Day trips from Orlando?

Hi,

We are first-timers staying in Windsor Hills, (two adults, two kids). We will have a car but don%26#39;t really fancy the two hour drive to Miami or Clearwater, but we quite like the idea of visiting one or the other.

We%26#39;re thinking of booking a day trip to Clearwater Beach or Miami with a tour company - I%26#39;ve been looking at orlando tours.com. Has anybody booked with them or something similar? If so, was it worth it and where from WH, would be the best place to be picked up from?

Thanks.

:)

Day trips from Orlando?

I have not used those tour groups but want to let you know that Miami is closer to 4 hours from Orlando. It would be a very long day trip.

Day trips from Orlando?

Thanks for that - looks like we%26#39;ll have to give Miami a miss - it does look beautiful, though ;(

I feel that the flexibility of having your own car is worth it to drive the two hours to Clearwater Beach.

Hi Chuts,

Do you think it would be better to just drive ourselves to Clearwater? Is it an easy drive for first-timers and is it worth the trip when we get there?

Thanks.

The route is well sign-posted. Driving in the USA is very easy as your fellow Brits would attest to. As for whether it is worth it for you I cannot tell - depends on what you are looking for in a beach. A nearer beach for you would be Cocoa Beach - about 1 hour. Also if you go to Clearwater Beach on a weekend it will be very crowded.

Wherever you choose, be sure to print out a map (Google Maps is good for this - will give you directions as well).

What time of the year are you visiting?

Hi again, Chuts,

We%26#39;re going end of July, so I%26#39;m expecting it to be really busy, although we can avoid driving to the beach on a weekend. I just like the sound of Clearwater - white sand and clear water. We%26#39;re not great beach people, but it would be nice to see the ocean whilst we%26#39;re in Florida. (We were landlocked in Italy last year and really missed not seeing the sea at least once!)

We%26#39;re definitely going to visit Kennedy Space Centre whilst in Orlando - is it possible to combine a trip there with a short visit to a beach? (Cocoa beach?)

:)

Yes Cocoa Beach is less than 45 mins from Kennedy.

If you expect Blackpool you will be disappointed. No prom, they have paths over the dunes past resisential property and then big empty beaches.

Thanks, Mons.

It%26#39;s good to know Cocoa Beach is do-able from Kennedy. Much as I love Blackpool, (it%26#39;s my home town after all, although I no longer live there) I don%26#39;t particularly go for its wilder side myself, so quiet is good for me! Is Cocoa Beach pretty, because that%26#39;s what I really want?

:)

I recall it as a long straight beach in front of dunes (not a bay)although in some parts buildings did come close to the sand. It certainly isn%26#39;t a picturesque beach like in the Caribbean.

Thanks, Mon2.

Have you been to Clearwater?

:)

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