My family will vacationing in Orlando during March 18-25 and would like to catch some rays on the beach in addition to Disney. I would appreciate some suggestions concerning where to go. Thanks

Dear Daryl:
For good old-fashioned beachiness you can't beat Daytona Beach. Best of all, it's only an hour's drive away (or less, depending on traffic).

I'm not a big fan of Daytone, but if you've never been it might be with the trip. If you are staying down near Disney (south of Orlando) it will be longer than an hours drive. Just south of Daytona is New Smyrna, which has really nice, fairly quiet, beaches.

The closest beach to Orlando would be over in Cocoa Beach. Some don't like the beaches there, but I have always thought they were fine and for a 45 minute drive, worth it!

You can't count on the weather as "swimming" weather that time of year. The east coast beaches are going to be a bit colder as the Atlantic is colder and full of waves vs the West Coast gulf side that is calm and a bit warmer. East coast is much closer however with Vero Beach as my pick.

I agree that Cocoa Beach is worth the drive from Orlando. The Space Center is always worth seeing, and you can't be within an hour of RonJon's Surf Shop without stopping to shop. There's something there for all ages!

what's wrong with the Gulf Coast beaches? I like the west side much better than the east side(and I currently live one the east side - go figure). It may be alittle bit longer of a drive but (IMHO) definitely worth the trip!

another option....playlinda bch...part of canaveral national seashore on kennedy space center near titusville.about the same amount of driving time as cocoa bch....might be closed if theres a shuttle launch that day....you would have to call ahead.

Hello. We live in England and have visited Florida 6 times.
When staying in Orlando we have visited both Daytona and Cocoa Beaches. Daytona is a bit noisy , Cocoa is nothing special. In my opinion the best beaches are on the other coast, Clearwater is the best one that we have visited. We always have a visit there when we are in Florida. It is a bit further, about an hour and a quarter in the car but is worth the extra distance.
Also worth noting is the fact that at Daytona/Cocoa there is nothing else to do there, at Chearwater you can always visit Tampa or St.Petersburg.

Thanks to all for your helpful suggestions thus far.

I was in Tampa (New Port Richey actually) last February and had a chance to hang out at Clearwater Beach for a day, so I understand what Troy and Johnny S. are referring to. However this trip, I've got to try out the east coast to see how it compares.

If I can trouble you guys with one more question. Knowing that mid-March will be a quite festive time (Spring Break), which of the beaches might be less crowded. If I have to choose between a great very crowded beach and a good not so crowded beach, I would opt for the second.

Thanks again.

try the beaches south of cocoa (melbourne bch; indialantic boardwalk at 5th ave.) or beaches north of daytona (between ormond bch and st augustine). i think your facing at least an extra hour of driving time between clearwater and cocoa.....perhaps 2 hrs to clearwater vs 45 min to 1hr for cocoa

Daryl, it's me again from England.
If your looking for peace and quiet do not go to Daytona, it is a few years since I have visited but I reckon it will always be pretty crowded.
Again, as I said before try Clearwater which will certainly be not so crowded.
One of the earlier messages said it was a 2 hour drive to Clearwater, Rob I think. It has never taken us more than one and a half hours from Orlando and if the highways are quiet you will do it in even less time. Maybe I drive too quick!

Mr. Sharp, I beg to differ with you.

There are very peaceful areas of Daytona Beach, most notably near the inlet and the Lighthouse. Very scenic and car-free. The northern part of the beach is also car-free.

Visit our web site at http://www.daytonabeach.com for more info.

Best uncrowded beaches in Fl are located around St Augustine....wide, flat beautiful white sand.

We drove to Daytona Beach while we were in Orlando with two teenage boys and we all loved it! Would love to visit again.

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