What is a good beach close to WDW?

[leeserw]

We going in June and would like to leave the resort one day and go to the beach. What is a good beach to visit?

 

[eastendlights]

It depends what you mean by close. There are no beaches closer than an hour and 20 minutes away. If you are willing to travel, our favorite beach in all of FL is Siesta Key, which is on the Gulf Coast near Sarasota and a 2 hour drive from Orlando. It is worth getting a room for the night in the area-lots of fantastic dining, cute shops, etc. We vacation there once a year separately from our Disney trips.

 

[bankr63]

We also hit Siesta Key every trip. Voted America's best beach, and one of the top beaches in the world (TripAdvisor). However, Cocoa on the Atlantic side is closer and quite popular.

 

[nacho113]

I cast my vote for the Atlantic coast, waves are bigger and great sunrises (for your morning walk on the beach). Our favorite is Daytona Beach (about 90 minute drive) a little more commercialized with a ton of stuff to see and do. Cocoa Beach is next on our list (just over an hour drive from WDW), quieter and more laid back and great for a leisurely beach day.
On the Gulf side there are several great Beaches in the Tampa/Sarasota area, awesome sunsets but little to no wave action. We like Clearwater beach, Treasure Island, Belleair Beach, Indian Rocks Beach these are all about a 2 hour drive from WDW. We like to stay in the area for a couple of days if we fly into Tampa.

 

[halfpintpeggy]

The water on the Gulf side is absolutely beautiful...clear blue & calm. That being said, for a day trip I'd choose Cocoa Beach because it's only an hour away & is a nice beach town.

 

[married2mm]

With no transport and relying on taxis/uber or cheap flights(?!)
From wdw for a 2/3 night break for 19 year old young men-where would you suggest? Free WiFi would be preferred!

And any idea of potential costs involved?

And from a mom prospective-
Somewhere with a positive reputation
Ie NOT too wild....

 

[dsdeleon]

We also hit Siesta Key every trip. Voted America's best beach, and one of the top beaches in the world (TripAdvisor). However, Cocoa on the Atlantic side is closer and quite popular.

Siesta Key is heavenly, we had a beachfront condo for a week last year after universal and AKL. It's a bit tough to get 1 night accomodations and probably too far for a day trip. I guess it would be Daytona area but there are so many better things to do for a day around Orlando.