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MISS FLORIDA’S FAVORITES

This beautiful college student points out her favorite spots along Daytona Beach and shares her adventurous ambitions.

When Jessica Rafalowski was crowned Miss Florida USA in July, she was completely stunned. Just a few months prior, the brown-eyed brunette competed in her first pageant—for the title of Miss Volusia County, where Daytona Beach is located—and won.

“I went into it with the attitude of having fun and learning from the pageant experience,” says Rafalowski, a 21-year-old senior majoring in marketing and psychology at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida.

Being an active member of the community is a priority for this beauty queen. In addition to helping to clean up the damage after last year’s hurricane, she also organized a children’s pageant through the Shining Stars program.

While Miss Florida USA admits to having some doubts about her career path—“Since I was crowned, I’ve been doing some speaking on TV and I kind of like the idea of becoming a television news broadcaster,” she says—if there’s one thing she is certain about it’s her love for Daytona Beach.

After a hard day of classes, where do you like to go for dinner in Daytona Beach?

“Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. (www.bubbagump.com; 386-947-8433) tops my list of fun restaurants. The servers are funny, the décor is total Forrest Gump, and after dinner you can take a stroll on the beach—but not before enjoying the fresh seafood while trying to answer the Forrest Gump trivia questions your server asks.”

What will travelers find in Daytona Beach that might surprise them?

“The entire town is lively year round, with a busy nightlife and lots of good restaurants. People don’t just come to Daytona Beach for spring break; they come all year long.

Besides the NASCAR races, there are also two large motorcycle events, Bike Week (www.officialbikeweek.com) and Biketoberfest (www.biketoberfest.org), which are both quite loud and draw huge crowds. Personally, I like to stay a little lower key.”

Do you ever take advantage of Daytona Beach’s many golf courses?

“No, but I love miniature golf, especially at Daytona Lagoon (www..daytonalagoon.com). Kids flock to that place because it has all their favorites: water park attractions, a video arcade, go-karts, a rock wall climb, laser tag and mini golf.”

What kinds of low-key activities do you enjoy?

“I grab my phone, books and a towel and head to the beach. My favorite stretch of beach is at the Ocean Walk Village (www.oceanwalkvillage.com) area. That way I can be close to the restaurants.

Relaxing on the beach is great and I like to drive on the beach, which costs $5 a day and is really fun, but it’s even more fun to be the passenger. Running on the beach, another favorite activity, helps keep me in shape.”

What’s your favorite spot to shop?

“Actually, I have two. Volusia Mall (www.volusiamall.net) is my go-to place for those things a girl needs, like cosmetics, clothes, shoes and handbags. The mall has more than 100 specialty shops and a food court.

I also like to explore the shops in downtown DeLand, where I live. DeLand is only 20 minutes from Daytona Beach. The candied raspberries at the Candy Castle (www.planetdeland.com/candycastle) are wonderful. When I was a freshman, I made daily visits to the Candy Castle.”

Do you have a favorite restaurant in DeLand?

“Absolutely. At Main Street Grill (www.mainstreetgrilldeland.com; 386-740-9535) you can eat outside on the patio by the manatee mural fountain or inside by the murals that show DeLand’s history. It has been voted the best restaurant in DeLand for six years in a row.”

What’s on your to-do list before you graduate from college?

“People say I shouldn’t, but I intend to skydive before I leave DeLand. Skydive DeLand (www.skydivedeland.com) is the training capital of the world for novice skydivers and I want to try that at least once.” —Heather Larson