A friend called and we met up at 27th Ave. in New Smyrna, down on the beach. We both needed to buy our yearly beach passes, so we drove onto the beach and took a walk. County residents pay $25 for New Smyrna Beach access and it’s good until the end of the year.

It was a warm February day, but very windy on the beach. We watched the kite-surfer jump some nice waves until he came onshore and packed up to leave. Then we took a walk north near the waters edge.

I suspect that most of the people on the beach were “snowbirds”, or people who only come to Florida for the winter months. Some may have been vacationing on their Spring Break. Unless you love to surf, locals don’t generally visit the beach at this time of year. For me, the water is too cool to swim, and there are no lifeguards. But it’s a nice place to walk.

If you are planning a visit, for all the beach information read the Volusia County beaches page.

Low tide is my favorite time to visit any beach. As you can see, there is a lot of space between the edge of the water and the driving area. There is a specified “road” where vehicles must remain, and the speed limit is 10MPH.

Long ago we could park in a second line down by the water. (Check out the old beach postcard at Fresh Slices of Old Florida, which shows what I mean.) I wasn’t in Florida in the 1050’s, but we parked like this in the 1980’s. Of course it could only be done at low tide. I don’t remember when they stopped allowing it.

With two rows of cars – one up by the dunes and another near the sea – there were too many accidents, and it was more difficult to see kids running around.

More People Equals More Rules

These days there are MANY rules to follow, and one is how you park. Also the person at the entrance booth will tell you to have your windows down and lights on while driving on the sand. During the summer months, surfers can only surf as specified locations called “surf zones“. A visit to the Volusia County beaches page is a good idea if you are new to beach driving.

My friend and I had a short walk and then she had to go home. We drove north on the sand to the 3rd Street ramp where we got back onto the main road.