Beach or hiking area to visit

[Lady Hiss]

This is probably the wrong forum, but not sure where to put it. During our upcoming January trip (staying at BCV), we'd like to drive to a beach or park with hiking trails for a day. Sometimes it's just nice to get out into the 'natural' world, have a picnic, and explore a little. Any recommendations for a nature day trip? Thanks in advance.

 

[figmentfan423]

I haven't done a lot of that but i found cocoa beach, beachs quite nice. The are is a bit touristy but nice and you're minutes from Kennedy which I say everybody should visit once

 

[Lady Hiss]

I haven't done a lot of that but i found cocoa beach, beachs quite nice. The are is a bit touristy but nice and you're minutes from Kennedy which I say everybody should visit once

Thank you for the suggestion of Cocoa Beach. We have Cape Canaveral on the list, too. We'll give both a try!
I don't think many people venture out to other places while at WDW or Universal, etc. I'm hoping to take a 'nature break' for one or two days since we'll have the time this year. I wish it wasn't such a long drive to the Everglades Nat'l Park...

 

[PetePanMan]

There are also some nice state parks in central florida with natural springs where you can swim, hike, canoe etc.

 

[Lady Hiss]

There are also some nice state parks in central florida with natural springs where you can swim, hike, canoe etc.

Thanks! I may need to check a travel review site to find the names of one or two with decent hiking trails (unless you know of a specific park?).

 

[dfb]

This is probably the wrong forum, but not sure where to put it. During our upcoming January trip (staying at BCV), we'd like to drive to a beach or park with hiking trails for a day. Sometimes it's just nice to get out into the 'natural' world, have a picnic, and explore a little. Any recommendations for a nature day trip? Thanks in advance.

Most of the WDW resorts have walkways/trails all around, especially in the Fort Wilderness area. I haven't been on their hiking/horse trails but they look like they could offer a more nature like trail??

 

[lugnut33]

Last August we spent 2 days of our trip at Jetty Park in Cape Canaveral. It's super easy to get to, just jump on 528 east and go all the way to where the road ends past the Disney cruise ships in port. Takes a little over an hour to get to. The park is really nice and clean. You can go for walks on the beach, along the dune, or back into the park. If you stay until later in the day you can watch the cruise ships leave. Also, there is a really good restaurant for fish that's about 3 blocks away called Grills Seafood. My kids loved those days just as much as going to the parks.

 

[Lady Hiss]

Thanks for the ideas, everyone - I've made note of the park by Cape Canaveral as that sounds interesting! We've done the Ft. Wilderness trail which is a nice respite, but we're hoping to explore some longer trails or a beach - just need to get away from the parks and resorts for a day.

 

[Anonny]

Here are some hikes near Disney World. Tibet Butler is a good one.


http://floridahikes.com/walt-disney-world

 

[PetePanMan]

Thanks! I may need to check a travel review site to find the names of one or two with decent hiking trails (unless you know of a specific park?).

suggest you check out blue springs state park. Might be a bit far (on way to Daytona) but depending on time of year you can see Manatees.

 

[Lady Hiss]

Love all these suggestions and can't wait to go exploring! Many thanks to all!

 

[lovesdumbo]

I haven't been yet but have this botanical garden on my list of things to do:

http://www.leugardens.org/

 

[Sytrace]

Cherie Down park is about 1 and a half hours away ( past PC) and offers free parking. You walk across a footbridge and are right on the sand, this is our favorite beach in Cape Canaveral and it is very beautiful. Pack a picnic or plan on getting some to go at the area McDonalds which is right on the way to the beach. There are a lot of other places to eat once you are in PC but if you want to sit on the beach and enjoy the fresh air, Mickey D's has a drive thru. lol

Leu Gardens is very nice with many pathways that take you around the gardens. It is about 30 minutes on I4 to Princeton to get there. More of a side trip kind of place if you like looking at planned gardens (they have an amazing rose garden in season) There are many paths to take though and is a very beautiful slice of tranquility in the middle of Orlando.

Moss Park is off of the 417 in Orlando and offers wonderful trails and some educational programs that you might be interested in. It is about 20 to 30 minutes away from Disney. Take 417 to the Moss Park Rd exit and head due east the park entrance has a guard that can give you maps and information.

Blue Springs State Park is incredible and about an hour drive up I4 to Deltona to get there, you would get off I 4 and then travel a bit longer to get back to the Springs. The water is always 73 degrees and this time of year, the manatee activity is incredible. Another of our favorite places to go, although we prefer to go in summer when the cool water is refreshing in the heat of the day.

If you want to venture further out of the Disney zone, you could go west to the Gulf of Mexico beaches. About 2 hours to get to those but there is one I absolutely love. It is called Caladesi Island in Dunedin, FL . You park at Honeymoon Island and take the ferry boat over to Caladesi. You land at a hospitality house and then walk down the boardwalk to the beach. You can rent umbrellas and chairs if you want, but this time of year the sun is not nearly as scorching as it is in March to September. The water on the Gulf side is clear and a bit warmer than that of the Atlantic Ocean. We love the natural beauty of land and walking along that beach is so wonderful.

 

[tim walker]

If you don't mind a bit more of a drive Clear Water is a great beach and there are a few national parks just north of it that also have beach access.