Photos and video by Headline Surfer Multimedia Editor Sera King / New Smyrna Beach is listed among the Top 10 Florida Beach Towns by none other than Dr. Beach and it's easy to see why just by looking at these photos: Top: The beach at New Smyrna Beach; Bottom left: Surfer enjoying the curling waves. Bottom left: New Smyrna Beach Shrimp Festival on Flagler Avenue. The video shoit in 2010 shows beachgoers feeding birds.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- It was bound to happen sooner or later that New Smyrna Beach would make "Dr. Beach's" listing as one of his "Top 10 beach towns in Florida."
Southeast Volusia Advertising Director Tim Hamby is pleased that it's sooner than later as in last Friday.
"It is now up to the voting public to see who is the overall favorite, with the winner earning a feature from USAToday travel writer, Laura Bly," Hamby said. "We are trying to get the word out to get people to vote for New Smyrna Beach!"
Eat your heart out Daytona Beach. You may be known as the "World's Most Famous Beach," but New Smyrna Beach has now one-upped you as one of the Top 10 beach towns in Florida, a designation no doubt you'd sure love to have.
Here is the list in alphabetical order: Clearwater Beach, Delray Beach, Key West, New Smyrna Beach, Pensacola Beach, Sanibel Island, Seaside, Siesta Key and South Beach.
The list was first reported by USA Today's Bly who asked Florida International University professor and coastal expert Stephen P. Leatherman, aka, "Dr. Beach." to choose his 10 favorite beach towns in Florida that take into account sand, surf and a welcoming sense of community.
Well, New Smyrna Beach certainly has its eclectic boutiques and restaurants on Flagler Avenue and its Shrimp Festival and Atlantic Center for the Arts displays. There's the hard sands that allow for motorists to drive on the beach and the swirling surf near the South Jetty certainly makes it a surfer's paradise, with the occasional shark bite to make it that more adventurous.
Now that USA Today has Dr. Beach's list in hand as documented first in Volusia County right here on Headline Surfer, Central Florida's 24/7 Internet news outlet in New Smyrna Beach, you can now do your part and vote in support of New Smyrna Beach as the best of the best by tweeting to @usatodaytravel, using the hashtag #flabeachtown.
Now that USA Today has Dr. Beach's list in hand as documented first in Volusia County right here on Headline Surfer, Central Florida's 24/7 Internet news outlet in New Smyrna Beach, you can now do your part and vote in support of New Smyrna Beach as the best of the best by tweeting to @usatodaytravel, using the hashtag #flabeachtown.
Once all the votes are compiled, USA Today will feature the winning Florida beach town in an upcoming Travel story.
USA Today summarizes the 10 best beach town locales selected by Dr. Beach:
New Smyrna Beach: Though Leatherman frowns on the practice from an environmental point of view, this laid-back surfing outpost at the mouth of the Indian River in east central Florida "still lets you drive on the beach."
Clearwater Beach: Meet "volleyball heaven" on the Gulf Coast, with "some of the best girl- and boy-watching I've ever seen" near Pier 60.
Cocoa Beach: This onetime astronaut hangout near the Kennedy Space Center is famous for the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, along with "a great pier and surf shop," Ron Jon's, whose flagship store will be celebrating its 50th anniversary next year.
Delray Beach: A "surprising find" in South Florida, with a "walkable downtown," locally owned shops and a lively bar scene.
Key West: Free-wheeling Margaritaville "is crowded, but with good reason. Its two beaches (Smathers and Fort Zachary Taylor) may not be that great for Florida, but certainly are by U.S. standards."
Pensacola Beach: This Panhandle town features "great public access to incredibly wide beaches," bay or Gulf of Mexico swimming, and nearby Fort Pickens, where Apache leader Geronimo was imprisoned.
Sanibel Island: Yes, "you have to pay $6 to get there" via a causeway. But once you reach this upscale Gulf Coast barrier island, you'll find the country's "No. 1 shelling area," no stoplights, and strict building codes that limit new structures to two stories in height.
Seaside: A master-planned "country beach town" on the Florida Panhandle, Seaside was "made for coalescing over front porches and white picket fences."
Siesta Key: Last year's winner of Leatherman's "best beach in America" survey, this Gulf Coast barrier island southwest of Sarasota has "the finest white sand in the world."
South Beach: Celebrity-packed "Manhattan on the beach" hosts an annual polo tournament each spring and remains "one of the world's most famous" strands.