Closest beach to the Fort

[rideswithchrist]

We decided to take a day mid-trip and check out one of the beaches for a day since we have never been on that side of the States. Which is the most kid-friendly within a 2-3 hour drive?

 

[morrik5]

I know one year when our kids were younger we went to Cocoa Beach. Not sure if it's still kid-friendly though.
1 h 14 min (70.7 mi) via FL-528 E

 

[bama_ed]

Out the Beeline (Hwy 528) due east of Orlando next to Port Canaveral is Jetty Park. It is a campground/rv park as well but has a big public beach, pavilions, picnic tables, bathrooms, and sometimes a concessionaire selling food/drinks. We camped there March 2019 but saw a ton of folks in the day area. You have to pay to enter the park but it is on the Atlantic side of Florida (brown sand).

Jetty Park is adjacent to the Port Canaveral cruise ship channel (Disney Cruise Line boats go in/out there) so in the evenings the ships go out the channel and people wave to us folks watching on shore (you can check public schedules for departure times). JP is in the corner where the channel meets the ocean. There is a day fishing pier at JP also. It is 60 or 70 minutes with tolls from MK. It is also a good/popular crowded place to watch Kennedy Space Center/Cape Canaveral rocket launches which is on the north side of the cruise ship channel. And in the case of SpaceX, possible rocket booster landings.

On the Gulf side I've been to Fort Desoto Park in St. Petersburg down past Tampa on I4. It is a Pinellas County park with a beach, civil war Fort, and campground/rv park. It has been rated as Florida's best beach at times and is highly thought of. I was over there one day and went to check out the campground and rv park and didn't stop at the beach but it is beautiful. The Gulf side of Florida has the white powdery beaches. I think they may offer concession services in popular times of the year. I have not been to other beaches that far north on the Gulf side other than Fort Desoto. There are probably other nice beaches as well. There are tolls along this route as well welcome to Florida). Google maps shows 1hr 42 min from the Fort but I4 can be slow at times in both directions.

Fort Desoto Web Site

Jetty Park Web Site

My opinion is worth what you paid for it. I'm interested to hear others' opinions as well.

What time of year are you planning to go? Florida UV is STRONG.

Bama Ed

 

[Uncledave54]

I vote for Cocoa Beach, although it's been 42 years since I've been there.

 

[bama_ed]

I know one year when our kids were younger we went to Cocoa Beach. Not sure if it's still kid-friendly though.
1 h 14 min (70.7 mi) via FL-528 E

I spent a week in Cocoa Beach this March, morrik5. It is nice for sure about 15 minutes past the turn off for Jetty Park. There are a couple different municipal access spots/parks and you can park there and restaurants are within walking distance of some. I liked Cocoa Beach for our stay but for a day visit Jetty offers cruise ships leaving most days. Good restaurants over at the Port terminal area as well.

Played golf 2x over at Cocoa Beach as well.

Bama Ed

PS - if you end up at Cocoa stop at the Slow and Low BBQ on the west side of US A1A (the beach highway aka Atlantic Avenue). I spent a nice afternoon there eating lunch on our trip. Atlantic Avenue splits into two parallel streets one northbound and one southbound as you pass through Cocoa Beach proper. Slow and Low is on the southbound side.

 

[morrik5]

I spent a week in Cocoa Beach this March, morrik5. It is nice for sure about 15 minutes past the turn off for Jetty Park. There are a couple different municipal access spots/parks and you can park there and restaurants are within walking distance of some. I liked Cocoa Beach for our stay but for a day visit Jetty offers cruise ships leaving most days. Good restaurants over at the Port terminal area as well.

Played golf 2x over at Cocoa Beach as well.

Bama Ed

PS - if you end up at Cocoa stop at the Slow and Low BBQ on the west side of US A1A (the beach highway aka Atlantic Avenue). I spent a nice afternoon there eating lunch on our trip. Atlantic Avenue splits into two parallel streets one northbound and one southbound as you pass through Cocoa Beach proper. Slow and Low is on the southbound side.

For a good view of Jetty Park, check out this great couple who posted a video on You Tube of the park:

 

[morrik5]

I vote for Cocoa Beach, although it's been 42 years since I've been there.

Either 38 or 23 years for us since we've been there, can't remember if before kids or during.

 

[Teamubr]

The Atlantic side beaches are the closest and most are very family/kid friendly. Cocoa, Daytona Beach and Flagler Beach a little further north are nice.

I personally prefer the Gulf Coast. Ed's recommendation of Ft Desoto is a great one. It is at the southern tip of Pinellas County (St Pete). A little closer to Disney, at the northern end of the county, is Clearwater Beach. It is closer to where I-4 and I-275 come in from Orlando. It is 'touristy", like much of the barrier island towns are up and down the strip, but the beaches are nice and there is a lot to do.

