The beach is popular all day long. Near dawn, anglers share space with walkers and runners taking advantage of the morning cool. I love the beach in the early morning, when the sun is just coming up and the clouds in the sky are really pretty, said Lynn Parfitt, deputy director of leisure services for the city of Daytona Beach. It s quiet and not as crowded with people then. As the sun climbs into the sky campers crawl from tents and trailers at John Gamble State Recreation Area on Flagler Beach to fire up gas stoves and start their fresh air breakfasts.
Tourists emerge from hotel rooms to search for shells along the beachfront.
Later, the beach becomes a maze of activity. Vendors arrive with their bright umbrellas, spiffy bikes and rolling smorgasboards of hot dogs, hamburgers and ice cold sodas. Tanned, buff surfboarders arrive throughout the day, toting long and short boards to match wits with the surf. Inland, visitors flock to Blue Spring State Park throughout the year to swim in the summer and to watch the park s famed manatees on winter mornings. This year, the park has been busy every day since Christmas, says Park Biologist Richard Harris.