Substantially, Central Florida has two main attractive magnets: the first of them, of course, is Disney World, and the second one is the wonderful beaches. Every year thousands of holidaymakers come there to relax during their vacations, and you can also choose your perfect spot for swimming, sunbathing and just for enjoying the sun.
However, in order to avoid disappointment, and get maximum pleasure from a beach holiday, we’ve prepared the list of the best beaches in Central Florida. In our opinion, the beaches of the west coast of the state are much more picturesque and pleasant for relaxing, so let’s start describing them first…
St Pete Beach
St Pete Beach is an almost perfect beach. It’s located in the west of Florida on the peninsula, which makes it very picturesque. Undoubtedly, this is one of the best beaches in the USA and North America. There’s clear ocean water, well-equipped facilities as well as spacious beachfront area including a huge parking for those holidaymakers who travel by ACE car rental at PIE Airport in Florida.
This beach seems to be copied from the picture: the turquoise waters of the ocean, soft sand, dolphins frolicking near the coastline, the beautiful coast of Florida, located on the horizon and the snow-white outlines of yachts look just incredible. Also, the special pride of the coast is the white-golden sand, which doesn’t heat up even under the burning sun.
St. Pete Beach has so many features and entertainment venues that it simply shouldn’t be missed!
Clearwater Beach
This is a mix of breathtaking entertainment, beach relaxation, and golden tan. It’s not so important that you are more attracted by different activities or quiet family rest – Clearwater will impress everyone!
Friendliness and a chic environment – perhaps, this is how Clearwater can be described. This beach is loved for its magnificent white sand and clear waters. When you step on the surface you feel the gentle touch of a million grains of sand.
Famous world-class hotels, an abundance of seafood in restaurants, fun shows held right on the beach, statues of sand, a cruise on a pirate ship and plenty of other pleasures – everything is here. You can listen to live music outdoors in Frenchy’s at Rockaway Grill and Palm Pavilion Beachside Grill & Bar.
However, get prepared to spend some time in a traffic jam if you travel by car: road access to the beach is often difficult.
Siesta Key
In 2011, Siesta Key was recognized as the best beach in the USA. Here’s the finest white sand, and the water is especially clean. The beach is almost 99% composed of small crystals of quartz, which doesn’t heat up even on the sunniest days.
The beach is located in Sarasota, which is about 88 kilometers away from Tampa. Like most other beaches in Sarasota, it occupies the eponymous island of Siesta Key.
This is one of the largest beaches in Florida. You can start your day with free yoga classes organized right on the beach, and after that, you can enjoy bacon pancakes at Another Broken Egg Café. There are showers and toilets, snack bars and souvenir shops, picnic tables, gazebos, sun beds, fully-equipped playgrounds, tennis courts, an ambulance station and a large parking lot for cars. Every year a beach volleyball championship is held on Siesta Key.
The width of the Siesta Key reaches one hundred meters. The coast guard, who looks after the vacationers, and the gently sloping shore, which perfectly extinguish the waves, make the beach an excellent place for families with children.
Daytona Beach
This is a place where everything is imbued with the spirit of auto and motorcycle tourism. Many travelers come to Daytona Beach because of the car races organized by NASCAR. The most prestigious car racing is called Daytona 500, and this competition is held annually.
Daytona Beach is world renowned for its 35-kilometer-long beach with thick sand allowing vehicles to move along it as on asphalt road. What’s more, this is the only beach in the world where car entry is officially allowed. You can ride along the edge of the water on the well-rammed sand or just park the car and enjoy a beach holiday. Also, the city of racers is also a paradise for surfers. The combination of a long beach season and high waves attracts a huge number of sun lovers and conquerors of the water element.
More recently, Daytona Beach has been very seriously cleaned and refined. Since then, every year there are more and more families with children who come to relax to this great beach and have fun enjoying the local attractions, entertainment venues, and parks.
Indian Rocks Beach
Indian Rocks is considered to be the perfect place for novice surfers. It runs for approximately 2.8 miles along the coast. The number of people is much less on Clearwater or Daytona Beach, which means this beach is excellent for those holidaymakers who like privacy.
Along the beach, you’ll find many mini-hotels and private houses, and the local infrastructure itself is not very developed. The only thing that can be guaranteed to be found is a rack with fresh water as well as several cozy beachfront cafes and surf shops. The water on this beach is warm, although it won’t take a long time to go deep.
