And yet Daytona is the summer home of the London Symphony, which performs each August. And on the beach, the boardwalk is fun. From New Smyrna south, highest lodgings rates are in winter, lowest in spring and fall. In addition to the places listed, Cocoa Beach is especially popular, especially when you consider that the view of space launches couldn't be better from the sands that slope to the ocean water. Starting from the north, the chief attractions are the beaches of Hutchinson Island, which lie mainly in St. Lucie County.
Oceanfront parks abound.
Fort Lauderdale Leaving the parks and estates of lower Palm Beach County, you enter a scene of almost continuous habitation as you drive south to the Fort Lauderdale area. But through the beachtowns all run together, each has a different character. At its end, the highway swings inland, reappearing as the beach road in Dania, where development is less intense until you get to Hollywood Beach, busier, but low-rise, with Canadian and European tourists much in evidence. Finally, Hallandale Beach is conspicuously high-rise and urban, mostly with retirees in the towering condos. At the far end of the Key is Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, with its historic lighthouse awaiting restoration.