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PONCE INLET VACATION RENTALS, FLORIDA |
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Sights and Attractions in Ponce Inlet |
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| Ponce Inlet has a range of activities as well as attractions to keep vacationers on their toes. It has museums, state parks and amusement parks, which keep people of all ages busy and make their trip exciting and enjoyable. |
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The Ponce de Leon Lighthouse
The Ponce de Leon Springs State Park
Museum of Arts and Sciences
St. Augustine Alligator Farm
Theme Parks |
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| The Ponce de Leon Lighthouse |
The most famous attraction in Ponce Inlet is the Ponce de Leon lighthouse, built in 1887, and is only amongst the few buildings that still retain the original architecture. It is located 12 miles south of Daytona Beach and is open to public throughout the year. It is the tallest lighthouse in Florida and visitors can climb the 175-feet lighthouse and get a stunning and panoramic view of the Florida coastline, Halifax River, Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach.
The Ponce de Leon Lighthouse is a museum now and has incredible exhibits on lighthouse life, Daytona Beach and Florida history, lighthouse and Fresnel lens restoration, shipwrecks, and the lighthouse keepers and their families. The Ayres Davies Lens Exhibit Building has one of the finest collections of restored Fresnel lenses in the world, including the rotating first order Fresnel lens from the Cape Canaveral lighthouse.
The Ponce Inlet Lighthouse organizes a program called Climb with the Keepers, a tour of the Lighthouse with escorts giving you an insight in to the history of the lighthouse as well as the lighthouse keepers who take care of it. The program also gives you an opportunity to enter the historic lantern room where you get the finest details about lens construction and maintenance. The fee for the program is $50 out of which $45 is tax-deductible. There is also a registration fee for the program. A maximum of 8 are allowed inside at a time to avoid a crush. There is also a gift shop and restrooms at the entrance of the Lighthouse. There is a $3.50 per vehicle fee to get into Lighthouse Point Park. |
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| The Ponce de Leon Springs State Park |
The Ponce de Leon State Park is located at the corner of Ponce de Leon and Burt Parks Road, one-half mile south of U.S. 90 on County Road 181A.The beautiful Ponce de Leon spring is known as the Fountain of Youth where the vacationers can take a cool dip in the clear spring waters. The temperature of the water remains a constant 68° F around the year.
Visitors can take a leisurely walk along two self-guided nature trails through a lush, hardwood forest and learn about the local ecology and wildlife. Guided walks are conducted by the rangers. Picnicking is a popular activity at the park; grills and pavilions are available. Anglers will enjoy fishing for catfish, largemouth bass, chain pickerel and panfish.
The Ponce de Leon State Park is open from 8 AM until sunset. The admission fee for the park is $3, pedestrians, bicyclists, extra passengers and those with an Annual Individual Entrance Permit are charged $1 as admission fee. |
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| Museum of Arts and Sciences |
Museum of Arts and Sciences is located in Daytona Beach. It has a planetarium and 5 permanent art exhibits. Visitors can find a wide range of attractions here, from classical Cuban artwork to the skeletons of wildlife and Egyptian mummies. Permanent collections include Cuban and Chinese art, American cultural artifacts and various decorative art including jewelry, furniture, glasses and clothing.
The Root Family Museum has an amazing collection of stuffed teddy bears where each teddy bear represents a different period or theme. New additions to the permanent exhibit at the museum are 2 railroad cars built in 1948, which were used by the Roots to travel throughout the country.
A sculpture garden and nature preserve are also part of the museum ground, allowing visitors to explore the art in nature as well as in manmade items. The Root Hall Gallery has 2000-square feet of dining area where you can just get together with friends or invite them for a lip-smacking lunch or dinner with in-house catering kitchen available with ovens, refrigerators, ace-machine and enough area to prepare your sumptuous meals.
There is also a 266-seat auditorium. Rental fees are reasonable and competitive. The museum opens from Monday to Saturday from 9 AM to 5 PM, and on Sundays the timings are 11 AM to 5 PM. The admission fee is $12.95 fro adults, $9.95 for seniors. For children (between 6 to 17 years,) it is $5.95 and free for children (5 years and below.) For museum members, the entry fee is $4.95. Discounts are available for visitors traveling in groups. The planetarium fee is not included in the museum’s admission fee. |
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| Big Kahuna's Water and Adventure Park |
St. Augustine Alligator Farm is one of Florida’s oldest zoological attractions. The visitors are mesmerized by the awesome presence of captive reptiles. The farm is home to many other members of wildlife like the ostriches, crocodiles, Galapagos Tortoises, and a variety of monkeys and birds.
The farm also has a number of mounted marine and terrestrial specimens. You can get a closer view of the wildlife from the nature trail. A roofed theater and an open amphitheater are also a part of the farm for formal exhibitions of snakes and alligators that include lectures on the reptiles’ habits and behavior. The park was expanded to include ‘Land of Crocodiles’ where all the 23 species of the world’s crocodiles are exhibited in individual habitats.
The Alligator Farm is open every day from 9 AM to 5 PM and there are extended summer hours when the farm is open until 6 PM. The admission fee is $17.95 for adults and $9.95 for children (age group of 5-11.) There are special charges for adults and children with wheel chairs—$8.98 and $4.98 respectively. Group discount rates are available and require reservation. Discounts are given to educational groups as well.
You can also rent the Alligator Farm for a get together or meeting. The Anastasia Island Conservation centre at St. Augustine Alligator Farm has provision for accommodating 50 to 100 people for a sit down or a standing meal. The other amenities include folding chairs and tables, crockery and fireplace. Discounts are given to the guests. Off-site catering is also welcome. |
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| St. Augustine Alligator Farm |
| Located on the world's largest air base, Eglin Air Force Base, the museum traces military developments from World War II to Operation Desert Storm. Reconnaissance, fighter and bomber planes, including the SR-71 Blackbird spy plane, are on display. Take the kids to for a close up look of those high flying machines. Admission is free. The museum is open daily from 9.30 AM to 4.30 PM. |
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| Theme Parks |
Blizzard Beach Water Park located in Disney World is an hour’s drive from Ponce Inlet and has the most exciting water rides for people of all ages to enjoy. You can enjoy water slides, rafting, tubing or you can relax in the pools. For kids, there is the Tike’s Peak, where kids can enjoy short water slides, ride-able critters and have fun at the snow castle, the fountain play area and the squirting ice pond.
Visitors can also take a ride on the chair lifts, which take you from the base to the Mt. Gushmore summit. There are facilities for visitors traveling in wheelchairs where they are chair lifted equipped with Gondola vehicles, which take them to the peak of the mountain. Kids are not allowed on this ride and people with neck and back problems are advised not to take this ride. The ticket for children (aged 10 and above) is $34 for a single day and for children (from 3-9 years is $ 28.) The park is open 7 days a week. |
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