As I have previously posted, I love Tripadvisor and the entire concept of vacationers – guests having all questions answered to have a “plan” prior to arrival to get the most out of every travel opportunity !! However, with the Tripadvisor Forum, the reviews soon get buried by other questions and posted information. Because I think that these independent reviews are so important — I decided to post them here so they can live in and also can be easily found… and besides I appreciate the help!! This was originally posted May 12, 2008 by Ms. Bernadette Glee of the UK who has done a fabulous job with recommendations here::
Thank you Bernadette for your permission to re-post !!
Here is our review of the wings, ribs etc as promised. Didn’t get to try all of places recommended on my initial post.
But how many meals can you eat on vacation? So thanks for all your reply’s, next time we’ll try some more places.
Sonny’s BBQ pit, this was our first night in DB. We ordered 20 wings, not crispy enough – 2 types of ribs, little ones were yummy, larger ribs not as delicious, and fries – loads of food!
Hog heaven , Fabulous – half rack special, their ribs fell off the bone – I used a fork to eat these, no fingers or knife.
Hooters – probably the best wings we had, ‘naked’ with no breadcrumbs, lovely and crispy, curly fries were lovely and we even ordered another 5 wings. yum yum.
Ormand Steak house, definitely the best ribs – we split a whole rack between us, soooo delicious.
Charlie’s Horse – So many wings and they were huge!! Hubby tried a steak, his mistake, my ribs were gorgeous. Great staff, great atmosphere.
Ruby Tuesdays, last night in DB, I had steak this time, disappointed – not that nice, not sure of the cuts though. So I ordered sirloin.
Racings north turn, we had lunch in this beautiful setting – patio on the beach, not too hungry so we had a hot dog, with kraut, it was very nice too, I never eat hot dogs, so it was a treat.
Pats waterfront cafe for lunch – the biggest patty melt in the world, I only managed a couple of bites, very delicious though, on black bread, my first introduction to black bread, Rye!! Jury’s still out on that one!
The Outback, we ordered ribs, which we had to wait ages for, I didn’t get my baked potato ‘loaded’ just butter and sour cream, or the ketchup he was going to bring, never turned up.
The Olive garden – probably the worst meal of our time here. The pasta wasn’t great, Also the waiter should have given us $20.49 change, but we never saw the 49 cents, shame he would have got a bigger tip if he’d left it to us!!!
(I am actually joking, lol – he got the usual gratuity) but wouldn’t go back there, or recommend it.
Breakfast (definitely the best meal of the day IMO)
Before I start, I must say we are ‘breakfast people’ at home in the UK, and because we are fortunate enough to live by the lovely Sussex coast, there are loads of places to breakfast.
But… the eggs in the US are really fabulous, they are wonderfully ‘eggy’ and creamy. Reminds me of how eggs tasted when I was a little girl.
What is it about the way you guys do eggs, they are without doubt the best ‘easy over’ eggs in the world. The sausage is tasty, bacon leaves a lot to be desired (sorry), and the potatoes are not for us for breakfast. Far too early in the day. Well, in the beginning of our vacation anyway, but we did succumb in the end. And gritsL we did try them – a one off I’m afraid, never again.
The following only differ by a very narrow margin…
Our hotel had the best breakfast (Tropical Wind resort) it’s only got about a dozen tables but it was delicious – eggs are fantastic!
Peach valley cafe,
Another great breakfast and this time we did have ‘home fries’ We actually went here a second time, it was so good, this is our 2nd favourite.
Denny’s, Very nice, straight forward breakfast. Good service, great coffee.
Starlite diner, fantastic breakfast, great little diner, got very busy as we were leaving at 8:45am.
IHop, disgusting breakfast – it was dirty and there were hair like things on my toast, yuk yuk!
Bob Evans – another fantastic breakfast, very clean, great service.
I’m now a vegetarian;-) lol
That’s all folks!
Thanks Bernadette !! I could not have said it better myself !!
Daytona Beach Travel Info – Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor is a great way to get your questions answered while planning your Daytona Beach vacation.
There are hotel reviews and trip photos, and the best little travel game that will keep you busy for hours and hours…
http://www.tripadvisor.com/TIQGame
It comes recommended from me (Travel Score :: 132..!!)
