Which beach is the best, east florida/west florida? end of april?

Question

should we go east or west of orlando, where we will be staying. i know that daytona is closer, but heard that the west coast is warmer and has more seashells (and how far is it?)........we are taking our 3 year old and are going to want to swim in the ocean, and collect seashells for the day. so which side should we go towards??

Answer 1

Definately west florida tampa and st pete beaches own, i live near both

Answer 2

west coast is prettier, but also a better change to hurricanes.  Best sea shelling is on Sanibel Island (Fort Myers area), but this is quite far from Orlando.  The Tampa Bay area is the closest, just a couple of hours away, but not good shelling.

east coast is much closer to Orlando.  just a hop skip and jump to Cape Canaveral and beaches there!  Not very many shells however.

Answer 3

Go west. The Gulf has the best beaches. They have very fine, sugar white sand, which is very soft to walk or lay on. The wave action is a bit gentler for a smaller child as well. The Daytona side is nice, but the sand is coarser and the waves can be pretty rough.  The Gulf side is the way to go.

Take a low beach chair and stick it in the sand right at the water's edge and let the waves wash over your feet as you sit there...there's nothing better. I love the beach around 5 - 6 p.m....when it's quieter and most people are heading home and the sun is lower in the sky...It's heaven.

Head down to the St. Pete Beach area. It's laid back and casual, caters to families and has all the amenities you'll need for a day. If you get down that way, make sure you stop in at the Hurricane Restaurant. We've been going there for years... it's a Florida institution. And make sure you have a grouper sandwich... yum-yum.

Trust me... it's a great place to visit. And it will be perfect in April.