The beach at Ponce Preserve East Parking is a lovely spot to play. The water is shallow for a long while, and clear. Little waves head in both directions, crashing when they intersect. The reddish sand has interesting patterns in it, under the clear water. Beautiful!

There are birds that hang out in the shallow water, looking for the fish that dart by.
The waves, past the shallow area, are quite rough, and there is no lifeguard, so it's better to play near the shore. Because of the rough water, there are not many unbroken shells. 
The sand is hard-packed at the shore, and a pretty color. At the dunes, the sand is fine and white. There are yellow flowers on the dunes, beside the wooden boardwalk that leads down to the beach. At the boardwalk is a gazebo where you can watch the wonderful views of silvery plants with the incredible blue-green water behind. 
There are no showers or restrooms, but there are trash cans near the parking spaces.
Come early as there are very few parking spaces.
If you cross the road, Atlantic Ave, you will come to some white sand trails that lead past short, scrubby plants. This is Ponce Preserve. Take the left fork to head southwest on the trails, to another road, Peninsula Drive. Cross that road and you will come to a long wooden boardwalk that leads to the intracoastal. This is called Ponce Inlet Preserve. The total distance for this walk is about 900m.
After, eat with water views at Down the Hatch at Front Street Marina. Or bring your kids to watch the huge forklifts raise boats onto platforms at Inlet Harbor Marina and then eat at Off the Hook.
Climb the Ponce de Leon Lighthouse, or walk along the jetty with views of the lighthouse at Lighthouse Point Park.
For a shady boardwalk with a breeze off the water, check out Port Orange Causeway Park.

Directions

Ponce Preserve East Beach Parking is located at 4280 S Atlantic Ave, Port Orange, FL 32127. There are a few spots so come early!

Click on map for interactive view