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Best Beach
- Thread starter kasey1988
- Start date
Mikester71
Well-Known Member
This one may not be the closest, but I have heard and read MANYgood things about it. Siesta Keys is the name of the beach area (3 beaches in total) and it is located near Sarasota (I think it is around 2 hours west of WDW). It supposedly was voted the whitest sand in the world not that long ago and it looks awesome. It is on the gulf coast though, not the Atlantic Ocean. Google it and check it out. I even filled something out online on their chamber of commerce site and they sent me a map and some booklets and pamphlets. Me and the family can't wait to check it out! :wave:
http://siestakeychamber.com/index.php?id_cat=44&PHPSESSID=07c847ea49c5b404a9a194c20e31638a
http://siestakeychamber.com/index.php?id_cat=44&PHPSESSID=07c847ea49c5b404a9a194c20e31638a
Not really many beaches have the boardwalks with shops. Closest beach is Cocoa Beach. It does not have a boardwalk, but there is Ron Johns Surf shop that is huge and has all kinds of stuff in it. Next door is another surf shop which has a lot of different stuff in it too. It is about a block away from the beach on A1A. The Cocoa Beach pier which is about a mile or 2 from the intersection where Ron Jon's is located has some places to eat/drink, some shops, and then another outside bar at the end of the pier.
Want a beach almost to yourself? Try South Brevard County Beaches. Want to see some surfers ? Cocoa Beach pier, beaches across from Patrick Air Force base area, or come South to Sebastian Inlet state park.
The gulf side usually has less waves. Has some nice beaches, but I don't remember any boardwalks. Haven't been to a beach over there in years. It is probably 1 1/2 - 2 hours to get to beaches in St. Pete. Same for Clearwater area beaches. Pas a Grille South of St. Pete was a cool beach I used to love to go to. Sort of a quaint Island atmosphere.
Mikester71
Well-Known Member
So they are worth a visit then? How busy are they and the kids want to know if you can find sea shells easily. :wave:
Haven't ever been to either but from website looks like a great place to go. so would be a good option. They are a couple hours from the Orlando area without taking into account the traffic on I- etc. , though so not in the closest beach range. If you decide to go that far, I like Pass-e- Grille Beach area, too.
they are generally crowded, but if you are going in some off season, then you can have the time of your life. yes kids love these beaches...they have lots of natural unusual stuffs for them lying there...
And if the kids are small the Gulf is shallower with a more regular bottom to walk on with less wave action on the shore so it is less scary for little ones.
On the Atlantic side sometimes the water is only knee deep and the next step you can be underwater. Because of the sandbars you might be knee deep, then with water over head, and then back to knee deep again if the sandbar is there. Some of the closest beaches to Orlando( North Melbourne area) can be rocky and you only see the rocks at low tide. If you want to see surfers or have kids who want to try boogey boarding or surfing than choose the East coast. Not all beaches have life guards on the Atlantic side so you also might want to research which beaches are manned at the time you plan to hit the beach.
Water is already really chilly on the East Coast beaches and with the 36 degree weather this morning it means it is getting colder faster this year. If coming in the winter you might want to head farther South for warmer waters. South Melbourne area is generally a better shelling area than the Cocoa Beach or Daytona Beach area on the Atlantic side.
chithanh119
New Member
Closest beach is Cocoa Beach. You should go there