Nice beach close to Disney?

[Jenny-momof3]

Wasn't sure what board to post this on... feel free to move it if needed.

We will be at Disney for over 2 weeks and are hoping to make a trip to the beach a day or 2 while we're there. We will have a van so transportation isn't an issue.

Can you recommend a nice family friendly beach not too far from Disney?

 

[JerJan]

The closest beach is Cocoa..but New Smyrna, Melbourne and Vero Beach are my favorites!

 

[goofy4tink]

Well, you can head over to the Cocoa Beach area....a bit over an hour or so. The beaches there are great, right there on the Atlantic. Or, you can head west, towards Tampa/St. Pete. My all time favorite beach over there is at Ft. DeSoto, but it can be a hike..probably about 2 hrs or so. But, it is a beautiful beach, very calm with warm water..right on the gulf.

 

[Detailor]

Here's a second vote for the Fort DeSoto county park beaches. Nice beaches (I think that there are South and North beaches there) on the gulf coast side. The trip from Orlando is probably a little over two hours (I-4 West, to I-275 South through Tampa to St. Petersburg, take the 54th Street South exit (this stretch of road is a toll road), turn left onto county route 679 to the county park).

Cocoa Beach is also a good beach on the Atlantic side.

If you're planning to do two days at the beach anyway, maybe you should try a beach on both sides of the Florida peninsula.

Dick Taylor