Step through the doors of the stucco-covered, Spanish-style New Smyrna Beach Museum of History, and you’ll be greeted by display after display of artifacts that tell the story of this beautiful area. Learn about the region’s first residents, the Timucuan, and examine some of the objects archaeologists have uncovered, such as tools and jewelry. The Turnbull Settlement exhibit describes the largest British settlement in North America, ‘Smyrnea’, or New Smyrna, through videos, dioramas, maps, and household objects from the settlers who tried to carve out a new life here.

Celebrated by visitors for its outstanding wildlife watching and beautiful views, Mary McLeod Bethune Beach Park, known to locals as Bethune Beach, was named after a pioneering Black woman and her contributions to the area. Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune fostered a love of education since her childhood, and this passion led her to Florida where she opened the Daytona Normal and Industrial Institute to improve education for the Black community. She went on to bring significant positive changes to other local schools before her achievements were nationally recognized.