Best beach for a day trip from WDW?

[GEM]

We are going to be at WDW in December and want to take a day trip to the beach. Can anybody reccomend a good place to go? We want some place close to Orlando and some place clean that won't be totally packed. Is that asking too much? Any ideas? Also, if you can suggest a place, can you please tell us how long it would take to get there from WDW? We will just drive there for the day and then head back to the Wilderness Lodge that evening. Thanks!

 

[Hettie]

My personal reccomendation is Canaveral National Seashore. The reasons that I like Canaveral are: not crowded AT ALL, natural sand dunes still intact, wildlife, and you can see all the cool NASA stuff in the distance from the beach. It costs $5 per car to get into the seashore area. While there you can also visit Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge which has many nature trails (walking and driving) and a manatee viewing area. The two parks are side by side, and there is a very nice visitor's center that covers both.

It takes about 45 min to an hour to get there from the Disney area. We always take 417 to 528, exit to get to I95 to Titusville. From there you can pretty much follow the signs to Canaveral, but I think it's the second exit once you are on I95.

A bit of warning: this is a rustic beach which means that there is no running water. There are bathrooms of the type that they come clean the tank out periodically, but no showers, sinks, or water fountains. Also, nowhere to get food in the immediate area, so pack a picnic lunch and some drinks. I know this type of beach isn't for everyone and may not be your style, but the time of year that you're visiting is the perfect time for trail walking and seeing wildlife.

Let me know if you have any questions!

 

[Bonnie40]

Just as another suggestion, for the first time we went to Cocoa Beach, which is about 45 min to an hour as well. If the suggestion of a quiet, isolated beach such as Canaveral National Seashore is too isolated, Cocoa Beach is an alternative. I don't imagine any beach is going to be too busy in December, so you should be okay. It was convenient to go to the public beach, grab some pizza and enjoy the day. Don't know if you have kids, but mine are still talking about Ron Jon's Surf Shop! It's right by the beach. Now if you really want to go to a beautiful beach area, it might be worth driving a little farther and go to the Gulf Shore. In March, we did one day at Cocoa Beach and one day at Venice Beach, which is south of Sarasota. We have gone there many times and it is truly the highlight of our vacation. They have a lovely public beach with free parking, dolphins jumping in the waves, crystal blue water and fossilized shark's teeth which wash up on the shore. More seashells on the Gulf Coast as well. It's about 2 hours drive from Disney. Our plan next March is to probably go to Cocoa Beach (mostly for the Surf Shop) and spend a few days in Venice Beach rather than just a day. It's a gem!

Bonnie

 

[GEM]

Thanks so much for all the help! I think the Canaveral National Seashore sounds just like the kind of place we want. We don't have kids, so we really aren't interested in the typical beach type stuff. We just want someplace pretty and natural and quiet to do some exploring. A picnic sounds like fun, too! Thanks again!