ocean? Daytona/Cocoa/farther South?

[CdnMom2]

We want to go to the ocean on one of our days in Orlando in early January. Would ideally love to be able to wade in it or even -- gasp -- swim in January! Shells too please. We have 4 kids, 2 adults.

I've heard good things about Bathtub Beach (Hutchinson Island?) farther South. Sounds like a nice relaxing afternoon far from the maddening crowds. If we go further South than Cocoa Beach area can we expect we'd have tropical enough weather for swimming in ocean?

Or is it so unlikely or iffy that we should just stick with a shorter trip to Daytona or Cocoa. If we're only going to stick our toes in we don't need to worry about the wonderful protected swimming conditions at the beach & can do that with less of a drive!

Thanks for advice.

 

[CdnMom2]

Any opinions from locals or seasoned Florida travelers?

 

[smart cookie]

Here are the beaches I've visited from North to South:

Daytona Beach
Cocoa Beach
Melbourne Beach (Indialantic)
Hutchinson Island


Hutchinson Island is the least 'commercial' of all of them, if that is what you are looking for. The other three are more or less the same. You will find more shells the farther south you venture. The only shells I ever find at Daytona are little tiny ones. (Except after a storm. Daytona Beach is the widest, while Melbourne beach is quite narrow and sometimes shelly. If you need input/suggestions as to what are nice hotels at a decent price, PM me.

 

[CdnMom2]

Thank you smart cookie!

 

[AJKMOM]

Obviously, the further south, the better. A lot depends on the weather in Florida at the time. If it's cold, you won't be able to swim at all. Keep in mind that it may be cold for Floridians (in the 70's) but not for us Northerners. We have been swimming at Clearwater Beach in January, and most people looked at us like we were nuts. You should probably not plan anything until you get there, since the weather can be very cold in January and you might not want to waste your time driving to either coast when you have a heated pool.
I hear there are beaches on the Gulf side with shells, like Sanibel, but thats not a place you can drive to and return to Orlando in one day. Good luck.

 

[CdnMom2]

You mean I don't have to plan everything to the last minute before we go!!! LOL!

Thank you -- I REALLY needed that reminder. We will watch the weather while we're there and just plan accordingly which direction & we'll head out for an Ocean Day. I think this Mom is going to need it -- a bit of perspective!

 

[sharona77]

We were wondering the same thing for our trip in Jan. Thanks for the info!!!

 

[Steffi]

There are some good Gulf beaches in Bradenton, about 2 hours from WDW. They're great for shells...we've found sand dollars there, too. The Bradenton beaches are kind of home-towny & not very crowded. But I'm a native Floridian & I can't imagine swimming in any weather below 70 degrees! It might be warm enough for someone hardier than me, though! Have fun.

 

[lejaf]

We took a day trip to Cocoa beach three years ago when we went in March. The weather was nice and the water was warm enough for the kids to enjoy. I was really disappointed in the beach though. I was looking forward to a real florida beach with powdery white sand but found the sand really course and rocky and it almost reminded me of the beaches in Maine. If you are picky about the beach I would go further south or try the Gulf shore.

 

[Pam Lau]

If you were looking for a place to stay, Disney has a resort in Vero Beach (about 1 1/2 hours southeast of Orlando) It is right on the Beach. Not a very wide beach, but a great resort with a heated pool. There is a balcony that looks out over the ocean and it is really homey feel, great for chillin' out away from the parks.

 

[adamg]

hey cdnmom and sharona have fun i'm going to be in orlando the same time as you my friend (whom i'm going with) wanted to go to a beach but it looks like we're not renting a car now i was looking more on the east coast near titusville, palm beach area but we're not going now so oh well anyway have a good time