A day by the seaside

**Cottons** · 24-03-2007, 13:29

Hi All,

We're off to Orlando for the last two weeks in June, we thought we might spend a day on the coast. We are a family of 6 (4 daughters aged 12, 10, 7 and 4) and would like to go somewhere with a clean beach, not too crowded, toilets and amenities and preferably a nice place to eat at the end of the day.

Can anybody recommend anywhere ?

Mark, Tracy, Sian, Emily, Bethany and Hannah

**Robert5988** · 24-03-2007, 13:55

Go West to the better beaches on the Gulf coast, Clearwater etc

Go East to the quieter beaches on the Atlantic coast, Cocoa Beach and Southwards down to Melbourne Beach.(at the Eastern end of SR192)

Better still spend 2 days on the Beach - one each side.

**Snapper** · 24-03-2007, 14:19

I'm a big personal fan of Manasota Beach.

There's also another wonderful one called Blind Pass Beach about half way down Manasota Key.

**Genie** · 24-03-2007, 14:24

I love both Cocoa beach and St. Petersburg on the Gulf coast, both are beautiful and have great places to eat ! whichever one you choose will be great.

**CarolAnn** · 24-03-2007, 14:29

There is no doubt that Clearwater is stunning and the beach is white sand all the way.[8D]

**reemur** · 24-03-2007, 14:54

Cocoa Beach is lovely & nice places to eat

**Pegasus928** · 24-03-2007, 15:17

We did Clearwater and were very impressed.
At Pier 60 (wesite edited) they have a nightly sunset celebration with street entertainers, live music - they even had a firework display when we were there.
Plus you can get a boat - we went on one called The Little Toot (website edited) - and go off dolphin spotting. We had 3 or 4 plus a baby one following us and jumping in the boats wake giving us some fantastic photo/video ops.
Pegasus

**carolmc** · 24-03-2007, 15:18

Cocoa Beach and St Petersburg......best of both worlds, and very different too.

**andrewmckay5** · 24-03-2007, 16:04

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Snapper
I'm a big personal fan of Manasota Beach.

There's also another wonderful one called Blind Pass Beach about half way down Manasota Key.
[/quote]

This is a bit of long post
[msnsmile2]

Beaches
You must drive way off the beaten path to find the beaches of Charlotte County. That keeps them more natural, less trodden.

BLIND PASS (MIDDLE) BEACH
941-316-1172
Route 776
Mid-island on Manasota Key
Facilities: Rest rooms, showers.
Sixty-three acres of lightly developed shoreline attract those drawn more to seclusion than to the sports and activities of Manasota Key's other beaches. Low dunes edge wide salt-and-pepper sands. Next door you'll see one of the island's first buildings, known as Hermitage House. From the parking lot you can follow a nature boardwalk trail into the mangroves.

CHADWICK PARK BEACH
941-475-6606.
2100 N. Beach Rd.
Englewood
34223.
Route 776, south end of Manasota Key at Englewood Beach.

Facilities: Picnic areas, restrooms, showers, volleyball, basketball, food and beach-rental concessions.
Parking: 25C per hour.
Many refer to this simply as Englewood Beach. A popular hangout for the local youth, it is nonetheless a well-maintained and policed area: No alcohol, dogs, glass, surfboards, or motor vehicles are allowed. The beach was widened in 2001 to combat severe erosion. Several resorts, shops, rental shops, and restaurants huddle around the area, which keeps activity levels high.

DON PEDRO ISLAND STATE RECREATION AREA
941-964-0375
Barrier Islands GEOpark
PO Box 1150
Boca Grande
33921
South of Palm Island, accessible only by boat.
Facilities: Picnic area, restrooms, boat docks.
Admission: $2 per boat or family arriving by ferry.
Secluded beach at a 129-acre island getaway. Once separated from Palm Island and Little Gasparilla, Don Pedro Island is now connected to the two to form one long, lightly developed barrier
island. Don Pedro, the most natural component, is toward the southern end.

LIGHTHOUSE BEACH, GASPARILLA ISLAND STATE RECREATION AREA
239-964-0375
Barrier Islands GEOpark
PO Box 1150
Boca Grande
33921.
Along Gulf Blvd
Boca Grande
Gasparilla Island
Facilities: Picnic tables, restrooms.
Parking: $2 per car.
Marked by a historic lighthouse with a museum inside, the park edges the deepwater tarpon grounds of Boca Grande Pass. Its plush,
deep sands encompass 135 acres, although in some parts the beach gets quite narrow. The view of oil tanks tends to intrude upon the feeling of awayness. Swimming is not recommended because of strong currents through the pass. A historic chapel in the same park is under restoration.

MANASOTA BEACH
941-316-1172.
North end of Route 776
Manasota Key
Facilities: Picnic area, restrooms, showers, lifeguard, historical marker, boat ramps.
A lively sunning and shelling venue connected to Venice's Caspersen Beach about 1 1/2 miles to the north. It also has a reputation — but not as pointed as Venice's — for shark's teeth.

PORT CHARLOTTE BEACH PARK
941-627-1628.
4500 Harbor Blvd
Port Charlotte
33952.
At the southeast end of Harbor Blvd.
Facilities: Picnic areas, restrooms, showers, concessions, volleyball, basket-ball, tennis courts, playground, horseshoes, boatramps, fishing pier, swimming and kiddie pools.
Swimming Admission: $2.68 adult, $1.61 ages 3-15 (phone: 941-629-0170)
Parking: 25C per hour.
A highly developed recreational center that sits on Charlotte Harbor along a manmade beach this is a good place to go if you (or the children) like to keep busy at the beach. A boardwalk runs along the beach and connects to the fishing pier. It looks across the way at Punta Gorda and feels more like a beach at a lake than the sea.

STUMP PASS BEACH STATE RECREATION AREA
South end of Gulf Blvd
Englewood Beach on Manasota Key.
Facilities: Rest rooms, nature trail.
Parking: $2 per car.
This uncrowded beach,