Florida beach destinations with primary age kids

[FlatStanletta]

Planning a holiday to Orlando and then want a week at a beach to relax afterwards - kids aged 5, 7 and 10.

Any recommendations? Would be nice to have a few places to eat and things to do but quite chilled.

i like clear water beach its beautiful plus not far from Orlando lots to do

Clearwater Beach (gulf side) is nice and you can fly home from Tampa. You could also take a look at Cocoa Beach (Atlantic side) and visit the Kennedy Space Center while you're there. There are beach towns up and down the coast though and tbh if you just want to chill out on the beach you could go almost anywhere. Use Google Streetview to see how close hotels/apartments are to boardwalks and restaurants.

Thanks! Would prefer gulf coast I think. Unless right down south. I have never been to clear water beach - wasn’t sure how nice it was vs how overdeveloped it is. I will have a look

I like Sarasota area. Sanibel and Captivating islands are lovely too.

We didn't really rate clearwater, it felt quite touristy to us, though we may just have ended up at the wrong part. We really liked cocoa beach, the beach felt much quieter. If your primary age dc like space at all then Kennedy space center is awesome. I know we regretted only buying a single day pass, we wished we could have gone back a second day.

Naples and Destin are by far my favourite locations in Florida although with children would recommend Destin over Naples.

Ana Maria Island is absolutely beautiful 🙂

Thanks! I realise that a Florida holiday is by nature touristy, I don’t mind that in Orlando but would rather be somewhere a bit less tourist-tastic for the beach! Some nice relaxed restaurants, maybe an aquarium or two, some interesting shops and a lovely beach would be ideal - maybe with some more exciting day trips a bit further away but doable.

I will have a look at all the places mentioned so far! I am also wondering if it’s worth going all the way down to the Keys!?

Clearwater is fab but for a more relaxed place Hollywood beach
www.hollywoodfl.org/1049/Hollywood-Beach
We drove down from Orlando and spent a few days in the Area, Sawgrass mill shopping was good
www.simon.com/mall/sawgrass-mills

We stayed here, it was buttons as we found a voucher in a magazine the shops give away
www.wyndhamhotels.com/laquinta/sunrise-florida/la-quinta-sunrise-sawgrass-mills/overview?CID=LC:LQ::GGL:RIO:National:53060&iata=00093796

Naples is my favorite Florida beach town but it skews towards an older crowd, I think Seaside, Rosemary, Sandestin would all be fun for a younger family.

Anna Maria Island / Siesta Key is an absolute dream. Sand like talcum powder. No high rises. Easy to get around. Our kids loved it. Don't even need beach front as you can walk, a block there is only 200 steps or so. Sanibel and Capriva a quite expensive and beaches full of shells. Fun for collecting, less for feet. Naples ticks boxes for nice beaches, eating out, shopping, going to Everglades. I'd avoid Clearwater / St Pete's. Retirement Central and beaches quite wide, Anna Maria /Holmes Beach erc more compact. Totally underrated bit of Florida, way better than East Coast. Another hidden gem is Lauderdale by the Sea , north of the pier. Eg High Noon Beach resort. There's a string of gorgeous 50's style motels on that stretch, vintage but refurbished Florida vibe , totally fab , great beach and enough to do for kids and adults.

The gulf coast is incredible. We stayed at Indian Rocks Beach but the whole coast is just super cool. Loads of stuff for the kids to do like mini golf etc but a really chilled vibe and beautiful hot sandy beaches.

Expensive for accommodation but so worth it - our rental had a deck onto the water and dolphins swam by in the evenings. Absolutely amazing.

Oooh following this!

Anna Maria Island is gorgeous