Best Beach on the East Coast?

[BRIANSMOM]

Does someone know of a nice, clean beach for us to enjoy for a couple of hours on one of the days of our trip? We will be coming through Daytona on day 1. We have been to St. Augustine before and loved it and we have also stayed on Daytona Beach and loved it too. But we were thinking of after visiting the speedway in Daytona that we wanted to visit another beach for a few hours before we head to Disney.

Thanks in Advance!

 

[BRIANSMOM]

I can't believe that no one has a suggestion! I have looked on the internet, but I can't really find any good info.

 

[stlLarryC]

We always try to sneak in a night stay at Cocoa Beach since it's so close. Definitely not Destin quality, but any chance to get to a beach is hard to pass up for us.

 

[JohnnyOldBoy]

I recommended Playalinda Beach at the Canaveral National Seashore in a previous thread and was informed that it is a "clothing optional" beach. Now if you do an internet search on Playalinda Beach you will find a lot of stuff about it being a "clothing optional" beach. Our family has been there many times and saw nothing of the sort. The beach area is four miles long and if there is any "clothing optional" sunbathing going on it would be at the very north end, according to the articles. We have only been to the north end once, not knowing of its reputation, and even then noticed nothing out of the ordinary. I think the articles are either out of date or somewhat exaggerated. We found it to be the best and closest beach to WDW and not a hotel in sight.
From Titusville, go across the Max Brewer Memorial Parkway and follow the road all the way east. There is an entry fee for the beach area of about $7 or $8 per car. Along the beach road will be numerous turnout parking areas, (I think about 14) with restrooms.
I would be happy to answer any other questions if needed.

 

[BRIANSMOM]

Thank you both so much!

I will see what I can find on Playalinda Beach.
Is this a good area for seashells? My son like to find them and give them to me as gifts. And, was it crowded there?

 

[JohnnyOldBoy]

Not much in the way of shells. West coast beaches typically have more shells, especially around Fort Meyers Area.

Cocoa Beach is usually crowded, a very active area. Playalinda Beach has not been crowded any time we were there - its a very long beach, runs for about 7 miles.

 

[SeattleMark]

Well, we got married barefoot on the beach at Lori Wilson Park on Cocoa Beach, so that's our favorite

More info here: http://www.cocoabeach.com/beachinfo.html