Turtle Nesting Season is May through October in Volusia County.
What is turtle nesting season?
Female sea turtles will emerge from the water between May and October to lay their eggs on the beach. This year, there were already nest sightings in early April! Since sea turtles are a protected species in Volusia County, there are many resources and monitoring groups dedicated to conserving their habitat. Sea turtle rangers identify, protect, and monitor the nests that are found on the beach.
Tips for keeping nesting sea turtles and hatchlings safe
- Ensure all lights from your rental are not visible from the beach. Lights confuse hatchlings who are trying to make their way to the ocean.
- Remove tents, beach chairs, and other items when you leave the beach. Also make sure to fill any large holes in the sand.
- Do not disturb turtles crawling to or from the ocean, any marked or unmarked nests, or markers in the sand protecting nests.
- Do not litter (you should not be littering anyway!)
How can you help during Turtle Nesting Season?
Other than following the tips above, there are programs available for anyone to help during sea turtle nesting season. Volusia County has a “Washback Washers” program where volunteers are trained to find and rescue young sea turtles. For more information on the program you can contact the Environmental Management staff at (386) 238-4716.
If not trained and you see a sick or injured sea turtle, don’t attempt to put it in the water or capture it. Please contact the nearest Beach Safety officer, lifeguard, or call 1-888-404-FWCC.
Volusia County Turtle Resources
And, Volusia County has an abundance of additional information and resources on their website. Visit their nesting summary page for stats on which turtles nest in the area. Furthermore, Loggerhead turtles are the species with the most nests reported in the area!
Click here for a list sea turtle programs and alliances. Move over, Florida Vacay Rentals has the condo during this season.
Thanksgiving recipes needed as it is just around the corner! The Florida Vacay Rentals Team got together some of our favorite Thanksgiving sides recipes to help plan your holiday dinner.
Creamy Corn Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 stick of butter
- 8oz sour cream
- 1 can of creamed corn
- 1 can of kernel corn
- 1 package of corn muffin mix
- 1/2 cup of cream
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Mix together all ingredients.
- Place in an oven safe dish and bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy!
Harvest Vegetable Streusel
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 medium baking potatoes
- 2 large carrots
- 2 large parsnips
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 ½ cups oatmeal cookie mix
- ½ cup golden raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Cut butter into small cubes and place in small bowl to soften.
- Peel potatoes, carrots, and parsnips and cut all into 1-inch cubes. Toss vegetables with oil, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper (if desired). Transfer to 13- x 9-inch baking dish; bake 1 1/4–1 1/2 hours or until tender.
- Add cookie mix to butter and blend with fork until crumbly. Remove vegetables from oven.
- And, stir in raisins and top with cookie mixture. Bake 8–10 more minutes or until vegetables are tender and topping is golden. Serve.
Recipe courtesy of Publix Aprons
More Thanksgiving Recipes
Cranberry Fruit Salad
Ingredients
- 1 bag of cranberries
- 1 large red apple diced
- 1 large orange
- 1 large green apple diced
- 1/2 cup red grapes halved
- 1/2 cup green grapes halved
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup dried pineapple
- 1/2 cup halved pecans
Instructions
Two days before serving:
- Dice the cranberries in a food processor.
- Add in sugar and in juice and zest from the skin of the orange.
- Add the juice only from the diced pineapple.
- Place in a covered glass container and refrigerate.
Day of serving:
- More over, add the rest of the fruit.
- So, sprinkle pecans just before serving. Enjoy!
Booking a vacation rental is getting more out of your vacation than less. The benefits include more space, privacy, amenities, and overall savings. Private vacation homes are great for families with small children. Vacation rentals are perfect for larger groups that want to stay together in one location.
Vacation Rental Benefits:
- Fully stocked kitchen
- Money savings on meals
- Contactless check in
- More space
- Separate rooms
- Washer and dryer inside the condo
- Private space for kids to play games
- Separate space for kids to watch TV
Hotel Overview:
- Mini fridge
- Microwave
- Wait at the front desk
- One shared room
- Pay for laundry service
- Supervision needed in common areas
Our rentals come with more privacy than a hotel can ever offer, letting you kick back and relax without worrying. Also, our in-house amenities allow you to spend less on necessities and more on vacation-ing! Vacations are always more fun with the people you love, bring all your guests to have a great time in a more spacious and beautiful environment. Whether it’s relaxing after a long beach day or a party with all your friends, vacation rentals can offer it all!
With vacation rentals, you and your family will feel right at home, but, this time when you look out of your window you will be gazing upon the beautiful New Smyrna beach! With a fully equipped kitchen, your favorite home-cooked meals will taste even better with the oceanfront breeze and calming sounds of the waves. No need to overpack all your beach clothes, our oceanfront vacation rentals include a personal washer and dryer, the perfect excuse to get a bit sandier than usual! So, book your perfect trip with the amazing vacation rentals New Smyrna Beach has to offer!
