kid friendly beaches near Disneyworld

[wowzadisney]

hey everyone,

what are the best beaches for kids related activities near disneyworld? ( boardwalk, shops, kids activities etc.)

thanks

 

[Narcoossee11]

You will need to go over 60 minutes to get to an actual beach.
Better, cheaper, faster and easier to go to one of the water parks in ORL. There are at least 4 GREAT ones.
Each has several areas for each age group. A 'beach' area also.

 

[wowzadisney]

im prepared to drive 1-2 hrs for a good beach, any recommendations?

i read that clearwater beach is good for kids, anyone been there?

 

[Mle8308]

Clearwater is a pretty beach and fewer sharks than the east coast beaches!

 

[HopperFan]

hey everyone,

what are the best beaches for kids related activities near disneyworld? ( boardwalk, shops, kids activities etc.)

thanks

I think first you need to narrow exactly what you are looking for. I'm from NJ boardwalk country and there really isn't anything like that in Florida. There are beaches with close by beach shops, eateries and some activities so it depends on what you really want to do. Parasail, mini-golf etc.

If it is a day trip look for beaches with bathrooms and/or changing facilities with parking. Look for public beaches marked on the maps, especially on west coast. And look on maps to see how wide they are, especially if going a popular time of year as they can get crowded.

East coast is waves, west coast is clearer calm water. Sand varies from beach to beach and time of year. We are northeast that in winter has firmer grey brown sand but in summer it is fluffy and white.

Also make sure your information is current, last few storms have done some damage on both coasts.

 

[Capt_BJ]

the nearest will be Jetty Park at Port Canaveral

https://www.portcanaveral.com/Recreation/Jetty-Park-Beach-Pier

note there is a per car admission charge which must be purchased in advance

How to purchase tickets to Jetty Park​

• Visit us at www.portcanaveral.com/store
• Select the type of pass you wish to purchase
• Complete the transaction. Once your order is complete, your passes will be emailed to you. Please print out or download your passes to a mobile device to be scanned at the booth.

 

[MrKnight]

It depends on what type of beach experience you are looking for? IMHO, my favorite beach nearest to Orlando is Canaveral National Seashore which is a beautiful national park with miles of pristine natural beaches, just north of Kennedy Space Center.. If you are looking for a more urban beach experience with boardwalks, hotels, touristy shops, etc. you may have to venture to either Daytona Beach on the east coast or Clearwater on the west coast.

 

[hrhdhd]

Not all of CNS is open yet, so check before you venture there. And some beaches in Volusia County (where Daytona Beach is) remain closed or still have issues from the hurricanes.

 

[kathy884]

We always do Clearwater beach (go to the public beach there). There is a pier, but it isn't the boardwalk type place you might be looking for like they have in beach towns on the New Jersey shore. It's a more laid back place than that.

It's a big wide beach with wonderful soft sand. There is a marina that does dolphin/house boat tours that go every two hours that you can sign up for last minute. And there's a great pier. It's a beach with a lot of activity and we like that. It's a good two hours each way, but we do it as a day trip in the middle of week long trips to Orlando and really don't mind the drive.

https://www.myclearwater.com/Visit-the-Beach

Coco Beach has more waves etc. and is just an hour away. Since we always do Clearwater (was the preferred beach of my parents and I loved it so always go back there for an Orlando beach get-a-way), I haven't been to Coco Beach since I was a kid, so someone else would need to compare / contrast.

 

[ThisIsMyName]

Keep in mind, the traffic from Orlando to/from Tampa/Clearwater can be really, really bad. Last year it was over 3.5 hours for us to make the drive from Universal to Clearwater (last week of Feb). Maybe if we left early morning it would have been better but there always seems to be a ton of accidents and then it can even take an hour once you are in Tampa to actually get out over the birdges to Clearwater.

Depending on what time of year/day Coco Beach area might be easier to get to.

 

[Narcoossee11]

Due to hurricane Nicole, much of the east side of FL coastline is gone. Due some research.