The Best Beaches Near Orlando

Are you planning your family holiday for next year already? Remember you don’t have to wait until our summer to make the most of the Florida sunshine. Spring time has comfortably warm days and it is also the driest time of the year.

Orlando is a good base for your Florida holiday as it’s the home of many theme parks including Disneyworld which will keep your family happy for days. When you want to escape the crowds, head for the beach. The 5 closest beaches to Orlando are on the Atlantic coast all within an hour and a half‘s drive.

Cocoa Beach

The closest is Cocoa Beach, which surfers in your party will love. The beach has seasonal lifeguards, big picnic pavilions and a restroom with outdoor showers to get rid of that sand! There are also lots of eateries especially serving seafood, shops, supermarkets and of course bars and clubs. You can hire boogie boards to go body-boarding or wander to Canaveral Pier for restaurants with a surfing vibe.  Parking space for 300 cars.

Daytona Beach

You can drive you car right onto 11 miles of the 23-mile stretch Daytona Beach which saves carrying the whole ‘kitchen sink’ that you’ve brought with you!  Lifeguards are on duty all the time and there are beachfront parks including a water park to keep the youngsters happy.  For the more active in your party, there’s snorkelling, parasailing and even Banana Boat rides.  Or if you want to get off the beach there’s Grand Prix go-karting, miniature golf, laser tag and an arcade and sports pub.

The boardwalk and pier at Daytona have a host of restaurants to feed hungry families and shops for those who can’t resist.

New Smyrna Beach and Canaveral National Seashore

New Smyrna Beach, a 13-mile stretch of quiet, white sand is a great location for surfers. There’s a shop dedicated to the sport where you can hire boards. You can adjourn to one of the seafood restaurants to enjoy the daily catch whilst gazing out across the Atlantic Ocean.

There’s 24 miles of unspoilt coastline at Canaveral but no facilities, just the glorious sand and the sea.  At Klondike Beach you walk over board-walked sand dunes from the parking lot to reach the beach; Apollo Beach is similarly natural with the odd naturist too. Playalinda Beach is a favourite with surfers and naturists alike. If you’re bored of lazing around and enjoying the water, then take a guided tour at nearby Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge to see the nesting grounds of the loggerhead turtles and more.

Melbourne Beach

Another perfect quiet, sandy beach for families with some nearby attractions when one or more of your party gets restless. See the McLarty Treasure Museum complete with boardwalk and an underwater reef viewing platform. Fishermen should head over to Honest John’s Fish Camp to fish for redfish and sea trout in the mangroves. There’s also a nature trail at nearby Coconut Point Sanctuary.

The Gulf Coast

A little further from Orlando averaging 1.5 to 2 hour drives are the Gulf Coast beaches of Clearwater and St Petersburg now officially known as St Pete’s.

Clearwater Beach holds the title ‘Best City Beach on the Gulf of Mexico’ which is recommendation enough. There are beach showers and restrooms here as well as cabanas and umbrellas to rent whilst you indulge in volleyball. Or venture over to Pier 60 for some fishing, face painting or to watch the juggling. It’s also the place to watch the amazing sunsets. Car parking is metered.

St Pete’s is another award winning beach – it has been voted Trip Advisor’s Best beach in America – it boasts white sands and clear waters as well as parking, restrooms and playgrounds. There are shops and restaurants nearby for ‘après-beach’.

So when you’re looking at Villas in Florida for your holidays to Orlando in 2013 you’ll know that as well as the theme parks, Orlando is well placed for a beach holiday too.