Just over an hour drive East and West of Orlando at either ends of the I-4, you will find many of America’s best beaches – The Atlantic Coast to the East and The Gulf Coast to the West. And if you plan on staying longer than just a day trip check out our accommodation pages again for recommendations regarding where to book your apartment of villa.
Gulf Coast Beaches
This is the Florida coastline on the Gulf of Mexico. Locals also refer to it as the West Coast. The section from just north of Clearwater to Naples is also known as the Suncoast. It’s not uncommon to spot manatees and dolphins in the waters here. The sea water is usually very calm on Gulf but it will become a bit more choppy if there’s been a storm. You’ll find a variety of different shells to collect and hunt for sea dollars on the sand banks near the shore. The white sand all along this stretch of coast is due it being made up of fine quartz crystals. Nearly all of these beaches will have the most stunning sunsets and in the summer months the sea water is very warm (31 deg C) even in the evening. We’ll often visit one of the beaches for an hour or so around sunset for a swim and photos.
Clearwater Beach is the most popular beach area in central Florida due to it being only 1 ½ hour drive down the I-4 from Orlando. Clearwater Beach (not to be confused with Clearwater town) not only has a long white sandy beach but also a bustling nightlife including live music in most of the local bars. There are many good cafes and restaurants to choose from along Mandalay Avenue with most serving locally caught seafood. Frenchy’s Rockaway Cafe, Clear Sky Cafe and Crabby’s are the best according to the locals. A few of these are right on the beach and so you can view those Gulf Coast sunsets while having a drink or dinner. At Pier 60 there is a car park with a small covered playground, small cafe and beach shop with public toilets. The beach around Pier 60 often has a few special events like an outdoor cinema and inflatable slides are available for kids and adults all year round. Cost for these slides starts at about $12 per person.
Take a walk along the pier and you’ll often find locals selling home made craft items and souvenirs. There are pay and display car parks situated next to Pier 60 and all along Mandalay Avenue which cost only from $1.25 to $3 per hour. Get there early to park as the public car parks fill up quickly especially in the summer months and weekends. Some hotels on Coronado Drive will also allow you use their car parks if the public ones are full but expect to pay around $20 for this.
The cities of Sarasota and Bradenton have some amazing beaches some less than a 2 hour drive from Orlando. We love this area so much we’ve visited here almost as much as Orlando!
Siesta Beach on Siesta Key one of the most famous beaches in the USA and is often voted America’s best beach. There isn’t much in way of refreshments here so you’ll need to bring your own lunch and drinks. Although there is a small cafe on the sun deck near the car park but it’s only open at peak times – summertime and weekends.
You’ll often find the locals set up a gazebos and barbeques for the day. Siesta Beach is one of the widest beaches in Florida so there’s plenty of room even if it’s busy. There are good facilities like toilets, changing rooms and outdoor showers and a kids playground as well. Like most of beaches in Sarasota and Manatee County parking is free and the Siesta Beach car park very big so getting a space shouldn’t be problem. There are independent shops, cafes and restaurants about ½ mile up the road at Siesta Key Village. Sarasota is a great city to explore if you want a few days away from Orlando. It is considered Florida’s cultural capital with its theatres and museums.
The Sarasota Bayfront Park is a great area to walk around and watch the boats come into and out of the marina. It has a playground, toilets, a couple of small cafes and the 25ft Unconditional Surrender art installation next to the car park which is also free to park all day.
The beaches on Anna Maria Island (AMI) are our personal favourites with Holmes Beach being one of the best for visitors coming down from Orlando for a day or two since you won’t need to bring too much other than swimwear and towels because there’s a small beach shop and café as well as showers and small changing booths.
Anything else you need you’ll find at the Publix supermarket, restaurants and a CVS pharmacy just 5 minutes away from the beach on East Bay Drive. Like Siesta Key beach parking is free here all day. We love Anna Maria Island because of its friendly people, relaxed way of life and great cafes and restaurants like North Shore Cafe, The Ugly Grouper and the Kononut Hut at Gulf Drive Cafe. The island is not very built up and many the of buildings have a colonial look. All if these things give the island a bit of a Caribbean feel. There’s plenty of beach bars and restaurants along the AMI coastline where you can catch the amazing sunsets which adds to the Caribbean character of the island.
Bridge Street on AMI has a few good restaurants and boutique shops but avoid the town car park as it costs $13 and the near by Gulf Drive is free to park as it’s the main parking area for Cortez Beach. Cortez Beach is also a great beach to spend the day at.
