The 7 Best Beaches Near Orlando, FL
In our October 20, 2026 edition, the best beach near Orlando is New Smyrna Beach, followed by Clearwater Beach and Siesta Beach (Siesta Key). We weighed 16 options on public reputation, recognition from independent sources and how well each fits the people who go there; this is the October 20, 2026 edition.
At a glance · October 20, 2026
| # | Name | Where | Known for | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Smyrna Beach | Volusia County (Atlantic coast) | A surf town that Orlando readers chose as their favorite beach two years running, plus Smyrna Dunes Park on Ponce de Leon Inlet with an elevated boardwalk of more than 2 miles. | Surfing, Orlando locals' favorite day trip, families, dogs at the Smyrna Dunes river-shore beach |
| 2 | Clearwater Beach | Pinellas County (Gulf coast) | Florida's top-ranked beach in Tripadvisor's 2026 awards, a fishing pier, and the nightly Sunsets at Pier 60 street-performer gathering. | Sunsets (nightly celebration at Pier 60), families, a full-service beach with lifeguards all year |
| 3 | Siesta Beach (Siesta Key) | Sarasota County (Gulf coast) | Fine, pale quartz sand that Sarasota's tourism office says stays cool underfoot, and a long record at the top of national beach rankings. | Families (lifeguards, playground, concessions), soft quartz sand, Gulf sunsets |
| 4 | Cocoa Beach (Lori Wilson Park) | Brevard County (Space Coast, Atlantic) | A 32-acre county beach park with a 3,155-foot boardwalk through a maritime hammock, six dune crossovers, seasonal lifeguards, surf fishing, a divided off-leash dog park and launch views. | A quick, free beach day; families; dog owners (off-leash dog park); rocket-launch viewing |
| 5 | Caladesi Island State Park | Pinellas County (Gulf coast) | One of the few untouched barrier islands on the Gulf coast, with boardwalks to the beach, a nature trail to a historic homestead and paddling trails through mangroves. | Shelling, a quiet undeveloped beach, kayaking mangrove trails, nature lovers |
| 6 | St. Pete Beach | Pinellas County (Gulf coast) | A west-facing Gulf beach town with the Upham Beach lot and a long metered waterfront along Gulf Way in Pass-a-Grille. | Gulf sunsets, families, a choice of two public beach areas (Upham Beach and Pass-a-Grille) |
| 7 | Jetty Park (Port Canaveral) | Brevard County (Space Coast, Atlantic) | A port-run beach park with a fishing pier on the cruise-ship channel, a campground, and, for the April 2026 Artemis II launch, the only public launch-day parking on Port Canaveral property. | The shortest drive from downtown, families (lifeguards daily), pier fishing, watching cruise ships and launches |
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01
New Smyrna Beach
Orlando Weekly readers named New Smyrna Beach the area's best beach in both 2025 and 2026, and it is only about an hour and seven minutes from downtown. Visit Florida calls it one of the state's leading surf spots, and the county's 184-acre Smyrna Dunes Park adds an inlet setting with dog-friendly river beaches.
- Known forA surf town that Orlando readers chose as their favorite beach two years running, plus Smyrna Dunes Park on Ponce de Leon Inlet with an elevated boardwalk of more than 2 miles.
- Best forSurfing, Orlando locals' favorite day trip, families, dogs at the Smyrna Dunes river-shore beach
- From downtown Orlando57.7 miles · about 67 min (driving, no traffic)
- CostVolusia County visitors: $20/day in county off-beach lots or $30/day to drive onto the beach where driving is allowed; Smyrna Dunes Park (inlet park) $10 per vehicle.
- Recognized byOrlando Weekly Best of Orlando 2026, Readers' Choice: Best Beach, 1st place, Orlando Weekly Best of Orlando 2025, Readers' Choice: Best Beach, 1st place, HomeToGo U.S. Beach Index 2026: Bethune Beach (south end of New Smyrna Beach) ranked No. 2 (commercial vacation-rental data index; not scored)
- AddressFlagler Avenue beach access, 1005 Flagler Ave, New Smyrna Beach, FL 32169
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02
Clearwater Beach
Clearwater Beach is the highest-placed Florida beach in Tripadvisor's 2026 awards (No. 2 in the U.S.), was No. 2 in USA Today 10Best's 2025 Florida vote, and made Orlando Weekly readers' top three in both 2025 and 2026. The city keeps lifeguards on the beach year-round and rakes the sand daily.
- Known forFlorida's top-ranked beach in Tripadvisor's 2026 awards, a fishing pier, and the nightly Sunsets at Pier 60 street-performer gathering.
- Best forSunsets (nightly celebration at Pier 60), families, a full-service beach with lifeguards all year
- From downtown Orlando108 miles · about 128 min (driving, no traffic)
- Cost$3.50 per hour in the city's Pier 60 lot (open 6 a.m.-11 p.m.); on-street meters $4.00 per hour with a 5-hour limit; private garages also available.
