includes more than 150 artifacts, including sculptures and masks from countries of Africa.

Mary S. Harrell Black Heritage Museum in New Smyrna Beach houses a collection of photographs, memorabilia and artifacts that tell stories of the hardships and triumphs of this African American community and of the history of race relations in small-town Florida over the course of the 20th century.

Freemanville Historic Site in Port Orange is the location of the county’s first African American community, settled by freed slaves in 1867. This largely unknown community was recognized with a state historic marker 2003.

The last remaining Freemanville building, the community’s church, remains. On the second Tuesday in February each year, the city of Port Orange celebrates Freemanville Day with historic reenactments.

Noteworthy

The talents and accomplishments of local African Americans are celebrated and on display at many other spots throughout Daytona Beach and Volusia County, including:

Bethel AME Church in DeLand was finished in 1907 and designed by John A. Lankford, the nation's first practicing African American architect.

Daisy Stocking Park in Daytona Beach was dedicated in 1971 to an accomplished nurse and humanitarian who came to Daytona Beach in 1916 at the urging of a fellow South Carolinian, Mary McLeod Bethune.

Samuel L. Butts Archeological Park is named for the local man who collected prehistoric bones at the site for 20 years. He found spear joints, bone tools and pottery fragments left by Native Americans more than 5,000 years ago.

Beyond its wealth of sites spotlighting African American history, Daytona Beach’s neighborhoods and downtown districts offer things to do for an array of interests.

From museums and galleries to satisfy discerning art lovers to an impressive mix of shopping venues to, of course, places for race fans to enjoy. Beyond the excitement of Daytona International Speedway and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, there are others that offer insights into racing’s history, including a self-guided walk through Birthplace of Speed Park in Ormond Beach and the beach racing display at the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse and Museum for a historical perspective.

The stories of the innovators of beach racing and the drive that propelled the sport to the phenomenon it is today are well documented throughout.

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