Kissimmee to Daytona Beach drive: Best stops, distance & time

The distance from Kissimmee to Daytona Beach by car is 77 miles, with a 1h17m driving time. The best road trip stops on the Kissimmee to Daytona Beach drive are Orlando, the Black Bear Wilderness Area and the Central Florida Zoo and Gardens.

Planning a Kissimmee to Daytona Beach road trip itinerary

The Kissimmee to Daytona Beach drive takes you from family-friendly central Florida to the east coast.

Effectively a southern suburb of Orlando, family-friendly Kissimmee goes its own way. The Old Town Entertainment District, full of restaurants, bars and fairground-esque attractions, is the centerpiece.

Good Kissimmee experiences include airboat swamp tours, self-guided lakefront tours on an electrified adult trike and scenic helicopter flights over Florida’s theme parks.

Perhaps best of all, though, is a two hour eco-kayaking tour. This heads through the cypress forest on Shingle Creek – the headwaters of the Everglades.

Reliably good Kissimmee hotels include the Banana Bay Resort and the affordably retro Hotel Monte Carlo.

Daytona Beach is one of the most attractive cities on Florida’s Atlantic Coast. To many, it is most obviously associated with NASCAR racing at the Daytona Speedway, but there’s way more to it than fast cars.

Enjoyable Daytona Beach experiences include small group sailing cruises, paddleboarding or kayaking with dolphins and manatees, wine bar tours and a Polynesian fire and dinner show.

You can also try a dive bar crawl, zipline adventures and beach Segway rides.

Good Daytona Beach accommodation options with pools by the beach include the Days Inn Daytona Oceanfront and Bahama House.

Kissimmee to Daytona Beach distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Kissimmee to Daytona Beach is 77 miles. You can expect a driving time of around one hour and 17 minutes.

Most of the journey is along Florida’s Turnpike and the I-4.

The best stops to add to a Kissimmee to Daytona Beach road trip itinerary are Orlando, the Black Bear Wilderness Area and the Central Florida Zoo and Gardens.

Kissimmee to Daytona Beach road trip attractions: Orlando, Florida

Orlando is known worldwide as the home of Disney World, but there’s far more to it than Mickey and Co. You can get crazy selfies at the Museum of Illusions or WonderWorks, learn how chocolate is made at Chocolate Kingdom and ride the Wheel at ICON Park or Orlando StarFlyer. Alternatively, visit Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, play adventure golf at Pirates’ Cove and say hi to the stingrays at Sea Life.

In the evenings, there’s the Polynesian Fire Luau and Dinner Show, Cirque du Soleil’s Drawn To Life and the Outta Control magic comedy show.

Other Orlando experiences include glow-in-the-dark kayaking, foodie walking tours and kayaking through Cypress forest.

There are hundreds of hotels to choose from in Orlando. Flexibility is key (precise location is not critical here) – and compare prices online before booking.

Things to do between Orlando and Daytona Beach: Black Bear Wilderness Area

The Black Bear Wilderness Area covers 1,600 acres on the floodplain of the St Johns River. Within it are a variety of wetland habitats, and while primarily set up for conservation, there is a looping 7.1 mile walking trail with boardwalks.

Wildlife lovers might spot river otters, white-tailed deer and Florida black bears.

Orlando to Daytona Beach drive: Central Florida Zoo and Botanic Gardens

On the shore of Lake Monroe, the Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens is home to more than 100 animal species. Many of these are exotic species, such as cheetahs, leopards, giraffes and lemurs. There’s a sizable reptile section, with some seriously impressive (and dangerous) snakes. Experiences include giraffe-feeding, a zipline course and train rides.