My New Years Resolution is to try more local food, partake in more self care, attend more events centered around Art and Culture and to explore Volusia! That is why I am creating this Local Bucket List Guide for 2022 of what to do in the Daytona Beach area. I plan to check off my list throughout the year, and add to it each month as I learn about local events and all of the diverse and fun happenings that our community has to offer!
My Must Do in the Year 2022:
- Practice self care by getting an adjustment from a chiropractor. Being a parent takes a toll on your body! Helping Hands Family Chiropractic is a local practice that is not only run by a family woman, but focuses on all members of the family as well! From adjustments on babies (yes they benefit from it too) to adjustments on hard working parents, Dr. Aneesah Farris does it all.
- Attend Mom & Me Yoga which takes place every Thursday at Old Fort Park at 11:30 am. Mom & Me Yoga is offered weekly by Holly Janda of Salt Water Yoga NSB in the open air under the shade of the trees and is a beautiful way to pause and connect with your children. While the class is geared towards moms with young babies, all parents and children are welcome!
- Go to the Grand Opening of Fuzion Fun Indoor Playground. Locally owned and operated by a mother and veteran, Fuzion Fun will be premiering its indoor playground soon, which includes an escape room, a coffee bar and more! Follow their Facebook for updates and specials involving monthly memberships.
- Attend more local art festivals:46th Annual IMAGES: A Festival of the Arts is taking place at the end of January and Granada Grand Festival of the Arts 2022 is taking place at the beginning of February.
- Explore new food at a local food truck rally. Riverwalk Park Food Truck Rally is always a fan favorite and occurs monthly!
- Volunteer for a beach clean up. Coastal Integrative Healthcare Beach Clean Up is happening January 13th. Beach Clean Up with Keep NSB Clean! is happening on the 30th of January, but also occurs monthly following various events.
- Spend more time at the Museum of Arts and Sciences. MOAS brings so many beautiful art exhibits and special events to our community! From unique sculpture exhibits like Artful Books 2021to laser light shows at their planetarium, there is so much to see and do at this museum. Find their ever-changing and evolving schedule of exhibits here.
- Energize myself for any challenges by drinking more coffee from Pines to Palms Coffee. This gem is located in Ormond and their food, beverages and shop aesthetic are to die for. I'm still dreaming about their peppermint mocha cold brew that I had during my visit last month. Follow their Instagram and see for yourself: their coffee is as good as it looks!
- Continue swim lessons for my daughter at Aqua Journeys Swim School. Read about the beginning of our Aqua Journey here. Aqua Journeys offers Baby & Me classes for babies as young as 3 months!
- Explore all of the amazing local farmer's markets and farms in the area! Norwoods Saturday Farmers Market always has so many interesting and unique vendors and you can grab a drink and lunch in the treehouse after.
- Bring my baby to crawl around Bizy Beaver Indoor Playground. They have multiple zones for children (appropriate for various age ranges), including sensory friendly zones for children with special needs AND a coffee bar for parents to grab a treat while their children play.
- Volunteer at Derbyshire Place. Derbyshire place is an amazing local community resource that offers hot meal nights, cooking classes for kids, STEAM classes for kids and much more! They are constantly giving back to everyone around them and coming up with new and innovative ways to keep children involved and educated. Follow their Facebook for updates about what's happening there weekly.
My Must Do in January 2022:
- Order a meal from Eternal Roots in honor of Veganuary, which is an annual challenge to try Vegan in the month of January and is a great way to start off the year fresh and healthy. To learn more about this local company, read this featured article about them! Eternal Roots Vegan Meal Planning.
- Attend a craft at Parsley Lane Farm. This farm, located in Samsula, offers monthly crafts, family-friendly events, classes and Mom's Nights Out! Most of their family-friendly crafts are only $10 and include the craft supplies and time with the animals. Their January line up includes: Birdhouse Painting & Animal Visit at Parsley Lane, Snowy Owl Craft & Animal Visit at Parsley Lane Farm and Paint Pots, Plant & Learn about Cotton at Parsley Lane.
- Watch a movie by the water at Rockefeller Gardens. This month, Movies on the Halifax presents Cruella!
- Learn some new skills at Bully Me Now MMA. To celebrate the New Year, Bully Me Now has opened up their Adult Brazilian Jiu Jitsu program to the public for free during the month of January! Bully Me Now is a local MMA gym that offers classes for children and adults!
