Does anyone go to the beach while you're at WDW? And which one?

[AmandaChan]

So I know I'm crazy for already thinking about this, but whenever we go again I would like to go the beach for a couple days. What is the closest/nicest /reasonably priced beach that you could visit a couple days before you spend the rest of your trip at WDW? Any beaches with really clear water? Any hotel recommendations? etc.. thanks!

[JRocker]

Honeymoon Beach State Park on the gulf side, just north of Tampa, is a pleasant place. The calmer waters of the gulf and not overly crowded when i have been there.

On the Atlantic side I like New Smyrna Beach, just south of Daytona. You can park on the beach and enjoy the bustling atmosphere of a developed beach without the run down element of Daytona.

As far as clear water? Haven't witness that yet.

[Pooh Fan]

I can't really comment on hotels or the costs assiciated with them but we did a day trip once to Cocoa beach and had a really nice time. Beautiful beach, We were not right in the middle ofthe hustle and bustle but saw enough to know we want to go back to see more.

[ThanxForNoticin]

Would highly recommend a Gulf Coast beach - the water always seems much nicer. Our favorite has become Clearwater Beach (about 75-90 minutes from WDW). Plenty of public parking and access. Beaches around St Pete look very nice, too.

[big blue and hairy]

Well, DW and I don't go to the beach while at WDW because we live close to the beach. I can however second a recommendation. New Smyrna Beach is very nice. Daytona is kind of run down, but New Smyrna is nice.

[Ischyros]

A couple years ago we took a day trip to Honeymoon Island State Park near Tampa, as mentioned before. You can take a ferry to Caladesi Island State Park as well, which has a beach area not accessible by car. We just hung out on the Honeymoon Island beach though. They had a nice, but expensive snack bar, but the burgers were pretty good. They also have umbrellas and chairs on the beach you can rent, which we did and really enjoyed it. Then we drove around the Clearwater area as it's very close to that.

[natstroop]

The last two times we went to WDW, we took a day trip to Cocoa Beach. Lori Wilson park is where we visited. The beach and water are beautiful. There are restrooms, pavilions, a nature boardwalk, a volleyball court, a playground, barbecue grills, and large parking lot. When we went in Oct 2010, there happened to be an air show over the water. It was amazing.

We will be flying in to Tampa this time so we'll be going to the gulf coast instead. We'll definately miss Cocoa Beach.

[JWBurns]

Last two trips, my son and I flew into Tampa and drove to Orlando for our WDW vacation.

We'd then drive back to ST Petersburg, and enjoy a few days there on St Pete Beach. Beautiful beach and shopping, food, and nightlife in St Pete.

[joonyer]

Generally, you'll find the water clearer on the Gulf beaches than the Atlantic beaches. The further south you go (on both coasts), the clearer the water. I have enjoyed really good snorkeling along Bradenton and Sarasota area beaches.