Going to a beach day trip from Orlando?

[Misty89]

what beach would you reccomend?
We will have plenty of time to take a day trip to a beach while in Orlando In Febuary, But which way should we go?
to the Gulf of mexico or the Atlantic Ocean?
it will be DH & I, we would like to experiance warm temps, be able to walk on the beach barefoot, eat fresh seafood and have a nice relaxing time.
we would be OK with traveling up to 2 hours.
( PS- i understand that FL is cooler in Winter, but we are going to be coming from a place that it will be below Zero, so even with 65 degrees and sunshine we would walk barefoot
thank you

 

[THUNDERMOUNTAINMOMMA]

I suggest either Clearwater or St Pete Beach. Both have plenty of good restaurants, parking, restrooms, etc. The Gulf is a bit warmer than the Atlantic, although it will be chilly in Feb (which you already know). It will be a 1.5 to 2 hr drive but they are very beautiful areas. Clearwater probably has more to do as far as walking around. There's a pier with vendors, and little shops all around the main strip. Either way, you can't go wrong.

 

[dmask]

I live in St Petersburg and it is about 1.5-2 hour drive. Check out Caladesi state park.

 

[madcoco]

What dmask stated Caladesi State Park is a nice place to visit.

 

[Tink2312]

We love St. Petes beach Lovely white sandy beach and quite a small resort area.
We've been to Clearwater twice and although the beach area is nice and there is a marina area you can walk around, the rest of the area shops/ restaurants seemed run-down and tacky the last time we went.
A few years ago we went on a day trip to Cocoa beach on the Atlantic side. It's about an hour or so from Orlando. We ended up at Lori Wilson Park (which as i remember was next to the Holiday Inn Cocoa beach(?)) which was very picturesque with wooded areas and wooden boardwalks overlooking the white sandy beach. The area surrounding Cocoa beach is also great to explore via car - lots of little town areas to stop and have a look around.
Hope that helps

 

[calgarygary]

We really enjoyed the beach at Treasure Island. Very wide, loved seeing the sun set.