Following...
My first and only day trip to the Gulf Coast from Orlando was spent at Honeymoon Island State Park in Dunedin, April 2014. We'd chosen it as it had been rated one of the top U.S. beaches that year. It was lovely, with silky white sand...Beach umbrella, chair, and kayak rentals available on the beach...nice little snack bar and public facilities...signs entering the park that warned of rattle snakes [!], not one of which I saw, thank goodness! With an early start, the traffic wasn't bad at all, however, the drive out of town at 3:00 P.M., or so, to the main highway toward Tampa was a bit of a crawl - stop & go with more traffic lights than I care to sit through after a day in the sand and sun. The purportedly ninety-minute return drive became more like 2.75 hours...
As a New Englander, I've grown up visiting more rugged Atlantic beaches. While those hold their own brand of splendor for me, it was heavenly to experience the more serene, tropical sands of the Gulf Coast, and I can't wait to return. If I can swing it this trip, I'm planning to hit either St. Pete, or Clearwater, based upon recommendations I've seen here and elsewhere, but - now that I'm recalling the slog of the afternoon return drive - I'm wondering whether or not it's inevitable to encounter the same stop and go drive with either of those beaches?
Is there a Gulf Coast beach within 2 hours of Orlando that has less of a busy retreat for us day-trippers? Or is that merely the nature of the experience?
Have fun, OP!
