Family friendly beach on ocean???

[mommy*RN]

Any suggestions out there of a good beach to go to with the kids for a day trip? I was thinking somewhere with good sand and lots of seashells for them to collect...

I think last time DH and I went to the ocean (kidless) we went to Cocoa Beach. It was nice, but rocky from what I remember - though it's been 6yrs so I may not be remembering correctly.

Thanks for your help!

 

[trennr]

For the last 2 years my family has went to Bicentenial Park in Ormond Beach. Nice little place to park and walk down to the beach...they have an outdoor shower station too to rinse off and restrooms to change. Takes about an 1½hrs to get there from WDW.

 

[wendy46001]

well if you have time Clearwater Beach (2-2.5hrs away)has some great sand and its the Gulf so the waves aren't as big (better for kids)...plus they have that powder white sand you expect in florida

 

[Ariel8676]

St.Petersburg beach is really nice..we stayed at the Tradewinds...

 

[heartsy77]

We are going to Honeymoon island on a fellow dis recommdation. It is a state park with tons of shells!

http://www.floridastateparks.org/honeymoonisland/

 

[tatooed goofy]

I say go wherever you can build a nice sand castle.....memories!!!!!
Make DH help. He will love it.

 

[mommy*RN]

Thanks to all for your help...since we plan to spend a whole day at the ocean a 2hr drive seems like nothing to me! I just hope I remember what to bring! Hmm...better get cracking on a "what to pack for the beach" list!

 

[Helene]

We took a day trip to Daytona Beach this summer while visiting WDW and had a blast .

We've done Cocoa Beach as well in the past, but found a "new favorite" in Daytona this year. It was such an EASY drive. If you follow the main highway that brings you into Daytona, you will drive right onto the beach area. Parking was $5 for the day and we had easy access to our vehicle. We rented a golf cart and drove the length of the beach for @ an hour. My kids had a blast.

I do not remember many sea shells, though. If that's a priority, perhaps you'll have better luck on the Gulf side.

HELENE

ETA: Total drive time to Daytona from Orlando was @ 1 hour.

 

[ukwildcat]

I'll add my 2 cents. In about 2 hours (probably less) you can get to Siesta Key Beach in Sarasota. It is by far the nicest sand in Florida. Can get crowded at times, but only because it is so nice. It was voted by the Travel Channel in the top 3 or so. Have fun.

 

[NotUrsula]

Except for Honeymoon Island, none of the above-mentioned beaches are very good for shelling. Daytona is all but shell-free, because the vehicles on the beach crush anything that washes up. Of the beaches on the Space Coast, the best shelling I've done has been at Cocoa, though my favorite beach on the Atlantic side is definitely Canaveral Nat'l Seashore. If you take small ones to CNS, check the tide forecast first; the surf can get plenty rough at high tide.

If you are looking for gentle surf, the Gulf Side will normally be much better for you. If shelling is important, Honeymoon is the best within daytrip distance to WDW, but there are a couple of things you need to know before going to Honeymoon. Do not attempt to do the beach at Honeymoon Island without water shoes. Not only are there LOTS of rocks and broken shells in the shallows, but in summertime stingrays tend to be plentiful in the area, so you need to protect your feet. Except for the sand spit beach that has the concession area/restrooms, Honeymoon is a wilderness park for the most part. The beach is not groomed in any way, so you need to educate your children about things that are not OK to touch. The gulls are aggressive; be aware that you cannot set out food, because they WILL dive at you to snatch it.

 

[toocooltobeMom]

If you are looking for shelling activities for your kids, you must do Fort Myers area beaches. My family have been there a few times. There's plenty of State Park off the Tampa Bay area. The water is warm and calm while the sand is pinkish(colored from sea-shells) The drive to that area is about 2+ hrs from WDW. If you leave very early in the a.m.(plan to spend 6 hrs there) you could make it back the resort for supper.

P.S. get a beach toy basket from Dollar Tree or Walmart before you go. Even if you change your plan, the children can still play with the toys at BB or TL

 

[lillygator]

Actually SK is GREAT for shelling...it's actually around the point of rocks a walk down from Siesta Key that has tons of shells....my garage is FULL of buckets to prove it! There are tons of tide pools past the point and it's very calm and very very nice for shelling.

 

[NotUrsula]

Yes, but it can be difficult to get to those pools below Point of Rocks; the house above that ledge belongs to a very zealous private owner.

Getting onto the POR ledge can be a problem for little kids at times because of flotsam. I bumped into an unfriendly rock on the point while going through via the water route, and had a very ugly situation of trying to get back via the ledge with a very badly bleeding cut across my kneecap. (It was pretty funny in hindsight; you should have seen the snorkelers all bolting out of the water when they saw me climb out. I was some serious sharkbait!)

 

[kaysmommie]

Actually SK is GREAT for shelling...it's actually around the point of rocks a walk down from Siesta Key that has tons of shells....my garage is FULL of buckets to prove it! There are tons of tide pools past the point and it's very calm and very very nice for shelling.

Lilygator, How long does it usually take to get home from WDW?
Actuallt took me and a friend 3 hours to get to Siesta Key. And that was without kids driving fast. Ft. Myers is a bit closer. We plan to check out Clearwater at some point (maybe on way back) during our trip.

 

[mommy*RN]

Except for Honeymoon Island, none of the above-mentioned beaches are very good for shelling. Daytona is all but shell-free, because the vehicles on the beach crush anything that washes up. Of the beaches on the Space Coast, the best shelling I've done has been at Cocoa, though my favorite beach on the Atlantic side is definitely Canaveral Nat'l Seashore. If you take small ones to CNS, check the tide forecast first; the surf can get plenty rough at high tide.

If you are looking for gentle surf, the Gulf Side will normally be much better for you. If shelling is important, Honeymoon is the best within daytrip distance to WDW, but there are a couple of things you need to know before going to Honeymoon. Do not attempt to do the beach at Honeymoon Island without water shoes. Not only are there LOTS of rocks and broken shells in the shallows, but in summertime stingrays tend to be plentiful in the area, so you need to protect your feet. Except for the sand spit beach that has the concession area/restrooms, Honeymoon is a wilderness park for the most part. The beach is not groomed in any way, so you need to educate your children about things that are not OK to touch. The gulls are aggressive; be aware that you cannot set out food, because they WILL dive at you to snatch it.

Thank you! I was looking at Honeymoon and I am grateful for all this advice. I haven't made my final decision yet - but I can't wait to go!

Thanks for all the responses! I've been looking them all up online to help make my decision...now my decision is that I MUST move to Florida and live near the ocean...

Thanks again!

 

[CRSNDSNY]

If you're looking for an overnighter, have you thought about Disney's Vero Beach?

 

[mommy*RN]

If you're looking for an overnighter, have you thought about Disney's Vero Beach?

I would LOVE that, but unfortunately it is a day trip only...