Florida Beaches

[1canadian]

I'd like to check out at least one beach on my next trip to Orlando. I'd probably just drive to one for the day (since I'll use priceline for hotel stay). Which beach do you recommend? How far from Orlando? Thanks for your help!

[DisneyLisa]

Hi,

We've done two different beaches on our visits: Daytona Beach & Clearwater Beach. They are both nice but have different features:

Daytona Beach: closer to WDW, (big) waves, breeze
Clearwater Beach: calmer & warmer water, longer drive

Both can be done in a day...just pick the one that's better for you & have fun.

[kalamazoo]

We really like the Gulf coast beaches. Clearwater beach has an excellent public access park with a huge covered playground and lots of shops and restaurants right there across the street. The sand is white and soft and can be good for shelling depending on the day. The water tends to be a little warmer than the Atlantic side (though certainly not like night and day). It is a longer drive though than going to the Atlantic - there always seems to be traffic on the outskirts of Tampa. Generally it takes 2 to 2 and a half hours to drive from Orlando.