What is the best beach near Orlando?

Question

Want to rent a car while at disney to take kids to the ocean for the first time. Cheapest place to rent a car?

Answer 1

Car rental won't be trip, and if you want to get their fast, expect to pay tolls on the 528. However, Cocoa Beach is a nice beach and it is the closest. On the way, you can also visit Cape Canaveral and the atronauts museum and a police museum in the area. If you are in Orlando on Sunday, there is a shuttle lift off at Cape Canaveral, and you will be able to see it in the eastern sky before you feel the sonic boom before the atmosphere break. I would not choose that day to go to Cocoa, though, because the roadways around there will be packed with shuttle sight seers. I would check websites to compare car rentals and see if you can get a package. The next best bet is Daytona, but depending on the age of your kids, Cocoa is a more family oriented beach. Good luck and enjoy.
If you want to swim and avoid the crowds at Cocoa....Blue Springs State Park is in Deland and offers a clear spring that connects to the St. John's River. You may catch sight of manatees there, and the surroundings are serene. Also, Rock Springs at Kelly Park is in Apopka...I believe it is still only $1-$2 perp person to swim all day in another clear spring. The water may be slightly cold, but it is fairly quiet. Canoeing is ofered at both parks.

Answer 2

Without a doubt, go to the west coast of Florida...on the Gulf of Mexico. Clearwater Beach is beautiful, clean and family friendly. The beach itself is pristine white sand and the water is nicer too. It's equal distance from Walt Disney World to either coast since WDW is about 30 minutes southwest of Orlando....less traffic that direction too. There are nice reasonable places to stay there, check out the Red Roof Inn on the beach or the Silver Sands Motel...a block from beach. The area is beautiful, make sure you see St Petersburg Beach...a short drive south from Clearwater Beach along Gulf Boulevard. Take in a dinner at Backwaters, a great seafood restaurant right on Clearwater Bay with outside seating and a reasonably priced menu. For rental cars you can do one of two things, fly into Orlando and rent there or fly into Tampa and do the same there. Tampa International is far less of a nightmare than Orlando's airport and rental car rates are about the same, about $100 for a week with a company that has a location within the airport terminal.
Careful of the cheap rate places, they're not national chains and in locations that require you to be shuttled to a site away from the airport...a hassle in more ways than one and not worth the $20 difference in price.

Answer 3

I prefer west coast beaches to east coast any day. The beaches are much more gorgeous, the sand is so much softer, and with my experience the people are nicer too. Although the drive would be a bit farther (about 30 minutes) compared to Cocoa Beach AKA Orlando's closest beach there is no toll road to get to them. Sand Key and Madeira Beach (both of which are in the Clearwater area) are two of my favorites on the west coast.
Good luck and enjoy your trip to the Sunshine State.

Answer 4

I second the Clearwater Beach suggestion. Just south of Clearwater are other nice beaches (that will most likely have fewer people) such as Belleair, Indian Rocks, and Redington.

Take I-4 west to I-275 in Tampa. Take 275 west to SR 60 west. You'll go across the Courtney Campbell Causeway, into Clearwater, and over to the beaches just west of downtown Clearwater.

Answer 5

Avis rental look for coupon books in Orlando ,some times you get 10% off a rental ...Daytona beach or really any beach on the east coast of Florida

Answer 6

Daytona Beach - 60 miles up Interstate 4. Ask at the hotel about rentals. They may even have excursions - like a bus or something, you can take.

Answer 7

On the gulf coast below Tampa you can find Longboat Key and Siesta Key. Both have beautiful beaches and fishing excursions are also a lot of fun.

Answer 8

Try Cocoa, Daytona, St. Augustine, have fun... I llive on Indian Rocks Bch, nice, uncrowded, friendly. Have eateries, Guppys, The Tacky Turtle, Coasters, Keegans, . Also try Sand Key park, have picnic facilities, bathrooms, bbq areas....