Beaches in Florida

[ruthie]

Hi
I'm looking to have a day at the beach while staying in Orlando.
We are visiting kennedy and wondered if we could do a beach as well on the same day? Or is kennedy a whole day? Just wanted to know which beaches are good for families, if there are any different ones and ideally we'd love to see some surfing.

Thanks so much

Ruthie

 

[kmk1180]

ya, Cocoa Beach is just south of the Cape.
You could easily go there.

Don't know if "surfing" is going to happen.
Neither coast has big waves for that.

 

[jb01]

Cocoa Beach is a nice place to spend some time. You might see some people surfing early morning but the waves are not the biggest unless there are storm conditions.

 

[Fast Pass]

Cocoa Beach is the hands down favorite for alot of folks. It is very family friendly and like the others said easy to get to from Kennedy Space Center.

 

[fla4fun]

As far as how long KSC takes to tour, it depends on how in depth you want your experience to be and how many people are there that day. We spent about a half day there, but did not take the bus tour because they were very crowded that day. We felt we saw everything pretty thoroughly with the exception of the bus tour. If I remember right, the bus tour adds another hour or two, so I would plan on at least 6-7 hours to really see it all. Then it's about 15-20 minutes drive from there to Cocoa Beach, again depending on traffic. The trip to and from Disney is really easy from Cocoa Beach.

If you decide you want to split it up, I actually prefer the Gulf coast to the Atlantic. It's not as rough, so no surfing there, but the shells are great, and the water is warm and clear. It takes about two hours to drive there from Disney. My favorite spots are either Sand Key Park, just south of Clearwater Beach, or Fort DeSoto Park, south of St. Petersburg Beach.

 

[stardebby]

I live in the Clearwater area and the beaches are beautiful. Only a hour and half drive from Orlando.

 

[stpetedisneydad]

As far as how long KSC takes to tour, it depends on how in depth you want your experience to be and how many people are there that day. We spent about a half day there, but did not take the bus tour because they were very crowded that day. We felt we saw everything pretty thoroughly with the exception of the bus tour. If I remember right, the bus tour adds another hour or two, so I would plan on at least 6-7 hours to really see it all. Then it's about 15-20 minutes drive from there to Cocoa Beach, again depending on traffic. The trip to and from Disney is really easy from Cocoa Beach.

If you decide you want to split it up, I actually prefer the Gulf coast to the Atlantic. It's not as rough, so no surfing there, but the shells are great, and the water is warm and clear. It takes about two hours to drive there from Disney. My favorite spots are either Sand Key Park, just south of Clearwater Beach, or Fort DeSoto Park, south of St. Petersburg Beach.

Fort DeSoto is hands down the best. It has won the best beach award numerous times, has plenty of picnic areas

, a camp ground that is usually booked way in advance and is actually a historic site with the remains of an old fort so you could take in a little history

.

Fort Desoto Link

 

[RabFlmom]

ya, Cocoa Beach is just south of the Cape.
You could easily go there.

Don't know if "surfing" is going to happen.
Neither coast has big waves for that.

Waves may not hit the 6 feet+ often but we do have quite a few of the best surfers on the world tour that call this area home. It is amazing what surfers can do on waist high and shoulder high waves and you just might see the Hobgoods or Kelly surfing.
Depends on when you are here; but there will be surfers at the Cocoa pier which is pretty close to the space center. You could get to KSC at opening, spend till 2 or 3 in the afternoon and still have time to be at the beach for hours. Some weeks there will be surfing tournaments scheduled.
Another area for surfing though is "picnic tables " on Patrick Air Force Base.
The best area is even further South at Sebastian Inlet state Park( charge to get in) . You will see good surfing down there because at the inlet the waves are usually better. The beach is really nice there, too and not really crowded unless they have a tournament. There is a restaurant, museum, good fishing from the jetty and walk bridge over the inlet.

 

[RabFlmom]

Just had another thought.. If you do come South to the beach and are in the area for supper, check out Bazzaros Pizza in Indiatlantic(only that one) It is right at the end of 192 on A1A-looks like a dive, but has the best NY pizza and atmosphere here on the coast. they have several other things on the menu besides pizza like lasagna, strombolis etc. that are good too. They have an outdoor patio and a few tables inside the air conditioning but we enjoy the rugged patio outside. Worth a trip.

 

[RainbowWit]

I grew up in the Orlando area (A little town situated between the Space center and Orlando called Christmas), and can tell you first hand there are always people surfing at Cocoa Beach. Like a PP said it's home to some of the best surfers ever. Also there is Jetty Park beach VERY close the KSC, doesnt have all the amenities (shops etc ) like Cocoa but if you pack a basket and cooler its a great place to beach it. SUrfing at Cocoa though.

