Port Orange, FL Road Trips

Port Orange is made up of several distinct neighborhoods. The city encompasses 26.4 square miles and is home to over 50,000 residents. While it has a city center surrounding a lake, there isn't a commercial downtown area, as it's not a particularly tourist-oriented destination. It is farther from the beaten path than either Daytona Beach or New Smyrna Beach, cities to the north and south respectively, but enough of it is upscale that it's worth a visit for its shopping and partially-suburban, partially-urban landscape. The original settlers of the Port Orange area were the Timucuan and Seminole Indians. During Florida's plantation period, Patrick Dean was granted 995 acres in 1804 from the Spanish Crown which later was named the Dunlawton Plantation. The fertile soil was favorable for citrus, indigo, and sugar cane which could be shipped to market on the Halifax River. The plantation was destroyed by the Seminole Indians during the Second Seminole War in 1836. The Dunlawton Sugar Mill on Old Sugar Mill Road is the last remnant of the old plantation. The second major era for Port Orange occurred after the Civil War. Dr. John Milton Hawks, an abolitionist and United States Army Surgeon, along with other Union Army officers formed the Florida Land and Lumber Company and brought 500 freed slaves to public lands along the Halifax River, north of Spruce Creek in 1866. Dr. Hawks moved the settlement he was credited with naming Orange Port in February 1867 from the Mosquito Inlet (Ponce Inlet) to where the community lies today.

Spruce Creek Park, 6250 Ridgewood Ave, ☏ +1 386 322-5133. Spruce Creek Park offers a 536-foot boardwalk with three miles of nature trails, leading to a 15-foot observation tower and continues to Rose Bay. The tower overlooks the marsh area near Spruce Creek. Sugar Mill Gardens. 950 Old Sugar Mill. Open daily sunrise to sunset. Sugar Mill Gardens is a botanical garden developed and maintained by the Botanical Gardens of Volusia, Inc., a non-profit organization with no salaried employees. It features a 16th-century sugar mill. Free. Lighthouse Loop, Port Orange Causeway, 3501-4900 S. Atlantic Ave. The Lighthouse Loop is a scenic drive, also used by walkers, bicyclists, and runners, which passes through the cities of Port Orange, Daytona Beach Shores, and Ponce Inlet. Check the web site for the exact route.

One of the largest annual events in Volusia is Port Orange Family Days held in October. This four-day festival which takes place at the City Center Complex focuses on celebration of family and quality of life in Port Orange and features a carnival, business and non-profit expo, children's games, parade, food court and entertainment. Sunset Quay Outfitters, 6296 South Ridgewood Ave, ☏ +1 386 236-1207. Offers upscale brand kayak/canoe rentals, instruction, guided eco-tours (various locations), kayak fishing. 1 Crane Lakes Golf and Country Club, 1790 Crane Lakes Blvd, ☏ +1 386 767-4653. Spruce Creek Golf and Country Club, 1900 Country Club Dr, ☏ +1 386 756-6116. The Golf Club at Cypress Head, 6231 Palm Vista Street, ☏ +1 386 756-5449. Port Orange's municipal Golf Course. Discover Diving Guide & Services, ☏ +1 386 760-3483. 92 Dunlawton Causeway. Offers off-shore dive trips to wrecks and reefs. Also offers Lobster trips. Call to book your space. Only five passengers per trip. Spruce Creek Scuba Guide & Services, 1646 Taylor Rd, ☏ +1 386 767-1727. Spruce Creek Scuba is a full service recreational/technical dive center. Offers training for open water diver, specialty diver, advanced open water diver and rescue diver. Also offers basic Nitrox, advanced Nitrox, staged decompression, extended range and Trimix. Spruce Creek Tennis Club, 1900 Country Club Dr, ☏ +1 386 756-6118. Two hard courts and six clay courts, some with lights. Call for hours and fees.

