Top 5 beaches closest to Orlando

Orlando has amazing waterparks, splash pads, and refreshing springs, but sometimes you just need to put your toes in the sand at the beach. We aren’t located directly on the coast, but we sure are close to beautiful beaches! In just 1-2 hours you can reach these top 5 beaches closest to Orlando.

Here is your guide to the best beaches near Orlando. Each spot is located less than 2 hours from downtown Orlando. You might also be interested in more beaches near Orlando and our top 10 free things to do in Orlando.

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Orlando to Cocoa Beach – 1 hour

Cocoa Beach is the closest beach for Orlando residents, located a little less than an hour from Central Florida. It’s well known for family fun, relaxing along the beach, and a location for eco-tours or deep-sea fishing. There are area attractions, such as the Kennedy Space Center (and the possibility of a rocket launch), museums, and easygoing beach nightlife.

Beaches close to Orlando: image of the waves and sunset at Cocoa Beach, Florida

Cocoa Beach sunset. Image courtesy: The Space Coast Office of Tourism.

Cocoa is also near Port Canaveral, the launching area of world-class cruise ships. The 900-foot-long Canaveral Pier is one of the landmarks of this area. Cocoa Beach has 72 miles of Atlantic shoreline and features several beaches. In addition to the Canaveral National Seashore, there is the 35-acre Jetty Park at Port Canaveral, which is one of the busiest parks in the county and offers covered pavilions and picnic areas.

One of the most accessible parks is Alan Shepard Park, named for astronaut Alan Shepard. There is plenty of parking and a picnic area, plus a boathouse. Sidney Fischer Park has picnic pavilions, showers, and restrooms, making it ideal for families. Lori Wilson Park encompasses 33 acres and includes a 3,000-plus foot boardwalk. There are six dune crossovers and picnic areas. The park is perfect for enjoying wildlife.

Other parks in the Cocoa Beach area, all of which provide dune crossovers include Cherie Down Park, Robert P. Murkshe Memorial Park, Seagull Park, Hightower Beach Park, Canova Beach Park, Howard E. Futch Memorial Park, Indialantic, Spessard Holland North and South Beach Parks, Coconut Point Park and Bonsteel Park.

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Orlando to Ormond Beach – 1 hour

Located just north of Daytona Beach and a little more than an hour from Orlando, Ormond Beach provides a small-town experience for visitors. Ormond Beach was chosen by millionaire legend John D. Rockefeller as one of the best places to live, and it was the location of the first automobile races, giving the community the title of “Birthplace of Speed.” In addition to beach activities,

Ormond Beach offers surf fishing at the 900-acre North Peninsula State Recreation Area, and tennis, a fishing pier, and picnicking facilities at Ormond Bicentennial Park. This quiet and relaxing location is also the home of the Tomoka River Paddling Trail, a state-designated Florida paddling trail around Tomoka State Park.

Orlando to Daytona Beach – 1 hour

Daytona Beach bills itself as “The World’s Most Famous Beach,” and its well-publicized activities, such as Bike Week and the Daytona 500 have made it one of the most popular beaches on the Atlantic coast. Just about an hour from Orlando, Daytona Beach not only offers Florida’s sun and fun but also permits vehicles on the beach, a treat for many visitors.

It boasts twenty-one miles of beachfront with 11 miles designated for vehicles. There are many activities for visiting families, including Daytona Lagoon with its speed and tube slides free oceanfront concerts throughout the summer (complete with free fireworks), and, in August, the Lifeguard Championships.

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Orlando to New Smyrna Beach – 1 hour

A quieter cousin of nearby Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach is one of the best beaches near Orlando. Not only does it have beach driving in designated northern beach locations but it also has access to the Ponce de Leon Inlet where surfing championships are frequently held throughout the year.

The South end of New Smyrna Beach is the north entrance to the Canaveral National Seashore, offering 24 miles of coastline. In 2010, New Smyrna Beach was named one of Dr. Beach’s “10 Best Beach Towns in Florida.” Orlando residents have also named it one of their best beaches close to Orlando for several years, and in 2012, it made the top 20 Surf Towns by National Geographic Magazine.

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Orlando to Canaveral National Seashore – 1 hour

Canaveral National Seashore runs along 24 miles of shoreline and is a beautiful beach near Orlando. It is unique because it not only includes a barrier island in its 58,000 acres, but also open lagoons, coastal hammocks, pine flatwoods, and offshore waters, and is the longest stretch of undeveloped beach on Florida’s east coast.

Interestingly, the seashore is part of the 156-mile Indian River Lagoon, which has been the subject of many studies and research in recent years and is an Estuary of National Significance. In addition to waterfowl and wading birds that visit the park, it is also the location where three species of sea turtles return to deposit their eggs each year.

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The seashore begins south of New Smyrna and runs south to Titusville. It includes three beaches: Apollo Beach, a remote beach, where driving on the beach is not permitted; Playalinda, a well-known nude beach; and Klondike Beach, a true wilderness and at times, solitary 20-mile beach between Apollo Beach and Playalinda Beach, which is accessible from these beaches.

Orlando to Flagler Beach – 1 ½ hours

The Flagler Beach Municipal Pier has a lifeguard station, picnic tables, and a decked restaurant, making the pier and Flagler Beach worth the hour-and-a-half trip from Orlando. Crossovers to the beach that take visitors over the dunes are available at the end of every street and are the only legal way to get to the beach. Cutting through the dunes is not only unsafe but also destroys the vital vegetation holding the sand in place.

Visitors to Flagler Beach enjoy surfing, fishing, and kayaking, as well as walking along the beach. One note: sea turtle nesting season is from May 1 to October 31 and there are restrictions for using the beach so that you don’t disturb the sea turtles and their nests. Leashed dogs may be on the beach south of S. 10^th Street and north of North 10^th Street.

What’s your favorite beach located near you in Orlando? Let us know: news@orlandoonthecheap.com.