One Street, Endless Possibilities

Sponsored by New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau

I have this clever hair clip I bought in New Smyrna Beach. Every time I use it to scoop my mane back, I’m grateful it’s designed to lie flat, rather than sticking out like the Y2K-era claw clips that make it impossible for a woman of my height to sit comfortably in a car (if you’re 5′ 4″ -ish, you know). I’m thankful, too, that my memories of the place where I found it are as comfortably secure as my tresses.

Canal Street is the cultural heart of New Smyrna Beach, an idyllic getaway on Florida’s Atlantic Coast that’s an easy 30-minute drive from Daytona Beach International Airport (even if you prefer the scenic route). Mention you’re heading to Canal Street to anyone you encounter once you arrive in this destination that’s anchored along 17 miles of white sand, and they’ll likely tell you, “Oh, go to the Posh Pineapple!” And with a name like that, of course the clothing and accessories boutique surged to the top of my list. It’s where I found my magic hair clip. And a lightweight sweater with lacy sleeves. And found myself in the midst of this seaside city’s vivacious, creative nucleus.

All of the building blocks of a perfect day are right here in the Downtown Arts District, and that means you’ll have beauty and the beach—all in the span of two miles—when you choose New Smyrna Beach for your escape. Canal Street is the sort of thoroughfare where you can’t get lost and your instincts will guide you, but here is a mix-and-match menu of things I’d do if I were you.

Start with Something Sweet

Dutch Oven Bread Co. is a relative newcomer on Canal Street, but this bakery’s making waves (and earning raves) with its handcrafted sourdough bagels and robust coffee drinks. Don’t come in looking for watered-down iced coffee. It’s hot bevvies only here, and espresso enthusiasts will love the care with which the owners have selected beans roasted in the Blue Ridge Mountains and syrups made by the New Smyrna Beach natives behind Kane’s Coffee. It’s the laminated-dough pastries, made with New Zealand butter and a whole lot of care and attention, that I’m crazy about … especially the almond croissants, dusted with just enough powdered sugar to remind you of the snow you’re missing out on back home if you’re visiting from the Northeast in the winter! 

Get Your Hands Dirty

Dirty with clay, that is, at Jane’s Art Center, where you can admire fine ceramics in the gallery before heading out back to the studio for a class or workshop. Beginner, intermediate, and advanced lessons in hand building and wheel throwing are available, but if your time is limited, look for one-day Make a Mug sessions, and have fun getting messy while detailing your own lasting souvenir.

Go Gallery Hopping

You’ll find art galleries with diverse appeal clustered here, all within a 10-minute walk. Don’t miss Florida Galleria with its impressive selection of works by the “Florida Highwaymen,” a group of 26 African American artists who sold their alluring landscape paintings for a pittance from the early 1950s through the 1980s. Now, these Florida scenes fetch big dollars from collectors. Walking toward the water, your next stop is David Wirth Gallery, where wood master Wirth displays his hand-carved marine sculptures and live-edge furnishings. At Arts on Douglas, two blocks away from Canal, see an always-evolving array of works by leading Florida artists. Then, just around the corner at the Artists’ Workshop Gallery on Magnolia Street, see and shop for creations by members of this thriving nonprofit.

Feel Part of the Arts Scene

If you’re like me, time on Canal Street will have you wishing you could really rub elbows with all the talent that surrounds you. Well, you can, at The Hub on Canal. Inside this enchanting two-story space, you can meet artists face-to-face and observe them at work in their studios. This is home base for more than 50 working creatives, and their pieces fill a gallery, too, along with inspiring students who flock here for classes in media like resin painting and glass fusing. There’s a busy calendar of all-are-welcome events, from book-club meetings to open jam sessions, plus open-mic poetry nights. The first Saturday of every month is lively from morning through evening.

Step Back in Time

Until you visit the New Smyrna Museum of History, situated a short stroll off Canal Street on Sams Avenue, or join one of their guided walking tours, you might not realize 18th-century settlers hand dug a massive canal system here for irrigation, drainage, and movement of crops to a wharf on the Indian River and on to distant markets. Exhibits introduce you to the Indigenous people who lived here before the British arrived, to railroad man Henry Flagler whose Florida East Coast Line transformed the town in the 19th century, and to local surfers whose images and artifacts tell the story of the development of East Coast surf culture.

Shop Like Your Credit’s Unlimited

OK, this is actually terrible advice, but if ever there was a place to cut yourself a bit of shopping slack, Canal Street is it. This isn’t Rodeo Drive or Greenwich Avenue; instead of paying premium dollars to big brands, you’re supporting independent business owners and individual makers who sustain New Smyrna Beach’s creative identity. And you’ll be surprised by how affordably you can acquire something one of a kind.

Fashionistas will find stylish new vacationwear at Claiborne’s Closet or second-hand attire at shops like Wishbone Vintage. Southern Trends Home Furnishings will help you reimagine your spaces in coastal-chic style. Vinylheads love popping into Spinning Records. Whimsical gifts and home decor by Florida makers fill the high-ceilinged space at Wild Oats & Billy Goats. And outdoor shopping’s the thing to do on Saturday mornings, when farmers and artisans converge in this part of the city for the New Smyrna Beach Farmers Market, just off Canal Street on Sams Avenue.

Have a Retro Breakfast or Lunch

When you’ve worked up an appetite, you’ll be as delighted as I was to find a ’60s-style diner tucked inside Wild Oats & Billy Goats. It’s called Little Griddle, and it’ll take you right back to a time when you could sit on a counter stool and fill your belly without breaking the bank. Whether you gravitate toward Southern fare like skillet-fried apples and creamy grits and cheese, or classics like omelets, Reubens, burgers, and dogs, this refueling stop comes with a hefty side of nostalgia.

Explore the Riverfront

You’re never far from water in New Smyrna Beach, and if you walk to the base of Canal Street, you’ll find Riverside Park, a popular spot for strolling, fishing, and birdwatching. River Deck Tiki Bar & Restaurant is on the waterfront, too, and it’s an unbeatable spot for watching the activity along the Indian River. At the working marina, there are fishing charters and party-boat departures. From shore, or maybe from one of Toon Tiki Charters‘ daily happy-hour or sunset cruises, you might be lucky enough to witness a rocket launch from nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (or check the schedule to up your odds).

These days, most rockets are carrying satellites destined for low earth orbit. The technology that sends them arcing skyward took far more ingenuity than a hair clip that doesn’t hurt! But that’s the joy of time on Canal Street: appreciating the full range of human creativity, from its simplest expressions to its ultimate achievements … both the wondrous works that spring from artists’ minds and the scientific marvels that keep us connected and help us find our way.

Start your vacation planning by requesting your free New Smyrna Beach Destination Guide.

Kim Knox Beckius

Kim Knox Beckius is Yankee's travel & branded content editor. A longtime freelance writer/photographer and Yankee contributing editor based in Connecticut, she has explored every corner of the region while writing six books on travel in the Northeast and contributing updates to New England guidebooks published by Fodor's, Frommer's, and Michelin. For more than 20 years, Kim served as New England Travel Expert for TripSavvy (formerly About.com). She is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and is frequently called on by the media to discuss New England travel and events. She is likely the only person who has hugged both Art Garfunkel and a baby moose.

More by Kim Knox Beckius