 

[sydprincess]

Glad to read the rave reviews about Fort. We will be there on Saturday! I'd also highly recommend Caladesi Island in Dunedin. SOOOO beautiful and remote. Well worth the trek to visit it.

 

[Trish5768]

I agree, Cocoa Beach is great and easy to get to.

 

[DisneyWisher]

I've lived in Ft Lauderdale almost all my life and I would suggest going to the beach in the morning preferably by 8am if not earlier. There are many times when I will head over just to watch a sunrise. In the morning its still cool out and the suns heat is not at its worst. Right now our temps in the morning are 78 degrees. Its great. If you are not used to our sun remember its at its strongest between 10am-2pm. So please remember to use a strong sunscreen. There is nothing worse than becoming a cooked lobster on vacation. I use sunscreen and I am used to the sun, the sun kicks off the ocean and will burn you easily. A lesson I learned a very hard way. I was used to going to the beach and one day went out on BIL's boat. I only applied once and we were out for 6 hours. I didn't reapply. I felt that sunburn for days until I finally peeled. Never again.

 

[srwarden1928]

My personal all time favorite beach is St. Pete Beach. I have been going there from time to time for over 40 years. It is a beautiful beach not far from WDW on the Gulf coast. In fact we are splitting our vacation this year between St Pete Beach and WDW.

 

[larryz]

http://www.fws.gov/merrittisland/Index.html

 

[Feralpeg]

Stay away from New Smyrna. There were two serious shark bites yesterday. One guy needed 25 stitches in his hand. The other had to have surgery on his foot.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

I've moved this thread to the Orlando Hotels and Attractions board.

 

[RabFlmom]

Stay away from New Smyrna. There were two serious shark bites yesterday. One guy needed 25 stitches in his hand. The other had to have surgery on his foot.

There are sharks at every beach even the gulf side. The 2 bites today were surfers. The doctor jumped off his board and stepped on a shark so the shark reacted. The other one was on his board out farther in the water than you go when just playing at the beach. He was shown on the news and he said no way would he stop surfing because of the bite.

Most people who get bit are surfing. It is still really pretty rare if you consider how many people are in the water everyday and there are only 30-40 bites a year in the whole world. Taking more of a chance getting struck by lightning or run over crossing the street here in Florida.

 

[Feralpeg]

There are sharks at every beach even the gulf side. The 2 bites today were surfers. The doctor jumped off his board and stepped on a shark so the shark reacted. The other one was on his board out farther in the water than you go when just playing at the beach. He was shown on the news and he said no way would he stop surfing because of the bite.

Most people who get bit are surfing. It is still really pretty rare if you consider how many people are in the water everyday and there are only 30-40 bites a year in the whole world. Taking more of a chance getting struck by lightning or run over crossing the street here in Florida.

I agree, but I still won't be getting in the water. I'll stick to nice clean swimming pools.

 

[RabFlmom]

I agree, but I still won't be getting in the water. I'll stick to nice clean swimming pools.

From below a surf board resembles the shape of a fish so that is one reason they get bumped and once in a blue moon bitten by a shark.

As for us that just play in the water-stay away from inlets where you will find more sharks. Don't wear jewelry, headbands with sparkles, or swimsuits with shiny buckles etc because that is sort of like being bait on a fishing line. Don't wear a watch that shines in the dark(like underwater).
If you see lots of pelicans on the water it probably means bait fish are close to shore and that means bigger fish like sharks will be closer to shore.
Also if you see lots of little fish in the waves close to shore stay out of the water or in very shallow water. And if you actually see schools of fish ending up lying on the beach they might be avoiding being eaten. Usually the next wave will take them back into the water so don't worry about them.
Avoid swimming at sunrise and sunset because that is feeding time. Also really cloudy/rainy days can be prime time for sharks closer to shore.
If the sand is being churned up by waves making the water murky so you can't see into the water close to shore it means the sharks can't see so well either and might try to eat you by mistake. Rarely do they come back for a second bite and rarely has there been anyone killed by a shark off the coast of Florida. I can only remember 4 deaths-3 on the gulf side and 1 on the Atlantic side in the 30+ years I have been here. More likely to die from a rip tide than a shark.
One thing to always remember is that swimming in a lake , river, or the ocean in Florida is not the same as swimming in a pool. We have creatures of prey. <g> You have to be so much more cautious.
If you are a nonswimmer, do not go more than knee deep in the ocean. Don't be embarrassed to wear a life preserver or to put one on your kids. It will help if you do get into trouble in the water. Waves might go over your head or the bottom might drop off sharply and be overhead without warning.