Orlando, Walt Disney World and Legacy Dunes are located in beautiful, sunny Central Florida. The warm coastal waters and sandy beaches of the Atlantic Ocean Coast and the Calm Serene Shores of Florida’s Gulf Coast in the Tampa Area are approximately a 1½ to 2 hours drive to the east or to the west.
East Coast – Atlantic Ocean
Cocoa Beach: If there’s a convenient, get-there-easily beach for Central Floridians, that has to be Alan Shepard Beach Park at Cocoa Beach. A well-known landmark on the beach is Canaveral Pier. The 900-foot wooden pier was built at the north edge of the city in 1963 and features a restaurant and lounge complex. Once a hangout for astronauts, the pier now is better known as a mecca for East Coast surfers.
Daytona Beach: Daytona Beach remains one of the few Florida destinations where you can drive the minivan onto the sand, park it and unload for an easy family day in the sun and surf on lifeguard-patrolled beaches. But this traditional Atlantic Ocean spot also boasts a boardwalk and pier, natural wonders and kid-friendly attractions, including new beachfront parks and a dazzling water park and family entertainment center just blocks off the beach. The Daytona Beach area also offers access to 23 miles of beaches, with 11 of those open for vehicles. Nearby are the Daytona International Speedway, historic St. Augustine and charming New Smyrna Beach.
New Smyrna Beach: Quiet New Smyrna Beach has 13 miles of white-sand beach. Its offshore rock ledges create excellent wave breaks — which surfers love — and lessen dangerous undertows. National surfing championships are held several times a year at Ponce Inlet, north of New Smyrna. Surfboards and boogie boards can be rented from concessionaires and surf shops.
West Coast – Gulf
Clearwater Beach: This narrow island offers a grand beach and fun-packed fishing pier on one side, and the Intracoastal Waterway with a busy marina on the other. Lifeguards serve from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Cabanas and sun umbrellas are rented. The marina offers boat rental and charters, jet skis, dolphin cruises, sailing and parasailing.
Treasure Island: Home to one of the area’s widest stretch of beach. You’ll have plenty of room to spread out, fly a kite, toss a football or play Frisbee. There are concessions and other amenities, too. It’s easy to find your own private patch of beach here, but if you want a crowd, you can find one at a beach bar such as Sloppy Joe’s.
