Beach for a day trip?

[grumpyandbashful]

Hi all - considering a day trip to a beach in July. Would prefer the Gulf side, easy to get to from WDW, calm surf and not too crowded. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks in advance .

 

[viluvsdisney]

Any suggestions? Thanks!!

 

[DisneyGirle4Life]

My family and I always got o the beach for a day when we go. We usually head to Sannibel island.its a good 2 hour ride but once you find a beach in this area its well worth it!

 

[dznyacct]

Hi! We're headed to WDW next month after our DCL western cruise. We leave 4 weeks from today, woohoo!! Anyway, we are taking a day while we are at WDW and going to Daytona Beach/Ormond Beach for the day. My DH was there in February and really enjoyed it, so we're all going to check it out. Last summer we spent a week at Vero Beach before we went to WDW. My son and his best friend LOVED boogie boarding in the ocean for hours on end. I'm hoping to bring their boogie boards next month (if we have room - kind of doubtful by the looks of everything I have out so far!) so they can use them in Daytona. I've heard that the Gulf beaches are nicer, but I've never been so I can't really compare them.

My sister and her family went to St. Pete Beach after our group WDW trip last summer and really enjoyed it. My 5 YO niece was thrilled to pick up shells on the beach.

 

[AladdinsPrincess]

There is plenty to do at Clearwater Beach and it's a pretty direct shot on I-4 from Orlando. Just beware - they are doing a lot of constuction on I-4 and traffic jams have been more frequent lately. Cocoa Beach is beautiful too if you want to go east and avoid the I-4 construction.

Have fun!

 

[Snoopymom]

We always go to Daytona Beach, but on the Orlando Hotel & Attraction board I always see Madeira/Treasure Island/John's pass suggested for the Gulf side. One of the sites I saved was this one

http://www.johnspass.com/

I hope to get there one day. Hope this helps

 

[mkymouse4ever]

St. Pete has "Ft. Desoto" beach / park it was even listed on "best beaches" by travel channel this year. It is just to the south of st. pete. about 2hr from disney.

The west coast or "gulf" beaches are much nicer than the east / ocean side. IMHO.

MKY

 

[snoopy5386]

we went to clearwater a couple of years ago.....and were swimming in the ocean only to discover poop, that's right human feces floating in the water and washed up on the shore. not small kid-sized poop either, clearly poop from a grown adult. talk about yuck!!! I'm sure it was a once in a lifetime thing, but I can't say we will ever go to that beach again anyways....

 

[micks]

We spent our Spring Break this year on Madeira Beach (gulf side, near st. Pete Beach) down the street from John's Pass and LOVED it!! It has such soft, clean sand. There is a publlic beach access point literally right across the street from John's Pass - a great way to spend the day! We also went to WDW for 2 days while we were there and it took about 2 hours, a little more on the way over in morning tampa traffic. Have a great time!

 

[Rhonda]

I second (or third?) the vote for St. Pete Beach! It's beautiful - you can visit John's Pass - and it's only a little over an hour away. Here's a link to John's Pass to see what's there! John's Pass

 

[Aquagirl]

Cocoa Beach on the Atlantic side is about 1 hour away. I really liked Vero Beach. Sarasota on the Gulf side is beautiful. The water was sooooo warm!!! It was like a bathtub. I prefer the warm calm waters and white soft sand of the gulf. If you want cooler water with great surf, go to the Atlantic side.

 

[PrincessofQuiteAlot]

Well, I live in Sarasota and Siesta Beach is to die for if I do say so myself St. Armands Circle has some great shopping as well.

 

[mrspaha]

How does Lido beach compare to Siesta? Is there anything special for my teen-aged kids to do at either place? Also--how does Siesta/Lido compare to the St Pete beaches?

We'll be going that way for a few days before we head home. Any tips? Any suggestions on where to stay?

 

[PrincessofQuiteAlot]

Siesta Beach is a little more expensive than Lido, it is a way better beach if you have teen agers. Lido is closer to St. Armands Circle which is awesome to shop at. There is no comparison of St. Pete Beach to Siesta imo. It is just a beautiful fun place to be. There are lots of condos you can rent on the beach or hotels. You can email me at floridayaya@yahoo.com if you need any more help. I have lived here for 20 years!!

 

[jeffreyml]

Our family of 5 loves the Gulf side. We have stayed around Maderia Beach for the past 3 years and love it. The water is much calmer and warmer than the Atlantic. The kids love to hop from the Gulf to the pool and then back again. The Gulf side also provides some beautiful sunsets for family pictures.

John's pass is one place you'll definitely want to visit. There are also lots of great places to eat and enjoy the sunsets.

 

[eljojo]

We're doing a day at Cocoa Beach - it's only an hour drive and DH & DD want to check our Ron Jon's Surf Shop.