Beaches near Disney

[lynzi2004]

I know this topic has been discussed before but I can't get it to bring anything of interest up if I put something about the beach in the search bar.

We are going the 1st week of April and have decided we would like for the kids to visit the beach midtrip. I know it will be too cold to swim, but we are from the Midwest so being an hour from the coast is too hard to pass up! My understanding is the east coast beaches are closer.

For those who have done a day trip, which beach should we head to and how long should it realistically take. I'm assuming we would just go to a day area and pay for parking? Typically when we vacation at the beach, we are in a beachfront hotel so I'm not sure about day use areas. Thanks!

 

[srwarden1928]

1. I always recommend St. Pete Beach. It is about 2 hours away from WDW. In fact, we have eaten at WDW resorts during beach trips.

2. You may be more sensitive to temperatures, but I have been in the Gulf in this part of Florida in February, including as a small child. I would suggest considering going in if you plan to enjoy the beach.

 

[Klayfish]

I'm not a fan of the Gulf Coast beaches, the water is nowhere near as good as the Atlantic side. We always go to Daytona Beach. It's a straight shot from WDW, just follow I4 straight out of Disney and it'll take you straight into Daytona. Continue straight when I4 ends and you'll literally drive right onto the beach. You can literally park on the beach if you want, it's like $15 or something. You could also head to Cocoa Beach, lots to do there. Both are about 1hr 15 minutes from WDW, pretty easy drive.

 

[sweetmama17]

It depends on your kids. If they are little and you want a chance of going in the water I would recommend Gulf side. If they want to see real "waves" Atlantic.

As far as which beach?

Gulf side I recommend Pinellas beaches. Clearwater Beach has everything within walking distance (restaurants/shops/gorgeous white beach). Otherwise St. Pete, Indian Rocks ect are all good. If you are a nature lover I'd recommend Honeymoon Island or Ft. Desoto. All are about 2ish hours.

Atlantic side you've got Daytona Beach with a little more activity than Cocoa.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Atlantic Coast beaches are colder. Gulf coast is much warmer.

 

[SweetMissy]

We live about 80 mins or so from Disney, on the east coast. When searching for the right place for us to move to, we preferred the east coast over the west. However, Clearwater beach is beautiful on the west coast. A little too congested for us, but the sand is like baby powder. We found the Cocoa beach area completely unappealing....we're north of Daytona. Get on A1A, a lot of nice quiet spots and free parking. Oh and the coldness of the water right now doesn't bother the kids. We're about 10 mins from the beach and there pretty regularly, lol.

 

[jtopp]

Gotta love Daytona or Cocoa beach. Lots to do at either place in addition to the oceanfront. we usually try to get a day in, just to relax on the beach after our Disney excursions.

 

[jaychis]

We live less than an hour from the east coast beaches and we do not go to the beaches there. We will drive close to two hours to the west coast. You can go to Clearwater if you don't mind a busier beach. We go to Honeymoon Island, it's just north of Clearwater and the beach is very private. It's a state park and you pay $8.00 for a car full or $4.00 for single occupant. It's actually a better beach and cheaper than paying for parking in Clearwater.

The issue with the east coast is the water isn't as warm and there are two main problems I do not want to risk dealing with those beaches. The riptides are bad. There is an 8yo who is still missing after getting caught in riptide a little over a week ago. The other problem is the water between Daytona and New Smyrna Beach are known as the 'shark bite capital of the world.' Usually they are blacktip and spinner sharks, but there are also Bull sharks. There are rarely any fatalities. Most of them are bits to the leg or Achilles with many of the bits take place in water only a foot deep.

A Floridians choice of beach is like swimming in a lake. Some won't swim because of the gators and others think the risk is not that big of a deal.