New Aquarium Coming to Vacant Mall in Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The largely vacant shopping center at International Speedway Blvd and Nova Rd in Daytona will soon have a new tenant. The Daytona Aquarium & Rainforest Adventure is being planned for the space which in recent years held a Burlington Coat Factory. Cliff Grosvenor, the man behind the project, has rented out a large enough portion of the shopping center to hopefully house a sprawling two-part attraction that has no peers in the immediate Daytona area. Guests may be able to visit the 55,000 square-foot building by the end of the year. The plan is reportedly to open the aquarium portion in late 2023, featuring multiple species of sharks, rays, and fish. The rainforest portion would then ideally open in 2024, with a variety of tropical species such as sloths and crocodiles. Already, Daytona Aquarium and Rainforest Adventure, LLC has been registered with the state and the Daytona Beach city government has issued the requisite permits for the attraction to be built. Prior to getting started on his upcoming Daytona attraction, Grosvenor was behind the Electric City Aquarium and Reptile Den in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The nearest aquarium attractions to Daytona are currently in Orlando (SeaWorld, Discovery Cove) and Marineland (Marineland Dolphin Adventure). With some two hours between these two locations, Grosvenor’s new aquarium could cut down on travel time for Volusia aquarium enthusiasts.