Out with the old, in with the new
LINDSAY SUTTON discovers another side of Florida, far removed from the frenzy of theme parks
FLORIDA’S second oldest community – New Smyrna Beach, on the Atlantic Coast – was founded in 1768 in a mosquito-ridden swamp. The first wave of Greek and Spanish exiles faced starvation, not to mention their hazardous task of producing toxic indigo dye.
Nowadays it has turned from being the last resort to a top-class resort.
It’s a cultural and wildlife oasis, a laidback place, and one with an incredibly sunny disposition.
More than 250 years on, ‘NSB’ is very much the place to be. It’s a stylish, getaway resort, just 20 minutes or so south from in-yourface Daytona Beach – and what a difference!
Daytona, with its famous Speedway Stadium, has all the noise and mayhem that surrounds the spectacle of 100,000 petrolheads roaring-on their favourite driver.
New Smyrna Beach – just an hour from Orlando International Airport – is a wonderful mixture of Florida old and new, a fusion of easygoing charm, arts and culture, but with all mod cons.
It’s also a haven for savouring wildlife, giving you access to the Indian River Lagoon, which boasts ‘the greatest ecological diversity in all America’.
You can actually travel from Daytona to NSB by boat on the Ponce de Leon Inlet, taking in the Marine Science Centre at the beginning of the trip and the Marine Discovery Centre at the other end.
We learned from Education Officer Michelle Webster how the estuary is ‘the nursery of the sea’.
Her enthusiasm and knowledge is second to none, as she gives you the lowdown on pelicans (“they hit the water at 30 mph”); on turtle nest incubation (“high temperatures give you hot chicks, colder ones give you cool dudes”) and how prostitution saved the egret.
Yes, you read that right.
Apparently, egret feathers were in demand for the hats of society ladies, before the feather trade suddenly died when prostitutes started to adopt the fashion.
After that, no respectable lady would consider wearing such plumage.
The riverboat journey is a dream, seeing in the wild all that Michelle has talked about.
At the other end, staff at New Smyrna’s Marine Discovery Centre exhibit a similar enthusiasm and commitment to conservation, education and exploration. En route, you see dolphin mums looking after their offspring and learn that they stay together for three years. You also learn that seahorses mate for life and that the male is the one who looks after the babies.
There’s no finer place to stay than the beachfront SpringHill Suites by Marriott, its well-appointed, sea-side rooms giving you fantastic views over the pristine sandy beaches, with Florida sunrises and sunsets to die for.
Outside runs one of the two main downtown streets: the fascinating Flagler Avenue. You wander along,
LINDSAY SUTTON
dipping into the independent restaurants, unique shops, artisan coffee shops and galleries.
The other main ‘downtown’ is palm-lined Canal Street, where volunteer donations turned an old theatre into ‘The Hub,’ a pumppriming arts, theatre and film centre. Its vintage silent film screen is still used, giving a feel of longevity to this revived powerhouse of creativity.
It acts as a vibrant and caring outreach centre for all sections of society – the young, the old and those with Alzheimer’s or dementia. It has a dynamic presence and has helped bring in the restaurants, independent shops and cafés that give the area a buzz.
Regular vintage car parades add to it, as does the nearby farmers’ market.
On the eating front, there’s the waterfront ambience of the suitably named Grille at Riverside View, with its wonderful cuisine. The honest-togoodness Café Heavenly has an oak-fired pizza oven and lively staff and LaAbilie’s Tea Room and Bistro, where the charming owners show their love of historic England in décor and dining.
So if NSB is a heaven today, what about its hellish beginnings? Well, for the first settlers in pioneering
Florida, it was a disaster story, one graphically told in the excellent New Smyrna Museum.
In all, 1,400 settlers – povertystricken Minorcans and Greeks fleeing Turkish persecution – were brought over by Scottish entrepreneur Dr Andrew Turnbull.
He had a grand vision of creating a profitable, self-sustaining settlement but had bitten off more than he could chew. Two hundred people died on the ill-prepared journey, just a few years after American Independence.
The survivors struggled to eke out an existence and eventually deserted the settlement to march the 75 miles north to the Spanish settlement of St Augustine.
There they prospered and, even today, there are Minorcan and
Greek enclaves.
Both areas are among Florida’s finest – a complete contrast to Disney-style, fun-time Florida. These are places which will refresh your soul and rekindle your natural, creative spirit.