Enjoying the Water World of A1A Scenic & Historic Coastal Byway

Race the kids to the coast and dip your toes in the Atlantic Ocean or the Intracoastal Waterways of Florida during your journey along A1A Scenic & Historic Coastal Byway. With miles and miles of golden sand beaches, you will have plenty of space to spread out with buckets and blankets. Help your kids build sand castles or simply relax and listen to waves sweeping the shore. The sight of surfers and sailors sporting in the warm waters may just entice you to dive in for your own aquatic adventures. Take your family fishing, snorkeling, scuba diving, and more on the A1A Scenic & Historic Coastal Byway!

Visit North Peninsula State Park near Flagler Beach at the southern end of the byway, where you can swim to your heart’s desire. Or, you and your older kids can try surf fishing. This challenging sport relies on your own skill and knowledge. There’s no boat, no radar, no fancy equipment. It’s just you and your rod as you stand in the surf and cast your line.

Gamble Rogers Memorial Park, about three miles north on the byway, is a family-friendly place to snorkel the shallow waters off its half-mile of beach. A variety of sea creatures, shells, and other treasures wait to delight you and your children. But the fun doesn’t stop there--go swimming, fishing or boating, and splash in the water to your heart’s content!

Want more wet-and-wild fun? Head about seven miles north of Gamble Rogers Memorial Park to Varn Park in Painters Hill, an 8-acre beachfront park where you and the kids can indulge in many water activities, such as swimming, shelling and surf fishing. Varn Park also provides wheelchair access to its beach, as well as showers and restrooms.

Head about seven miles north on the byway past Palm Coast to Washington Oaks State Park, just two miles south of Marineland. Fish, wade, or play and relax on the beach. Then venture to the old Town of Marineland where you can kayak along the intracoastal or explore the world’s finest coquina outcroppings along the beachfront. (Coquina is a sedimentary limestone made of shell or coral fragments.)

Don’t miss Anastasia State Park near St. Augustine, which is about 25 miles north from Palm Coast. Go surfing, swimming, boating, and fishing on the park’s four miles of beach. Check out Salt Run, a tidal salt marsh, as you canoe or kayak in Anastasia State Park. Don’t have your own equipment? Take the kids and let them pick out their favorite canoes, kayaks, sailboards, and more to rent at this park.

A tad further north on the byway is Vilano Beach, known throughout Florida for its great skimboarding. Skimboarding is similar to surfing, but uses a smoother, smaller board that adapts aerospace technology to make it lighter and more buoyant. If you don’t have your own equipment, don’t worry! You can rent or buy skimboards, surfboards and more at the shops along Vilano Beach.

Venture another 11 miles northward and discover a world of watersheds at the Guana Tolamoto Matanzas National Research Reserve (GTM NERR). Here you can fish, kayak, canoe and go shelling along the coquina beaches at South Ponte Vedra and even find a shark’s tooth or two.

Whether your kids want to go snorkeling, skimboarding, or surf fishing on the A1A Scenic & Historic Coastal Byway, you’ll find the perfect wet and wild adventure waiting just for you!