DAYTONA BEACH When thousands of Jeep vehicles and the people who love them roll into Volusia County for the annual Jeep Beach celebration this week, it marks another welcome sign of optimism for the area’s tourism industry, hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic over the past year.
Hoteliers anticipate sold-out rooms over much of the event, which shifts into high gear on Monday and runs through Sunday, April 25. Likewise, restaurant managers and other tourist-related businesses also are expecting the Jeep fans to boost sales.
The beachside Hard Rock Hotel, the event’s headquarters hotel, will be Ground Zero for many of the week’s activities. The list includes “Jeeps At the Rock,” two days of beach activities on Wednesday and Thursday that feature a surf school, games, vendors, prize raffles, drink specials and a pool party.
That sound you hear is likely the rumble of thousands of Jeep vehicles headed to the World’s Most Famous Beach, as the annual Jeep Beach gathering returns after a one-year COVID-related hiatus.
Starting with a Sunday morning 5K Fun Run at 9 a.m. on the beach behind the LandShark Bar & Grill on South Atlantic Avenue in Daytona Beach, there will be a week’s worth of events aimed at Jeep owners and the people who love them.
For the non-Jeep owners, the event offers ample people- and vehicle-watching opportunities with so many gleaming, customized examples of the famous brand out and about on area roads and, of course, at the beach.