Staying offsite means I really need to have a plan!

[FXHOCruiser]

So, we are driving to Orlando from Illinois for Spring Break. Have flown and stayed onsite for past 5 years which means we take Magical Express and Dis Transportation. However, this trip we are renting a townhome in Windsor Hills. We are using Get a Day tickets for 1 day at EPCOT. We also want to visit DD, Seaworld and a beach. Looking at Siesta Key area as don't want to be in the College Spring Break crowd. What else could we do w/o have to drive too far or spend too much $? What's a good family beach in clearwater area? Any help appreciated.

 

[softballmom3]

I'm just getting on this thread to see what answers you get because I, too, would like to know about the family beach areas .

 

[loveysbydesign]

We LOVED Fort DeSoto beach...just south of Tampa! It was so serene, beautiful, clean, free and uncrowded!
http://www.pinellascounty.org/park/05_Ft_DeSoto.htm
Fort De Soto Named America’s Top Beach for 2009
Pristine Area Favorite Lauded as “Portrait of Tranquility”
Fort De Soto Park was named America’s Top Beach for the second consecutive year by TripAdvisor, the world's largest online travel community. Citing a “spectacular combination of soft white sand, calm, clear water and a laid-back atmosphere,” the popular online travel network put the park’s North Beach at the top of its annual best-of list, based on TripAdvisor's Popularity Index. This marks the second time in three years the pristine Pinellas County beach has received top honors on an annual “best-of” list. In 2005 Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, a.k.a. “Dr. Beach,” named Fort De Soto the nation’s #1 Beach .

 

[englishteacha]

I went to Fort DeSoto when I was a kid! Great time! My uncle lived in St. Petersburg, so we did a non-Disney Florida trip (blasphemy, I know), and went to Fort DeSoto one day.