Spoiler Alert, I got engaged on this trip! The proposal story is in this post, don’t worry! What a trip this was, my heart is so full.
Travel
I flew on United from Newark, NJ to Orlando, Florida, and then rented a car to get to Daytona Beach. It is about an hour and a half drive, it is so much cheaper to fly into Orlando than into Daytona directly, so the drive was worth it!
Where to eat
I have spent a lot of time in Daytona in the past 2 years, so let me know if you want a full food guide for Daytona, but for this post, I am just going to talk about where I went during my most recent trip.
Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse
For background, my now fiancé, Connor, and I started dating in January of 2021 and we did long distance while Connor finished up school in Daytona. The first trip I ever took to visit him was in February of 2021. During that trip, the Daytona 500 was on Valentine’s Day, which also happened to be our one-month anniversary. Connor surprised me by taking me out to dinner at Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse, and it is the best steak I have ever had to this day, and the whole atmosphere of the restaurant is just incredible, plus it is right on the beach! When we decided to go back down this year for the Daytona 500, Connor got reservations at Hyde Park again as well. It was like a little mini recreation of our first weekend together in Daytona. My second time at Hyde Park was honestly even better, which is hard to believe. I was 21 this time, so ordering wine with my dinner was exciting. Everything from the starter bread to the soup, to the steak, to the potatoes, was delicious. If you’re looking for a great fancy dinner in Daytona Beach, this is the place to be AND they have valet parking for you!
Buc-ee’s
If you have never been to a Buc-ee’s you need to go. Buc-ee’s are expanding rapidly, but are only in mainly deep southern states right now. There are around 100 gas pumps and then the inside shop has clothes, snacks, great quick meal food, incredible fudge, and the list goes on. Since I live in Pennsylvania, the only time I get to go to Buccee’s is when I am in Daytona so I was very excited to go back. My favorite thing to get is the beaver tots, which are tater tots, the breakfast brisket tacos, and then I always get some fudge to bring home with me! The first time I went to a Buc-ee’s was with Connor, and it is very “us” so it just so happens to be the first place we went after he proposed LOL!
Jeremiah’s
Jeremiah’s is my favorite Italian ice shop EVER. The first time I went to visit Connor he took me here and now it is a stop we make every time we are able to. I have never had better Italian ice and custard in my entire life. There are incredible flavor options and the mix in options are awesome as well. The Jeremiah’s in Daytona Beach is located in a whole shopping area called One Daytona which is located directly across the street from the Daytona International Speedway. If you’re a dessert person like me, make sure you get to try Jeremiah’s!
Sushi King
Stay with me on this one. Sushi King is one of those restaurants that looks very scary from the outside, but the food is awesome. It is an all-you-can-eat sushi and hibachi restaurant. It is less than $20 a person for as much steak, chicken, sushi, dumplings, rice, and more that you could want. I am allergic to seafood so I never touch the sushi, but the steak, chicken, rice, and dumplings are so yummy and I get them every time I go!
Ponce Inlet, Florida | Proposal Story
Ponce Inlet, Florida is a beautiful beach spot where you can see sunrise and sunset over the ocean, which is rare. There are always lots of surfers, white sand for miles, and there’s a good chance you’ll spot some dolphins while you’re there. There is also the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse and that is such a fun thing to do if you are in Daytona. Ponce Inlet Beach is also home to the original Daytona 500, that’s right, they used to race the cars on the sand. Flashing back to my first Daytona Beach trip in 2021 brings up lots of great memories at Ponce Inlet for me and my fiancé. We used to come down to watch the sunrise or sunset, or both, during my trips to visit and the beach always held a special place in our hearts. Now, this beach will forever be my favorite spot in all of Daytona, it is where Connor popped the question and I cannot think of a more perfect spot for our relationship to have taken this step.
Now onto the proposal story. Before heading down to Daytona Beach Connor had told me we were going to go get brunch on the morning of the Daytona 500, February 19th, 2023, and that before brunch he wanted to go to Ponce Inlet for sunrise. This wasn’t anything abnormal because we went so often! I woke up around 5am on race day and got ready for “a nice brunch” that turned out to just be a way to get me to get ready with hair and makeup done the way I wanted for our proposal. We walked down to the beach for sunrise and I spotted a drone flying around. I was a little creeped out about the drone and then seeing a lady with a camera, but he told me they were for the beach’s Instagram account. I did have my prior suspicions about a possible proposal before we left for our trip when he told me to not get Nascar-themed nails when I went to get my manicure, but I was not expecting a drone to be flying around on the beach! We had the entire beach to ourselves, well minus the photographer and drone videographer, and it was a magical and surreal moment for us that neither of us will ever forget. Connor outdid himself on this CUSTOM ring y’all, I am in awe every time I look at my hand.
After the initial proposal, we had an hour-and-a-half-long photoshoot before making the Facetimes to our family and friends. It was such a fun time calling everyone with the news and hearing who knew versus who didn’t before it happened. We were staying at a friend’s house and when we got back a bunch of Connor’s college friends that feel like family were there to meet us and pop some champagne. We spent the rest of the morning celebrating and then went to the Daytona 500 as our first official outing as fiancés!
The day after the Daytona 500 we went and drove around Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Connor’s alma mater, to soak up memory lane before we flew home early the next day. There is not a single way that this weekend could have been better. Daytona Beach has always been such a special spot for us and I can’t wait to go back now with even more special memories. Now it’s time to plan our wedding!
Check out the whole weekend vlog!
Xoxo,
Anna
