7 THINGS TO DO, SEE AND EAT IN NEW SMYRNA, FLORIDA

Last week, we went down to New Smyrna Florida with Ironman's parents.  For 8 days we enjoyed the ocean-front view, walked on the beach, laid by the pool, took naps, watched movies and ate good food.  It was great to get away from the Fixer Upper for a while and spend some time with family.  Here are the 7 things that were my favorite while we were down there.

1.  BEACH FRONT DOWNTOWN - New Smyrna has a really cute downtown with lots of places to shop and eat.  There are boutiques, ice cream shops, bars, burger joints, juice and smoothie bars, candy shops and pretty much something for everyone.  The best part is you can walk right off the beach to get there!  Several times, we walked the half mile from out hotel, down the beach and right up into the downtown areas to get a fresh juice!

2.  BEACH - I was so amazed that cars could drive on the beach.  Solves the problem of not having enough hands to carry everything you need.  But it also means you have to watch out for cars when you're out.  Funny story, one night when we were there, some people left their car out on the beach too long and it almost washed out to sea!  Luckily they came back right in time.  Tons of men got behind the car and pushed it as the girl drove it out of the water.  The locals standing next to us said that they see cars float out to sea at least once a week!

3.  GO JUICE - This is the cute juice and smoothie bar that we would walk to and I highly recommend you try it out if you're in the area!  It looks like a food truck, but doesn't go anywhere.  The weather has to be good, though, because the only seats are outside on the picnic tables.  Every time we went, the employees were super friendly and seemed happy to be there.

4.  THAI MANGO - This was a great place to eat Thai food and there were several vegan options!  The waiters were welcoming and helpful and the food was delicious.  The wait was a little long, but I'm pretty sure they cooked our meals fresh, so it was worth the wait.  Plus, for such good food, the price was super affordable.  I think our dinner total was $14, if I remember correctly.

5.  CAFE VERDE - This place had some great Mexican food, including fried Yucca!  I haven't been able to eat that root since we lived in Bolivia, so I was super excited to get some.  I got some vegan tacos and Ironman got a vegan rice bowl.  It was the first time I had ever eaten big chunks of tofu so I was a little concerned at first, but was happy to find that I actually liked it!

6.  THE BREAKERS - And if you just want some good old American burgers and fries, The Breakers right on the beach and at the edge of downtown, is the coolest place to go.  I love the atmosphere.  And of course, they had a veggie burger, so we were set.

7.  FARMERS MARKET - On Saturday morning we went down to the farmers market and stocked up on lots of fresh fruits and veggies for the week.  There were lots of artists with booths set up and I bought a turquoise bracelet to add to my collection.  The best tent, though, was the lady with all the pineapples.  I can't remember the name of her business but she had fresh pineapple juice that you could buy and sip on while you shopped!

There's tons more to do, see and eat in New Smyrna.  If you're looking for a place to go vacation, I'd highly suggest this area!