I also highly recommend the Daytona Beach travel forum. There are 10+ people that regularly answer any and all traveler questions related to Daytona Beach and surrounding area. At any given time the questions will range from best Sunday brunch locations to the best places for wings to the best locations to stay and visit.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g34172-i128-Daytona_Beach_Florida.html
I am a regular contributor there–and I look forward to hearing from you there !!
Crane’s ‘The Open Boat’
Ask any upper-level English teacher to list the finest short stories ever written, and Stephen Crane’s “The Open Boat” is sure to rank near the top.
Mr. Crane’s account of surviving the angry sea in a 10-foot dinghy has been applauded since its publication in 1899.
You already knew that? Did you know that the story was written as a result of Mr. Crane’s own experience of being shipwrecked and set adrift?
Yeah? Well, OK, Smarty. Did you know that he washed ashore at Daytona Beach?
If your answer is again yes, go ahead and read on anyway – I might still teach you something. If no, just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale of a fateful trip that started from Jacksonville on Jan. 2, 1897.
Mr. Crane had chartered and outfitted the 200-ton privateer, The Commodore, to transport a band of Cuban insurgents to the island to join the latest rebellion. The insurgents’ goal? To overthrow Cuba’s Spanish rulers. Mr. Crane’s goal? To give a blow-by-blow account of the war and to sell it to a New York newspaper syndicate.
Americans wanted to follow events in the Caribbean, so newspaper publishers were paying famous authors such as Stephen Crane $1,000 a week to report them. And if things down in Cuba got a trifle slow, Mr. Crane had been provided with 40 bundles of Enfeld and Krag-Jorgensen U.S. Army rifles, 100,000 rounds of sharp ammunition, dynamite and cases of razor-sharp machetes to pep things up. Can you say, “yellow journalism”?
Mr. Crane’s trip was doomed from the start. Next week, we’ll learn how.
Take a day trip to the Ponce Inlet lighthouse. Adults will marvel at the first-order Fresnel lenses, while children tucker themselves out by climbing to the top of Florida’s tallest lighthouse. Make sure to check out the Stephen Crane/Commodore exhibit.
For more information, call (386) 761-1821.
In the June 30 edition, I introduced the tale behind the tale of “The Open Boat,” by acclaimed author Stephen Crane. Considered by many to be the finest example of the American short story, “The Open Boat” tells of Mr. Crane’s experience of being shipwrecked and set adrift just off the coast of Daytona Beach.
Mr. Crane’s journey aboard the 200-ton privateer, The Commodore, was doomed from the start. The ship had barely left Jacksonville on Jan. 1, 1897, when she got stuck on a sandbar. After being pulled free by the Coast Guard, the damaged craft began taking on water.
At dawn, Jan. 2, the captain gave the dreaded order, “Abandon ship!” The ship’s captain, cook, oiler and Mr. Crane all climbed into a tiny 10-foot dinghy. For the next 24-plus hours, the men were tossed by (and nearly toppled into) the frigid Atlantic Ocean. During that long night, they were shadowed by an enormous shark that nudged the boat repeatedly, as if to remind its passengers that it was out there and hungry.
The dinghy was carried past New Smyrna, Mosquito Inlet and the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse. A mile or so out from Daytona’s Main Street Pier, the captain decided it was time to brave the surf. He turned the dinghy toward land. Waves swamped the boat and ripped it apart. As it overturned, the ship’s oiler was crushed to death. Mr. Crane, the captain and the cook were helped ashore by onlookers. The survivors were sent home with various townspeople; Mr. Crane stayed at Laurence Thompson’s lovely home, Lillian Place.
As a thank-you to his hosts, Mr. Crane left the Thompsons an autographed copy of “The Red Badge of Courage.” Alas, that book has disappeared. Maybe Lucille took it. But we’ll learn about her ghost next week.
We are grateful for permission to use this article to our wonderful friend
Marian Tomblin, historical columnist and author. For more information on
Marian. Tomblin’s books or to have her speak at your next meeting, contact her at www.MarianSTomblin.com or at (386) 615-0493.
You will find Marian’s books, as well as other books of local interest, or, just a wonderful read at the beach at
The Book Store and So Much More! 410 S. Nova Road / Suite 1, Ormond Beach (386) 615-8320
Plantation Number Nine
The following was compiled by the Junior League of Daytona and was published in 1986 as “Historic Daytona Beach – a self-guided tour.”