Beach exercises can be fun. Start your New Years resolution early! There are tons of ways to burn calories while on an East Coast Florida Beach. Eat that 350 calorie hamburger and don’t feel guilty sipping on a 245 calorie piña colada! You’ve earned it!
Need suggestions on where to refuel after a workout on the beach? Check out our “Things to Do” tab for local New Smyrna, Ormond, and Palm Coast restaurant recommendations.
Beach Exercises
- Playing Catch
You can burn 175 calories per hour throwing the football or baseball - Building Sandcastles
210-315 calories per hour burned by playing in the sand! - Surfing
Surfboard or Boogieboard, you can burn 205-300 calories per hour - Kayaking
For an hour of kayaking you’ll burn 340 calories! That’s 2 Margaritas! Cheers! - Beach Soccer
Kick around the soccer ball and burn a whopping 500 calories per hour - Ocean Swimming
Channel your inner Michael Phelps and burn 410 calories per hour by swimming in the ocean - Beach Volleyball
Play a family game of beach volleyball and burn 545 calories per hour - Treading Water in the Pool
Moderate treading burns 204 calories per hour. Vigorous treading can burn up to 615! - Beach Walking
Do you like long walks on the beach? Take a brisk walk and burn 180 calories per hour. Or activate your stabilizer muscles and burn up to 350 calories walking on soft sand!
Need a Halloween condo rental?
The rates go down and temperatures stay up!
October is the “off season” meaning fewer crowds and lower rates. Take advantage of the sunny weather and visit the beach this October. (November is even better!!)
Create beachy Halloween crafts with the kids
Halloween condo rental makes your trip family-friendly with fun Halloween arts and crafts ideas including pineapple jack-o-lanterns, painted sea shells, and nautical themed carved pumpkins. Please send us pictures to Info@floridavacayrentals.com if you use any of our ideas!
Explore local Halloween events
Click the links below to explore fun parties and events occurring during the Halloween season in the New Smyrna and Ormond Beach areas!
- JBs Fish Camp’s Annual Kids Halloween Party. Sunday, October 27th from 12pm-3pm.
- Canal Street Historic District’s Halloween Parade and Costume Contest. Thursday, October 31st from 4pm-6pm.
- Port Orange Parks and Recreations’ Halloween Fest. Thursday, October 31st from 5:30pm-8pm.
- Marine Discovery Center Marine Monster Pumpkin Carving Contest. 9am Monday, October 28th through 5pm Tuesday, October 29th.
- Halloween NSB Dance Club Style at Half Wall Brewery. Wednesday, October 30th from 6pm-9pm.
- New Smyrna Speedway Halloween Spectacular. Saturday, October 26th.
Visit our rentals page or call our office 321-221-7611 to secure a New Smyrna Beach, Ormond Beach, or Palm Coast rental.
Book directly with Florida Vacay Rentals. You will always pay less. Large companies like Airbnb, HomeAway, VRBO, Booking.com, etc. charge Florida Vacay a fee to advertise on their websites and also charge you, the traveler, a fee for booking on their sites. In addition, they do NOT own or manage the vacation rental properties. They are transaction sites only; that’s why you will see our properties listed on multiple sites.
When you book directly with Florida Vacay, it’s simple. you save money as you avoid the additional guest booking fees.
Guests love our condos. And, we have a niche in Volusia County’s New Smyrna Beach and Ormond Beach. At Florida Vacay Rentals, we are committed to providing exceptional experiences. Our dedication to quality services is unmatched. So, we offer the cleanest condos in New Smyrna Beach, Ormond Beach and the Palm Coast.
Why Book Directly
Our website features a robust inventory of oceanfront condos, authentic guest reviews and competitive rates without the additional service fees charged by large online travel agents.
If that isn’t enough, our condos have fully stocked kitchens. And, almost all units have beach furniture, umbrellas, beach balls, beach toys, footballs, soccer balls, noodles and floats.
Further more, our guests also always say the nicest things. More over, recent guest Ben B. said:
Calming corner indeed. And, this oceanfront condo is amazing and easy to find. The immediate view of the beach and the ocean are spectacular! The kitchen is very open and makes cooking and being together as a family a breeze. It is fully stocked with everything we needed and more. Walking to the beach is fast and easy. The penguin shaped pool was never busy and seemed like we were the only ones there. The brand-new beds were very comfortable. Beach towels, chairs, cooler and toys were provided and having the in-unit washer and dryer (with laundry soap) made keeping our suits and clothes clean simple. It seems like this building is new and there is construction next door, however it never was too loud or caused us issues. Can’t wait for our next stay!