- Be a taste tester for a food challenge on Flagler Avenue. This month, the Flagler Avenue Chowder Challenge takes place on January 30th.
- Get in touch with my inner artist at Art Rageous. Their January calendar is full of classes!
- Explore the Marine Discovery Center. Events at MDC during the month of January include: Elementary School Marine Ecology Series, Sea Squirts at Marine Discovery Center and Wild About Birds.
My Must Do in February 2022:
- Check out the new brunch at the Stoked Poke One Daytona location. In addition to adding brunch to the menu, which includes unique items like acai tacos, Stoked Poke also has craft cocktails andbeer! Follow their updates here.
- Get pampered at Daytona Beach Women's Day. This event offers FREE facial hair removal, hair styling, makeovers, henna tattoos, photo booth, karaoke and more.
- Enjoy Victorian Tea at Lillian Place. This includes delicious small sandwiches, scones, pastries, and “Premier” Teas in a beautiful Queen Anne mansion on the riverfront of Daytona!
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Soak up as much of Volusia's beautiful and diverse culture as possible during a month full of film festivals, art festivals and performances that include:
- rePresent Photography Exhibition 2022
- Opening Night 30th Annual Black Heritage Festival: THURGOOD at the Brannon
- The 41st Asbury Short Film Concert at MOAS
- Art & Artisan Stroll - Gallery Walk
- Open Mic Night at Spellbound Cafe
- First Saturdays Ormond Art Walk
- Granada Grand Festival of the Arts 2022
- 5th Annual Chalk It Up!
- POCC Arts & Crafts Show
- Florida Surf Film Fest and more all in the month of February!
- Celebrate the holidays and get into the February holiday spirit with some of these local events:
- Escape into a fantasy world with these fun and unique local days and nights (is there a pirate invasion in the month of February?):
- Attend the Airport Road Park Playground Ribbon Cutting on February 19th at 9:00 am. There will be commemorative giveaways, refreshments, and a public address.
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Have a moms night out/date night. Some great options for parent's night out in the Daytona area this month include:
- 1st Saturday Sip & Stroll
- Sip & Shop at Parsley Lane Farm
- Wine & Chocolate Walk
- AND the Parents Night Out Pajama Party (which is an opportunity for your kids to have a fun night while you go out for a few hours).
My Must Do in March 2022:
- Participate in a Wise Women Wednesday Walk. This FREE walking group meets every Wednesday for a 1 hour walk. The goal is to meet same minded women in the community to support each other in a simple outdoor activity and explore different walking areas in Daytona Beach, Port Orange, Ormond Beach, Ponce Inlet!
- Learn to Line Dance with Line Dance by Lisa. This Cardio Line Dance Exercise Class takes place every Monday and is only $3-5 depending on skill level.
- Catch a Movie in a Unique Setting. Curbside Cinema: Paw Patrol the Movie, POCT's Movie Under The Stars, The Croods 2; A New Age and Movie Night in the Lohman Planetarium: Dune (2021) are all options this month.
- Wear Green at the St. Paddy's Day Block Party in Downtown Daytona.
- Grab a cheese plate at Daytona's newest Charcuterie restaurant Madeline's Wine Bar.
April 2022 Must Do:
- Find all the Eggs! There are SO many Easter Egg Hunts in the Daytona Beach Area this year! Find them all here in our Easter Guide and stay in the know about where the Easter Bunny is hopping around town.
- Check out all of our Local Farmer's Markets. I had no idea that there was a Famer's Market open every day of the week in our area. My 2022 goal is to shop local, especially when it comes to fresh produce. Find a list of the local markets in Fitness Guide.
- Fuzion Ormond Beach Grand Opening is official! My daughter and I will be spending at LEAST a few days there this month! This Indoor playground will offer 4,000 square feet of play space, an escape room for teens, a coffee shop for the parents, date nights and private parties! Fuzion Indoor Playground is the first full-time indoor playground serving Ormond beach and is catered to ages 2-15. The idea behind "Fuzion" is that of community. Bringing together families of different backgrounds, and varying circumstances to play together.
- Attend an Earth Day Celebration. In the month of April, there's Turtle Day, Arbor Day and Earth Day. Locally, there are so many beautiful ways to get in touch with the Earth. You can also find a list of local parks in our Fitness Guide!
Do you have a must eat, must see, must do for 2022 that you would like added to the list? Email me at mackiddaytonabeach@macaronikid.com so that we can all stay in the know and explore together!
-Savannah Kater, Daytona Beach FL, Macaroni KID
