Daytona Beach Plans

Although Ft. Lauderdale has been one of the most popular destinations for student travelers during the spring break, this year it won’t be doing anything special to attract young visitors. Instead, it will go after families.

Daytona Beach, on the other hand, will host about 400,000 students between mid-February and April 1 and has arranged for free rock concerts on the beach on most weekdays between March 13 and 24.

It also will present a new version of “The Spring Break Games” on the beach--sports from volleyball to basketball that anyone can compete in.

Party on TV

Cable television’s MTV will record the party, and will show its “Museum of Unnatural History,” which will be on display at Volusia Mall.

In each of the expositions, companies will promote products through entertainment and demonstrations, and give away samples. Expo America will be at the Ocean Center March 16-22, and Expo Springfest ’89 will be on the beach in front of the Holiday Inn boardwalk March 13-24.

A weekday volleyball tournament will start March 11 at major hotels. Top team each week wins $1,000. A similar competition, based on a new board game called “Dare,” will operate on the same dates and offer a weekly prize of $500.

Details about the events are in spring-break guides that will be distributed at the hotels.

If you plan to travel around Florida on a budget, consider that major theme and entertainment parks sometimes offer camping facilities.

You can camp on Disney World grounds at Ft. Wilderness. There are trees and a lake, and you can get free Disney transportation service to the Epcot Center or the Magic Kingdom.

Busch Gardens on Florida’s west coast also offers campsites for tents and trailers.

Began as Bird Garden

Eight miles from Tampa, Busch Gardens began as a bird garden and hospitality house for Anheuser-Busch’s Tampa Brewery almost 30 years ago. It has grown into a 300-acre, African-themed family entertainment center that is also home to more than 3,000 animals and is considered one of the nation’s top zoos.

Its camping facilities are convenient but limited, and lack large shade trees. The 45 sites are just outside the park. The rate for a trailer is $14.75 and for a tent site is $8.30, including tax. For information and reservations, call (813) 971-0008.

At Busch Gardens a one-day pass for adults costs $19.95. It has seven areas, each following an African theme. A sleek new monorail glides over the Serengeti Plain, where more than 500 animals roam freely. In the Marrakech area a song-and-dance revue is presented in the 1,200-seat Moroccan Palace Theater.

Also there’s a 360-degree roller coaster ride in Timbuktu and a python roller coaster in the Congo that reaches speeds of more than 50 m.p.h. During breaks, the brewery offers free samples in the beer garden.