Main Street Pier - Daytona Beach

GPS Coordinates: 29.226947,-81.007463

Location: East end of Main Street, Daytona Beach.

Directions: Take I-4 to I-95. North on I-95 to International Speedway Blvd., then east on International Speedway to S. Atlantic Ave (1A). Left on S. Atlantic several blocks to Main Street area.

The area around the pier is very congested. Parking is at a premium. There is no beach driving or parking on the north side of the pier for more than half-a-mile. This is because of the many huge hotels on the north side of the pier. It’s safer for hotel guests in the no-driving zone.

The area around the pier has a carnival-like atmosphere with carnival rides and souvenir shops on top of souvenir shops, fast food and t-shirts on sale in every store window. There is some metered street parking and there are several private parking lots that charge a fee. If you just want to go to the beach, the Main Street Pier area isn’t the easiest access point. If you want to have a full day of beach, some carnival rides, shopping, lunch at nearby restaurants, rent beach equipment and watch people, then by all means, go for it at the Main Street Pier in Daytona Beach. The “fun” goes on late into the evening. But take care not to wander too far off the main street in the vicinity of the pier. The safety of the surrounding neighborhoods may be questionable, especially after dark.

The main attraction on the pier is the restaurant, "Joe's Crab Shack," the cable car ride, sight-seeing and people-watching, a few vendors hawking various items, and fishing. The pier re-opened in June 2012 after a major renovation.

Parking

Parking and traffic congestion is a problem around the Main Street Pier. Cars are not allowed to drive or park on the beach north or south of the pier between Seabreeze Blvd. and International Speedway Blvd. This means that if you want to hang out on the beach around the pier, you’ll have to find off-beach parking.

There is a pay lot ($7 per day) for parking just north of Main Street by the pier between N. Atlantic Ave and Ocean Ave. Metered on-street parking is also available (9 am to 11 pm) but fills up quickly.

There is a large public parking garage across the street from the Hilton, between Earl Street and Ora Street (look for the elevated crosswalk going over A1A).

Breakers Oceanfront Park, just south of Main Street and adjacent to the Pier, also has metered parking available from 9 am to 11 pm with a 6 hour limit. As of this writing, the parking meters in Daytona Beach only accept coins.

Alcohol on the Beach

You cannot take alcoholic beverages onto the beach, but there is plenty of alcohol available in most of the restaurants and on the pier.

Pets on the Beach

Animals, other than service animals, are not allowed on the beach.

Amenities

There are beach equipment and food vendors on the beach. They rent surfboards, boogie boards, bicycles, chairs and umbrellas. The vendors drive onto the beach with large vans and trailers, so the availability of their services varies according to the tides, the weather and the season.