1 Aunt Catfish's on the River, 4009 Halifax Dr, ☏ +1 386 761-2744. Seafood. 2 Monterey Grill, 1665 Dunlawton Ave # 101, ☏ +1 386 761-6868. Steak, Seafood. Port Orange Steakhouse, 3851 South Nova Rd (K-Mart Plaza), ☏ +1 386 756-2660. Steaks, Seafood, American. 3 Takara, 5527 S. Williamson Blvd, ☏ +1 386 756-6668. Japanese steakhouse and hibachi grill. Excellent sushi.

D.J.'s Deck, 79 East Dunlawton Ave, ☏ +1 386 760-2271. First Turn Lounge, 5236 South Ridgewood Ave, ☏ +1 386 788-5434. Last Resort Bar, 5812 South Ridgewood Ave, ☏ +1 386 761-5147. The home of cold beer. Our Deck Down Under, 78 East Dunlawton Ave, ☏ +1 386 767-1881.

Dusk to Dawn Motel, 4545 Ridgewood Ave, ☏ +1 386 761-8048. Fairview Motel, 5964 Ridgewood Ave, ☏ +1 386 760-4056. Town and Country Motel, 5384 Ridgewood Ave, ☏ +1 386 761-0881. 1 Country Inn and Suites, 5802 Journey's End Way, ☏ +1 (386) 760-0101, [email protected]. $122 per night. (updated Jun 2021) 2 La Quinta, 1791 Dunlawton Ave, ☏ +1 (386) 756-3440. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. $149 per night. (updated Jun 2021)

Port Orange only offers Spruce Creek Airport, a small private airport, which is part of the Spruce Creek Fly-In real estate community. If you need to fly here, you will need to find a commercial flight arriving to either Daytona Beach International Airport (the closest), Orlando International Airport, or Jacksonville International Airport. Amtrak offers the Amtrak Auto Train service with its southern Terminus located in Sanford (Florida), about 35 miles west of Port Orange. The Amtrak Auto Train carries passengers and automobiles between Sanford and Lorton, Virginia, effectively serving as a car-rail link from Florida to the Washington, D.C. Metro Area. You can easily drive your car into Port Orange after departing from the Auto Train. Amtrak offers regular passenger service with the closest stop being near the city of DeLand. This stop is rather remote and is not recommended as an option. Greyhound Bus Lines offers bus service to nearby Daytona Beach. Upon arrival at the Daytona Beach bus station, you will need to either transfer to a local Volusia County bus or take a taxicab to complete your trip to Port Orange. Port Orange is easily accessed by car, as Interstate 95 passes by just west of the city, and U.S. Highway 1 passes through the center of the city; it is named "South Ridgewood Avenue."

Votran is the name of the local Volusia County bus service, which also provides a public transit connection to nearby Daytona Beach. The buses offer service in Port Orange, M-Sa 7AM-7PM. Votran is a cheap way to get around and is handicap accessible. The website provides maps and timetables. Buses travel to most sites and places of interest. Cost: $1.75 per trip, or $3.75 for a one-day bus pass (Valid for all routes). Getting around by car is generally easy and convenient in Port Orange. The major roads are all wide and easy to drive on with all the major areas signposted, but traffic jams around major intersections are common in the afternoons, and around the tourist areas on Saturday nights. Important roads in the city include Williamson Boulevard in the west, Dunlawton Boulevard connecting the east/west portions of the city, and US-1 going from north to south in the east. Traffic can be heavy on Dunlawton and slow on US-1.

Florida has a high occurrence of hurricanes. You might want to check the Hurricane safety page if you are visiting Florida. Beware of lightning in the central part of the state. Also, there is a high occurrence of tornadoes in Florida, so check the Tornado safety page. Port Orange has varying crime intensity by neighborhood. Tourist areas rarely have violent crimes, but theft is an occasional occurrence. The 911 number for fire and police emergencies is in effect in Port Orange.