Pine Avenue in the north of the island also has a few nice boutique shops and cafes. Here you’ll find the North Shore Cafe, Pizza Social and the Shiny Fish Emporium where the kids painted a sand dollar cast for around $20.
Bean Point right at the very northern tip of AMI is another great beach and is essentially the southern bank of Tampa Bay. Parking is much trickier here though as there’s no dedicated car park but you can park on the streets nearby but ensure you’re in a parking zone or you will almost certainly get a ticket or even towed away! Although there is free parking at Bayfront Park just a 10 minute walk away from the nearest beach entry. Bean Point has no shops or toilet facilities so come prepared.
Coquina Beach is in the southern end of Anna Maria Island and has a beach cafe with locally caught fish. The line of trees between the beach and (free) car park offer some shade and there’s a few tables and benches under the trees where you can set up for the day.
On the eastern side of the island, just across from Coquina Beach is Captain Bam’s Jungle float which is a floating playground with diving platforms, inflatables and trampolines where you can launch yourself into the water.
It costs around $25 per person to jump and play but parents can go out to the float and spectate for $10 and take videos and photos. Life jackets are provided. Check out Capt Bam’s website here.
Another fantastic beach we have visited is Whitney Beach just off the southern end of AMI on Longboat Key. We parked at the small beach car park (get there early) on Broadway Street for free and paid a visit to Whitney’s cafe for breakfast (pancakes and breakfast bowls were amazing) before setting up the beach chairs for the day.
If you would like an aerial tour of the coastline Florida Suncoast Helicopters do 20 minute tours for around $300 with seating for 3 people per chopper. Find them at Sarasota Bradenton Airport just north of downtown Sarasota.
The popular coastal city of Naples is also on the Gulf Coast about a 3 hour drive from Orlando and a 1 hour drive from Miami. This has the very exclusive downtown area of 5th Avenue and some amazing beaches. Naples Beach next to the pier is a really good spot with toilets and showers available but there are no shops or restaurants nearby so bring you cooler bag. There’s no car park right on the beach but Naples City car park is on 12th Avenue is a 5 minute walk away. There are spaces to park on the road nearer the beach access on 11th, 12th and 13th Avenue and Broad Avenue but watch out for resident only spaces or you could end up with ticket! Payment for all these are at one of the pay machines. Parking is $5 an hour.
Lowdermilk Beach is another has a shop and small cafe on the beach and a large car park. There’s also a beach volley ball court and kayaks and paddle boards available to rent. Like most beaches in Naples, parking is $5 per hour at the pay machine.
Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park is one of the largest beaches in the Naples area with several car parks. Being a state park it only costs $6 for the whole day to park and this can be paid in advance online. You’ll need your cooler bag here as there are no shops and the only toilets are porta-loos! But it’s definitely worth a visit.
Atlantic Coast Beaches
These beaches are on the East Coast (as locals call it) of the Sunshine State. Here the sea can sometimes be rougher than on the Gulf Coast but most in areas you’ll find a lot of amenities right by the beach such as cafes and restaurants, shops and hotels. Miami is on the Atlantic side, about a 3 hour drive from Orlando and has the world famous South Beach area. Miami and the beaches just north are known as America’s Gold Coast. This includes Miami itself, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach where, a certain Donald J Trump has his residence.
Daytona Beach approximately 1 hour 30 min drive all the way up the western end of the I-4. The area is well developed so you will find many shops and restaurants along the State Road A1A Atlantic Avenue. Here you can actually park your car on the beach by several access points along the A1A. It cost $20 per day to park all day (2022 prices). The Ocean Center has a multi storey not far from the beach which cost around $10 for the day.
Cocoa Beach is just south of Cape Canaveral on the Space Coast (so called due to its proximity to the Kennedy Space Centre) and so is a great place to watch a rocket launch from the Westgate Pier. Lots of shops, restaurants and cafes around here which is ideal for overseas visitors.
Playalinda Beach is also on the Space Coast and is the closest beach to the Kennedy Space Centre. The local beach area is almost completely natural and undeveloped. You’ll need to be fully prepared as the nearest shops or restaurants are in Titusville a few miles away. For those with small kids watch out! Some sections of the beach are clothes optional! – yes, there are nudist areas! It costs $20 to park there but this is valid for 7 days if you want to come back during your holiday.
Take Me To ORLANDO! 