I will be traveling with my husband and 9 year old son to Universal Studios during Easter and want to spend the rest of our days (4 or 5) at the beach. Looking for a nice family beach with good sand - away from the college crowd (although I think spring break is over by that time). Are New Smyrna or Cocoa Beach good choices? Thanks! P.S. I'm sure a lot of you will suggest Clearwater or other gulf beaches, but keep in mind that our plane will be leaving Orlando very early in the morning (7:00 a.m.) and we don't want to drive too far that morning!

well.....its kind of a toss up for me but i guess i'll vote for new smyrna....eventhough my vote for the worst bch (daytona) is nearby. i'd go a little north to ormond bch.

You can drive on New Smyrna Beach - not on Cocoa Beach. Cocoa Beach is very near the Beeline Expressway which is an easy 40 to 45 minute drive to Orlando International Airport. Also, Easter in this area is one of the busiest weeks of the year. Be sure to book your lodging far in advance.

We stayed in New Smyrna last April for two weeks and it was wonderful. The beaches are clean, not crowded (we were there over Easter) and condo prices were very reasonable. You can drive on the beach in certain areas but what makes it nice is that most of the beach you can not, which makes it safer and more pleasant. Good luck!