Fall rides from Daytona Beach

Four rides from the beach: the Ormond Scenic Loop, north on A1A to Flagler Beach, south to Ponce Inlet, and a full day up to St. Augustine. The Loop is the short one, roughly 30 miles; St. Augustine is the full day.

Biketoberfest 2026 runs Thursday, October 15 through Sunday, October 18. It’s the rally’s 34th year, and it lands at the time of year riding here gets good again: the worst of the summer heat is behind us, the mornings come in cooler off the ocean, and A1A feels like a ride instead of an endurance test.

The rally itself centers on Main Street and Destination Daytona on US-1. But a lot of the riding people remember happens a few miles away, on two-lane roads along the rivers and the ocean. We’re a father-and-son team that has looked after vacation rentals in Daytona Beach since 2019, and these are the fall rides we’d send you on — a short loop, a run up the coast, and a shorter one south.

The Ormond Scenic Loop

If you ride one thing outside of Main Street during Biketoberfest, make it this. The Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail is a double loop of roughly 30 miles, depending on which legs you take, through live oaks hung with Spanish moss, salt marsh, the Halifax and Tomoka rivers on one side and the ocean on the other. Florida named it a state scenic highway in 2007, and the official Daytona Beach tourism site lists it among its top Biketoberfest rides. In the fall, with the shade and the river air, it’s about as comfortable as riding gets here.

Getting on. From Daytona, ride north to Granada Boulevard in Ormond Beach, then keep going north on North Beach Street along the river, John Anderson Drive, or A1A along the ocean. The Loop is a set of public roads rather than a single entrance, so you can join it from any of them. From I-95, it’s exit 278 at Old Dixie Highway.

The curves. High Bridge Road is the twistiest stretch of the whole loop — a little over half a mile, through the trees and over the water. Everything else is a cruise.

Worth stopping for. North Peninsula State Park on the beach side, Highbridge Park, Bulow Creek State Park and the Fairchild Oak, Tomoka State Park, and the ruins of an old sugar mill set back in a clearing off Old Dixie Highway. During both rallies, keep an eye out for photographers set up along the route taking pictures of riders as they pass.

Where to eat in Ormond. River Grille sits right on the Tomoka River — Cajun, waterfront, and some of the best hush puppies we’ve had. On West Granada, Ormond Garage and The Grind are both easy with a group. The full list is in The Local Table.

North to Flagler Beach

From the top of the Loop, A1A runs north along the ocean to Flagler Beach, a small beach town with a pier and a strip of oceanfront spots right on the road. It makes the natural turnaround for a half-day ride, or the lunch stop on the way to St. Augustine. Starting at the north end of town and working south, back toward Daytona:

The Golden Lion Cafe 501 N Oceanshore Blvd
Open-air, on the ocean, and known for its fish and chips.

Finn’s Beachside Pub 101 N Oceanshore Blvd
A beachside pub a few blocks down, right in the middle of town.

Funky Pelican 215 S Oceanshore Blvd, by the pier
Next to the Flagler Beach Pier. Shrimp and grits and the Cajun mahi tacos are the regulars’ orders.

High Tides at Snack Jack 2805 S Oceanshore Blvd
The last stop heading south, open since 1947 and as old Florida as it sounds — fried shrimp, mahi sandwiches, right on the sand. Check hours before you go; they vary by day.

The full day: St. Augustine

For the long ride, start at the Main Street bridge, run along the Halifax River through the Scenic Loop, and keep going north on A1A past North Peninsula State Park, Palm Coast and Flagler Beach into St. Augustine, the oldest city in the country. It’s roughly two and a half hours of riding, so most people make a day of it — lunch in Flagler Beach on the way up, the old city in the afternoon, and back down A1A as the light goes.

If you’d rather not ride it in one day, we look after a home on Locust Street in St. Augustine as well. Spend the night, and ride back down the coast in the morning.

South to Ponce Inlet

Take A1A south out of Daytona through Daytona Beach Shores and Wilbur-by-the-Sea, and the road ends at Ponce Inlet and the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse. It’s a shorter run than heading north, and the lighthouse is worth the climb if you have the legs for it.

Down the Hatch is next door on the water — start with the oysters. Racing’s North Turn is close by for wings, and Boondocks in Wilbur-by-the-Sea is an open-air tiki bar on the river on the way back.