driving to the beach?

[gcoffman]

We were thinking of renting a car and driving to the beach for a day from Disney. Can someone tell me which one is closest and if the drive is easy?

 

[Chuck65]

Well, Daytona is to the east and Tampa is to the west. Each is about 1 -1.5 hrs away from WDW. Daytona is better known for the beaches so you may want to go there.

 

[shoppingbou]

We went to Daytona Beach for 1 day last year and are going to do the same this year!!

ENJOY!

 

[makinorlando]

I am only familiar with Cocoa Beach, and it is a breeze from WDW. DD and I like it as we can be on the beach from our home in an hour!

Most of the way is on Rt 528 (named the Beach line- Toll Road) and as you get closer you it becomes A1A. It is very well marked. You get to drive past Cape Canaveral and see all the cruise ships in dock.

I would take RT 536E our of WDW, hop on RT 417 (Toll Rd) to the Beachline - which becomes AIA. It's approximately 70 miles.

http://www.visitflorida.com/cms/index.php/id=528
http://www.area-guide.com/beach.html


I normally park in a parking lot that is $5/day- it is near some of the stores (the famous and huge Ron Jon) - there is a restaurant and a bar off the parking lot too. Once you walk onto the beach there are umbrella and chair rentals. There is a place to rinse off and rest rooms as well. We have also parked at Lori Wilson Park, and gone onto the beach from there. It used to be free - but looks like there might be a charge. We have not gone to that section of the beach since 2004.

These pics are from two weeks ago on a Friday afternoon.

This pic is from last year

 

[SarahKate]

Getting to the gulf side will take you longer than going to the east side. It took my dad a couple hours to get to that area. Cocoa Beach is due east of Orlando and is a pretty easy drive, just about one hour's drive. The beaches on the gulf side are by far more pretty - but if you want to make a comfortable day of it, Cocoa isn't a bad option. Ron Jon Surf Shop is over there too, which has lots of cool stuff. On our way back we stopped in a town called Titusville and there's a GREAT seafood place called Dixie Crossroads. They are very reasonable and you get a ton of food.

 

[Juliah]

Martha, did you happen to notice if any of the beaches you've been to at Cocoa Beach loan or rent beach wheelchairs?

 

[makinorlando]

Martha, did you happen to notice if any of the beaches you've been to at Cocoa Beach loan or rent beach wheelchairs?

I am sorry, I did not.

Maybe there is some info on this site that might be able to help you out.
http://www.visitflorida.com/cms/index.php/id=2239

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Martha, did you happen to notice if any of the beaches you've been to at Cocoa Beach loan or rent beach wheelchairs?

Mea Culpa... you said wheelchairs. My apologies, I did not see anything like that.




We made the drive to Cocoa Beach last Sunday. We had planned to spend it in a waterpark but DD12 got sick so we took it easy. We parked for free in the Ron Jon parking lot (get there before 11 am!) and walked to the beach. They have chair and umbrella rentals which are absolutely necessary if you plan to stay on the beach for any length of time. I did not see what the cost of rentals were, but I did notice a sign indicating you needed a driver's license to rent.

Have a great day!

 

[deetman]

Just to avoid confusion, the Toll Road to Cocoa is actually called the "BEE Line" expressway. As in Straight as a bee line.

And from 8+ years in Orlando, while it's not Florida's absolute best beach, it's easily the closest, and nice enough.

Scott

 

[Gonz Of Lancashire]

Been to both coasts in the car. The Atlantic coast is by far the easiest to get to (an hour) but is not as nice as the Gulf Coast. The Gulf Coast took around two hours and we hit a lot of traffic near Tampa. The Gulf Coast would be a better option if you stayed overnight.

 

[Sammie]

as Scott stated, Cocoa Beach is the cloest and easiest to get to.