Our second annual summer fun issue has a number of activities, events and regular entertainment as well as all of the outdoor sports, hiking, water sports and everything else the outdoors offers here. There are also plenty of indoor activities for when it’s raining so take a look at what’s available here and it may help you to plan what you want to do this summer season.
For the Kids
No one in Palm Coast gets more excited for summer to begin than its younger population. Who could forget the feeling of leaving the last day of school, knowing a whole summer was ahead to have fun without the daily pressures of school?
There are a multitude of options in the area for parents looking to take the kids somewhere that’ll make their summer the best it can be. One resource is the Flagler County Public Library in Palm Coast, who recently released a schedule of kids’ activities for the month of June. Each Monday there’ll be a ‘Board Game Bonanza’ event from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM at the library, with “Tween Cards & Controllers” happening concurrently on the 5th and 19th, along with “Pixels and Perlers” on the 12th and 26th.
Tuesdays have a different activity each week, capped off by a Marineland event on the 27th. Those with younger kids will want to attend later in the week, with preschool and baby storytimes at 10:30 AM and 11:00 AM almost every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of the month. There will also be “Paws to Read” sessions from 4:00 PM to 5:00 Monday and Wednesdays.
Kids looking to get outdoors have no limit of options in the Palm Coast area either. The City of Palm Coast offers eight different summer camp options for kids, including ones tailored to their interests such as soccer, tennis, firefighter, and robotics camps.
Beat the Heat
It’s easy to love the weather we get in Palm Coast, especially for those of us who migrated down from the frigid northeast. The trade-off, though, is that even when Florida’s winters may be perfect for a chilly bike ride or nature hike, the summers can at times be too hot to go outside. For seniors or those with medical conditions, taking part in summer activities isn’t just unpleasant — it can even be dangerous.
Luckily, there’s still plenty to do around town that allows for the participant to stay cool and stay safe. One option would be the beaches, where the temperature is often a couple degrees lower and the ocean provides a respite from the baking heat. Flagler Beach just over the bridge is a popular destination for local beachgoers, and for good reason. Matanzas Inlet just a short drive up A1A is also a popular and fun beach a little different from our own.
One of our favorites is the beach at Marineland. It’s relatively flat and is better for smaller kids who tend to get tossed around more at Flagler Beach. Also, Marineland has bathroom facilities, an outdoor shower and a food truck next to it.
For those looking for a more easygoing swim, the Palm Coast Aquatics Center and Belle Terre Swim & Racquet Club may be the better choice. There are swimming lessons available at both of the city’s pools during the summer.
For those who find themselves a little more predispositioned to dry land, the area’s parks and walking trails may have the answer. Though many Palm Coast parks exist primarily in the sun, several offer segments that are largely shaded, and thus quite a bit cooler. Washington Oaks Gardens State Oak offers several walking trails which are largely under shaded canopy, as does Princess Place Preserve. The same can be said for Betty Steflik Memorial Preserve in Flagler Beach, Haw Creek Preserve at Russell Landing, and all three legs of Lehigh Trail in Palm Coast.
Check out the map and guide on page 26 for more information on Palm Coast’s many miles of hiking and biking trails.
Sports & Activities
Those more content to sit on the sidelines have just as many options as the rest — Flagler County and the surrounding areas are rich with live sports and music. For sports fans, Jackie Robinson Park just a short drive down to Daytona Beach offers fun for the family multiple days a week, in the form of the hometown Daytona Tortugas. The particularly avid baseball fan will also enjoy keeping up with one of the professional farm teams of the Cincinnati Reds.
Also in Daytona, the NASCAR Cup Series will take to the high banks of Daytona International Speedway on August 26th for the Coke Zero Sugar 400. One of the most exciting races of the year, NASCAR’s show will surely satisfy car-lovers and thrill-seekers alike.
Flagler County itself has a litany of live music to take in over the summer, many of them local artists and performers. One such musician is Muddy Marshall, who has a slate of live performances across the month of June. Locally, he’ll perform at Sunbros Cafe on the 2nd, the Christian Romero Benefit Concert at Tortuga’s on June 4th, and Coquina Coast Brewing Company on the 10th. To the north, the St. Augustine Amphitheatre is set to feature a stellar lineup of concerts, including Sammy Hagar, Peter Frampton, TLC, and John Fogerty. See the live entertainment listings on page 28 for lots more information on what national acts will be in the area at venues like The Amp in St. Augustine and the Bandshell in Daytona Beach and also what’s happening with local bands in area clubs.
Obviously, we are constrained by space considerations so we can’t tell you about everything that’s happening this summer but take a look at the library’s website and also the parks and rec website (scan the code on page 40) to read about all that they have to offer. There are many programs that are running all of the time and that are well done and of interest to a lot of people.