Florida Beach recs (Gulf side)

[shorty20]

Hi ladies,

We're going to Orlando in a couple of weeks, and really want to hit the beach one day.  I'd rather do the Gulf side than the Atlantic. 

Any recs for great beaches not too far from Orlando (2 hour drive or less)?

Thanks!

[goldengirl]

Hey shorty! (I am formerly mrslinda262)
You will definitely need all of that 2 hours to get to the west coast. It'll take you about 1 1/2 just to get to Tampa. I love St. Pete beach, but you could probably get to Clearwater in about the same time. Both beaches are gorgeous, St. Pete is more adult in my opinion, Clearwater more touristy/family. There are a bunch of smaller beach towns in between (Redington, Madeira) as well. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them.

[shorty20]

Jul 15, 2013 10:08:27 GMT -5 goldengirl said:

Hey shorty! (I am formerly mrslinda262)
You will definitely need all of that 2 hours to get to the west coast. It'll take you about 1 1/2 just to get to Tampa. I love St. Pete beach, but you could probably get to Clearwater in about the same time. Both beaches are gorgeous, St. Pete is more adult in my opinion, Clearwater more touristy/family. There are a bunch of smaller beach towns in between (Redington, Madeira) as well. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them.

Oh wow, hey Linda, so glad to see you on here! 

Thanks for the recs, we will have a teenage girl with us, so I'm trying to figure out which beach vibe we're going for, but I'll check into those. 

Do you know anything about Siesta Key?  Someone told me it was beautiful, but that it's usually pretty crowded.  Of course it's Florida in July, so I'm sure just about any beach will be crowded

[goldengirl]

Siesta Key is probably the nicest beach on the west coast (or one of them) but I didn't mention it because I think it'll take you closer to 2 1/2 to 3 hours to get there. It is VERY crowded in the winter/spring, but I wouldn't think it would be that crowded this time of year. Florida beaches are usually more crowded around spring break than in July.

If you don't mind the distance, I'd definitely recommend Siesta Key. Pass-A-Grille (the south end of St. Pete beach) is similar in vibe, but probably 45 min closer. I could be off on my distances, I'm not double checking before writing this.

[shorty20]

Great, thanks for your help!

[goldengirl]

OK so I just googled and it looks like you can be in Siesta Key closer to 2 hrs than I thought. Go for it! We love the Siesta Key Oyster Bar (SKOB) for lunch/dinner.

[Stingyshark]

I prefer Clearwater; it is touristy near Pier 60, but we usually go to the parking area/beach at Mandalay Ave & Rockaway St and it's not AS bad. There is a Frenchy's Rockaway Grille there where we always eat.. and by "we" I mean me & pinkwillow Frenchy's is right on the beach so it's very convenient.

I also love Sand Key Park in clearwater, but there is no food there, which is okay if you want to pack a cooler. I haven't been to many of the beaches in St. Pete, but John's Pass is in Madeira Beach and has a little shopping center that has a Bubba Gumps Shrimp co. and a few other places to eat, i think.

[bab]

Siesta Key beach, hands down.

[chitownbelle]

Siesta Key is the #1 beach in the U.S., and not as crowded in July as it is in the spring. The sand and clear, shallow water are worth the drive.

[kpol]

Jul 15, 2013 10:44:28 GMT -5 goldengirl said:

OK so I just googled and it looks like you can be in Siesta Key closer to 2 hrs than I thought. Go for it! We love the Siesta Key Oyster Bar (SKOB) for lunch/dinner.

Another rec for Siesta Key, SKOB and I'll throw in the Lobster Pot for dinner, too.

[laurelle]

A famous beach near Orlando is Cocoa Beach. If you have been keeping up with the space program you will know that this is the beach that is near the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral. Cocoa Beach is a beautiful place to swim and it is also known as the "small wave capital of the world" making it a great locale for beginning or advanced surfers.

[Stingyshark]

Jul 30, 2013 0:47:11 GMT -5 laurelle said:

A famous beach near Orlando is Cocoa Beach. If you have been keeping up with the space program you will know that this is the beach that is near the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral. Cocoa Beach is a beautiful place to swim and it is also known as the "small wave capital of the world" making it a great locale for beginning or advanced surfers.

This sounds like an advertisement for Cocoa.. she also said she wants west coast, not east coast.