A nice beach near Orlando?

[FavoriteKitty]

Hi all My daughter has asked if we could take a day and go to the ocean while we are on vacation. She got the names of two, both about an hour away she said, but I was hoping for recommendations. The kids just want to see what the ocean looks like down there, collect shells, and play in the waves. Its too cold to swim, right?

 

[raysnkaysmom]

Maybe too cold to swim in the ocean...but ok to put your feet/calves in!!
I've heard Cocoa beach is the closest, although I've never been. Daytona is only an hr away...and we've gone there several times and love it!!!

 

[goofyernmost]

Since Orlando is almost exactly in the center of Florida you have to travel to get to the ocean in either direction, east or west. I have never been to Florida in any season where people weren't swimming in the ocean. It's a semi-tropical climate and the gulf stream runs very close by. Want to hit some cold ocean water go to Maine in July or August. I don't think that an ice cube would melt in there.

Just watch out for the sand sharks!

 

[chisnpeke]

We've been to Cocoa Beach and really liked it. It was very nice and perfect for just hanging out and swimming. Lots of restaurants and Ron Jon's Surf Shop is nearby.

 

[2BigKIdz]

We have been to Clearwater Beach on the west coast and Cocoa Beach on the east and have to say we liked Clearwater about 100 times better. Cocoa to us was very run down and dirty, the beach was okay but the rest of the area was not nice in our opinion. We spent over an hour trying to find a place for dinner and finally ended up at Pizza Hut. Clearwater is very pretty and the sand is white and powdery. There are lots of little restaurants on the beach too.

 

[Maggi May]

Semi-native from Orlando checking in...
I'd break it down to 3 choices . . . all of which are great choices in Winter.
1) Daytona/New Smyrna Beach. East coast/Atlantic - straight shot on I-4. A bit overbuilt, but lots of fun beaches.
2) Cocoa/Melbourne/Brevard beaches. More "old Florida". Longer drive. Less developed, but good beaches and family entertainment. Close to Cape Canaveral.
3) St. Pete/Treasure Island/Clearwater. West Coast on the Gulf. Warmer water but less of an "ocean feel." Better restaurants and entertainment. Great museums nearby if it rains.

As a a PP mentioned, Orlando is the middle of the state, so a trip to either coast is a full day trip. If you're going to be at Disney for a long trip, any of these beaches would be a great break during your trip.
Enjoy!

 

[SorcererDonald16]

Daytona's only about an hour away. You can even drive on the beach there, as long as it's not high tide. That would be my advice to y'all. Have fun!

 

[olena]

I like Cocoa Beach. The last time we were there was shortly before a shuttle launch. So there we were having a wonderful time and the shuttle on its platform was on the horizon in the background.

 

[mamamary]

We've been to the beaches on the west coast - Clearwater, North Redington and St. Pete - Beautiful!!!

 

[Feralpeg]

There are currently double red-flag warnings up along the east coast due to sharks. They showed a film clip on the news yesterday taken just off the beach near Palm Bay. There were literally hundreds of sharks in the area. They were swimming about five feet from each other. It was really creepy!

 

[WDWRocksMySocks]

Thanks for starting this thread. DH has never seen the ocean, so I want to make sure we go to the beach during our trip to August. Hopefully, there won't be any hurricanes to dampen our plans.

Just watch out for the sand sharks!

When I was younger, I really did believe in sand sharks. My sisters tormented me something terrible. I still have a complex over the ocean b/c of those two idiots.

 

[Hoodie]

Thanks for starting this thread. DH has never seen the ocean, so I want to make sure we go to the beach during our trip to August. Hopefully, there won't be any hurricanes to dampen our plans.



When I was younger, I really did believe in sand sharks. My sisters tormented me something terrible. I still have a complex over the ocean b/c of those two idiots.

So....when do we tell you that sand sharks are real?

I've caught them - they can put up a fun little fight. They are pretty timid though and not aggressive.

I know they are around Cape Cod, but don't think they go as far south as Florida. There you have the real fun ones - sand sharks are just toys campare to those!

 

[MosMom]

Be cautious of strong currents on the Atlantic side as well. My cousin and her family nearly drowned during a Christmas vacation. They were at Cocoa Beach and the boys were in thigh deep water on boogie boards. They were swept out quickly. My cousin and her husband swam out to them and within minutes they were all swept out further. Minutes later the people looked like ants and the boats were closer.

Without the boogie boards she fully believes they would have died. The waves were huge and would wash over their heads every few seconds.

She said they saw the warnings but underestimated the danger.

 

[kerrynic78]

We love New Smyrna Beach. We can drive on the beach and have all of our stuff with us so we don't have to schlep it from a parking lot. Not a fan of Cocoa at all.

 

[WDWRocksMySocks]

So....when do we tell you that sand sharks are real?

I've caught them - they can put up a fun little fight. They are pretty timid though and not aggressive.

I know they are around Cape Cod, but don't think they go as far south as Florida. There you have the real fun ones - sand sharks are just toys campare to those!

Eeeeeekkkk!!! That's just...disturbing. I don't care how big or small they are, I'd crap my pants if I saw a sand shark. See, this is why I'm not a beach person and I don't live on the coast. For some reason, I just have this irrational fear of all things that live in the ocean, or sand. Here I am, trying to do a nice thing for DH and I learn sand sharks are real. All these years... I guess my sisters aren't as stupid as I am, bummer.

 

[mkingdomlvr]

Be cautious of strong currents on the Atlantic side as well. My cousin and her family nearly drowned during a Christmas vacation. They were at Cocoa Beach and the boys were in thigh deep water on boogie boards. They were swept out quickly. My cousin and her husband swam out to them and within minutes they were all swept out further. Minutes later the people looked like ants and the boats were closer.

Without the boogie boards she fully believes they would have died. The waves were huge and would wash over their heads every few seconds.

She said they saw the warnings but underestimated the danger.

Rip currents are extremely dangerous on the Atlantic side of Florida. We were drilled from the time we were kids-"swim parallel to shore until you're out of the current".

I happen to like the Melbourne area, there are some really nice quiet beaches there.