All these are within 2 hours, given I-4 traffic.

j

 

[Kagoguen]

10 miles south of Daytona is a nice friendly area, New Smyrna Beach. Love driving on the beach, collecting shells with the kids and laying on the beach

 

[SteveMouse]

Well, the CLOSEST beach you can swim at is Blizzard Beach .

But seriously, Daytona's a good choice. You can stop by the track, if anyone in the family is interested in car racing. Fernadina Beach is a bit further north, (Atlantic side), but does have less-packed sand than is at Daytona.

 

[gatour]

For ease of driving to and from Cocoa Beach or Daytona Beach.

However I prefer St Petersburg

 

[Stork]

...I liked Cocoa Beach for our stay but for a day visit Jetty offers cruise ships leaving most days.

Not sure I'd over sell the flotilla of cruise ships passing by as an activity there. Like air travel, I thought cruise ships were parked (berthed?) due corona virus concerns. Not sure you'll see any ships anytime soon.

West Coast beaches are better by far (opinion) but traffic west of FW is definitely worse. Blizzard is there so one doesn't have to travel using valuable vacay time with kids in the car (are we there, yet?) creating family "memories."

 

[serenitygr]

 

[serenitygr]

Clearwater beach is a beautiful area- also home to the movie “Dolphins Tale” if your kids are fans of that!

 

[bama_ed]

Not sure I'd over sell the flotilla of cruise ships passing by as an activity there. Like air travel, I thought cruise ships were parked (berthed?) due corona virus concerns. Not sure you'll see any ships anytime soon.

True, that, but the OP has a June 2021 trip listed in her signature so SURELY you would think by then the ships would be cruising again, no? I assumed that was the time frame for this day trip to the beach that she was asking about.

Bama Ed

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

10 miles south of Daytona is a nice friendly area, New Smyrna Beach. Love driving on the beach, collecting shells with the kids and laying on the beach

If you are considering New Smyrna Beach, a lovely lighthouse is just north in Ponce Inlet, take the Dunlawton Bridge across. Not many people get to tour lighthouses often, and it is less than a mile away from the beach. Maybe an hour to tour it. So cool and interesting.
Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, 4931 S Peninsula Drive, Ponce Inlet, near New Smyrna Beach, is a towering 175-foot red and granite lighthouse from the 1880s. It’s the tallest lighthouse in Florida and all three original lighthouse keeper houses survive. Ponce Inlet Lighthouse has a special exhibit building with Fresnel lenses of all sizes including the original first-order lenses from Ponce Inlet and Cape Canaveral.

LIghtHouse Point Park has beach with bathrooms and shower according to review.

Dine on great fresh caught Florida shrimp at a restaurant right up the road a few hundred yards. I don't remember the name of it.
What memories you will make!

 

[friendofeeyore]

Last trip in Oct/Nov 2019, my sister was with us & she wanted to see the Atlanta. So, the day B4 she was to leave, we took her to Kennedy Space Center ~ we really did enjoy that & could had spend a few days looking at every thing & then drove her to Cocoa Beach. She walked the beach & had fun. It was very windy that day. While standing on the beach the Disney Cruise ship was leaving port & we watched it for a long time. The sand & beach was so much nicer than Texas beaches.

 

[rideswithchrist]

We hav been Gulfside many times, being from Texas and heading that way (we usually stop at Pensacola) so we wanted to touch the Atlantic. I think that instead of sneaking away mid-week we may just stay at the fort/visit the boardwalk and all that in the bubble and on check out day head to Cocoa Beach for a bit and then over to Cape Carnaveral. (or visa versa) for a few days. We will be there in June 2021- I am sure FL UV rivals TX UV rays for sure!

 

[gatour]

If you are considering New Smyrna Beach, a lovely lighthouse is just north in Ponce Inlet, take the Dunlawton Bridge across. Not many people get to tour lighthouses often, and it is less than a mile away from the beach. Maybe an hour to tour it. So cool and interesting.
Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, 4931 S Peninsula Drive, Ponce Inlet, near New Smyrna Beach, is a towering 175-foot red and granite lighthouse from the 1880s. It’s the tallest lighthouse in Florida and all three original lighthouse keeper houses survive. Ponce Inlet Lighthouse has a special exhibit building with Fresnel lenses of all sizes including the original first-order lenses from Ponce Inlet and Cape Canaveral.

LIghtHouse Point Park has beach with bathrooms and shower according to review.

Dine on great fresh caught Florida shrimp at a restaurant right up the road a few hundred yards. I don't remember the name of it.
What memories you will make!
View attachment 497211

Shameless plug. I am a member of a national walking club and one of our walks start at the lighthouse gift shop. It is one of my favorite walks. You can do it anytime, just have to ask for the walk box. There are directions inside the box.

 

[rideswithchrist]

We love lighthouses! Now I have so many choices, we may have to tack a few days on and see what we can find up the coast that a ways.

our plans are getting moved back by a week with family now and I think we may arrive 3 days earlier than everyone else so we can have a few park days just us and plan from there.