Closest beach to WDW

[disneygourmet]

I am thinking about taking a day off from WDW to drive to the beach, but want to drive as little as possible. The info site for the condo that I am staying at (7 miles south of WDW) says the beach is a 45 min drive but the closest I can find is 1 hr. So what is the closest swimming beach to WDW? How crowded are the beaches weekdays in October (presumably after fall breaks are over)? TIA.

 

[loveysbydesign]

Cocoa Beach is about the closest on the eastern side.
Clearwater on the western side.
During the week it shouldn't be busy at all. Once it's cooler the Floridains generally don't go to the beach that much, especailly during the week. We went to Ft. DeSoto beach in mid-Nov and practially had the place to ourselves. It is a further drive but is so worth it!

 

[hearts8701]

cocoa beach is about sixty miles east of orlando on the atlantic ocean

 

[Pineapple Whip]

Cocoa down 528.

Watch out for the man-of-war. Not sure when they hit exactly or when you'll be here, but they arrive when the water cools in the winter months. You can always check with the lifeguard, but if people aren't in the water, you might want to ask why.

At most Florida beaches, a flag system is used to warn people: green means good swimming conditions, yellow for caution, and red is the alert for no swimming. Orange is sometimes used to denote no surfing, while blue means Portuguese man-of-war are present.

 

[DCTooTall]

If you are going in October, It might also be worth noting that the Gulf is slightly warmer than the Atlantic. the Atlantic may be slightly closer, but for some people the Gulf may be the preferable beach due to smaller waves and warmer water.

You can do a good search for florida temps in the month you are going and one of the first sites that tends to come up will also give average water temps at the beaches on both coasts.

 

[disneygourmet]

If you are going in October, It might also be worth noting that the Gulf is slightly warmer than the Atlantic. the Atlantic may be slightly closer, but for some people the Gulf may be the preferable beach due to smaller waves and warmer water.

Which is the closest beach gulf side? I would prefer to go to the gulf but don't want to spend too much time driving with kids either. We already have a long drive to WDW and back home.

 

[hearts8701]

For those who want to drive over to the Gulf Coast, the closest beach is Clearwater Beach, at the west end of Highway 60. This would be roughly a 2 hour drive from Orlando on Interstate