On John Anderson Drive, about six miles north of Granada Boulevard, is the once-famous Number Nine Plantation.
In 1876, Chauncey A. Bacon, a Civil War veteran from Connecticut, purchased a homestead that extended half a mile from the Halifax River eastward to the ocean. Bacon named his homestead Number Nine Plantation because it was the ninth piece of property he had considered buying.
He erected a small palmetto hut and began the back-breaking work of clearing the land while his wife, Jennie, and their young son, Earl, remained in the nearby settlement of New Britain where Jennie served as the first school teacher.
Later, Mrs. Bacon and Earl joined Mr. Bacon on the homestead. He built a small, two-story frame house with a large coquina rock fireplace for them.
After his land was cleared, Bacon planted guava, mulberry and peach trees as well as 55 varieties of citrus. Mrs. Bacon and Earl began to make jams and jellies from the abundance, and when guests sailed up from New Britain, they were given these delicious preserves as a gift.
In 1888, Hotel Ormond opened, and a rough road led to Number Nine. Hotel guests would visit there to buy preserves and wander the groves.
In 1895, Mr. Bacon, who was nicknamed “The Duke” because he insisted on wearing an elegant top hat in the wilderness, built his second house on an Indian shell mound.
The jelly business continued to flourish, and when Plantation Number Nine was later sold to Ferdinand Nordman, it became one of the most famous manufacturers of fruit preserves in the southeast United States.
Day trip: The Ormond Beach Historical Trust provides a historic trolley tour of 31 places of local interest. A stop alongside Plantation Number Nine is included in the tour. Call (386) 677-7005 to reserve your seat.
We are grateful for permission to use this article to our wonderful friend
Marian Tomblin, historical columnist and author. For more information on
Marian. Tomblin’s books or to have her speak at your next meeting, contact her at www.MarianSTomblin.com or at (386) 615-0493.
You will find Marian’s books, as well as other books of local interest, or, just a wonderful read at the beach at
The Book Store and So Much More! 410 S. Nova Road / Suite 1, Ormond Beach (386) 615-8320
There’s nothing “Johnny come lately” about east Volusia County. Folks have been moving here, living here and dying here for hundreds of years.
The Halifax area has some wonderfully worn Spanish moss-draped cemeteries as a result. If you’ve ever felt disconnected from your community, a Sunday stroll through one of these deep-rooted resting places might prove helpful.
“Historic Daytona Beach,” published by the Junior League of Daytona Beach in 1986, provides us with the following:
“Pinewood Cemetery, also called Peninsula Cemetery, is one of the oldest burial grounds in the Daytona Beach area. While driving through it, the names of many of Daytona’s earliest settlers, including Burgoyne, Jackson, Day and Maley, can be seen. It is located on property purchased in 1873 by John W. Smith, a settler from Canada. He originally advertised the land as cemetery lots in 1883, but it was not used until 1887 when, ironically, the first person to be buried there was his own 19-year-old daughter.
“In the early 1900s, the cemetery was taken over by Charles Bingham and Jerome Maley who owned a furniture/undertaking establishment. They formed the original Pinewood Cemetery Corporation. It was at this time that the coquina walls and archways were built. In 1917, a lot cost $50. All the lots were sold more than 20 years ago (as of 1986), and today, it is difficult to determine who owns the remaining empty lots.
“The Pinewood Cemetery Corporation had a maintenance fund until the Depression when the Merchant’s Bank failed, and the money was lost. Because it is a private burial ground, both the city and the county refuse to assume the cost of its upkeep. However, in 1979, Albert Kingston, who is buried in Pinewood, left money in trust for the cemetery’s maintenance.”
Do you know more? I’m always interested in your stories!
Day trip: Pinewood Cemetery on Main Street in Daytona Beach across from the Boot Hill Saloon. Say hello to the Burgoynes for me, then go to the Halifax Historical Museum (the former Merchant’s Bank) to learn about this important family.
We are grateful for permission to use this article to our wonderful friend
Marian Tomblin, historical columnist and author. For more information on
Marian. Tomblin’s books or to have her speak at your next meeting, contact her at www.MarianSTomblin.com or at (386) 615-0493.
You will find Marian’s books, as well as other books of local interest, or, just a wonderful read at the beach at
The Book Store and So Much More! 410 S. Nova Road / Suite 1, Ormond Beach (386) 615-8320