- Recognized byUSA Today 10Best Readers' Choice 2025, Best Beach in Florida: No. 2, Orlando Weekly Best of Orlando 2026, Readers' Choice: Best Beach, 3rd place, Orlando Weekly Best of Orlando 2025, Readers' Choice: Best Beach, 3rd place
- AddressPier 60 parking lot, 160 S. Gulfview Blvd., Clearwater, FL 33767
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03
Siesta Beach (Siesta Key)
Siesta Beach was Tripadvisor's No. 1 U.S. beach in 2025, is still No. 6 in 2026, and Orlando Weekly readers ranked it second in 2026. Parking at the county beach park is free, and Visit Sarasota lists lifeguards, a playground, picnic pavilions and concessions there.
- Known forFine, pale quartz sand that Sarasota's tourism office says stays cool underfoot, and a long record at the top of national beach rankings.
- Best forFamilies (lifeguards, playground, concessions), soft quartz sand, Gulf sunsets
- From downtown Orlando138 miles · about 142 min (driving, no traffic)
- CostFree public parking with no time limit (Visit Sarasota cites about 976 spaces); lots fill early in peak season, January-April.
- Recognized byDr. Beach (Stephen Leatherman): No. 1 U.S. beach in 2011 and 2017 (historical, per Visit Sarasota), USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice 2025, Best Beach in Florida: No. 8, Orlando Weekly Best of Orlando 2026, Readers' Choice: Best Beach, 2nd place
- Address948 Beach Road, Sarasota, FL 34242
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04
Cocoa Beach (Lori Wilson Park)
Lori Wilson Park is the closest free-parking beach we checked, about an hour from downtown via SR 528. Brevard County lists seasonal lifeguards, playgrounds, an off-leash dog park and launch viewing among its amenities.
- Known forA 32-acre county beach park with a 3,155-foot boardwalk through a maritime hammock, six dune crossovers, seasonal lifeguards, surf fishing, a divided off-leash dog park and launch views.
- Best forA quick, free beach day; families; dog owners (off-leash dog park); rocket-launch viewing
- From downtown Orlando58.4 miles · about 61 min (driving, no traffic)
- CostFree parking (Brevard County park page).
- Address1500 N Atlantic Avenue, Cocoa Beach, FL 32931
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05
Caladesi Island State Park
Dr. Beach ranked Caladesi the No. 3 beach in the country for 2026, after No. 4 in 2024. Because there is no road to the island, it stays undeveloped, and the state park offers shelling, swimming and kayaking through mangrove forest.
- Known forOne of the few untouched barrier islands on the Gulf coast, with boardwalks to the beach, a nature trail to a historic homestead and paddling trails through mangroves.
- Best forShelling, a quiet undeveloped beach, kayaking mangrove trails, nature lovers
- From downtown Orlando119 miles · about 142 min (driving, no traffic)
- CostHoneymoon Island State Park entry $8 per vehicle, plus the Caladesi Island Ferry round trip: $20 adults, $10 children 6-12, free for 5 and under. Arriving by private boat: $6 per boat.
- Recognized byDr. Beach 2026 Top 10 Beaches in the U.S.: No. 3, Dr. Beach 2024 Top 10 Beaches in the U.S.: No. 4 (Florida DEP bulletin, May 24, 2024)
- AddressReached only by boat; the ferry leaves from Honeymoon Island State Park, #1 Causeway Blvd., Dunedin, FL 34698
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06
St. Pete Beach
Orlando Weekly readers ranked St. Pete Beach second in 2025, and USA Today 10Best voters put it seventh in Florida the same year. Public parking is split between the Upham Beach lot and more than 500 metered spaces along the Pass-a-Grille waterfront.
- Known forA west-facing Gulf beach town with the Upham Beach lot and a long metered waterfront along Gulf Way in Pass-a-Grille.
- Best forGulf sunsets, families, a choice of two public beach areas (Upham Beach and Pass-a-Grille)
- From downtown Orlando115 miles · about 129 min (driving, no traffic)
- Recognized byOrlando Weekly Best of Orlando 2025, Readers' Choice: Best Beach, 2nd place, USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice 2025, Best Beach in Florida: No. 7
- WherePinellas County (Gulf coast)
How we picked these seven
For beaches we weigh public reputation, independent recognition, the drive from downtown Orlando and what each beach is best for, from surfing to calm water for kids.
Places are ranked by evidence, not by a single number, and nobody paid to be listed. Figures like drive times and prices change; each one shows where it came from and when. Read the full method.
Questions, answered
What is the closest beach to Orlando?
Of the beaches we checked, Jetty Park at Port Canaveral was the quickest drive from downtown Orlando, about 56 minutes and 55 miles in Google Maps on Oct. 20, 2026. Cocoa Beach's Lori Wilson Park (about 1 hour, 58 miles) and New Smyrna Beach (about 1 hour 7 minutes) were close behind, while Gulf beaches such as Clearwater took more than two hours.
What is the best beach near Orlando?
Orlando Weekly readers voted New Smyrna Beach the area's best beach in both 2025 and 2026. In national rankings, Clearwater Beach was No. 2 in the U.S. in Tripadvisor's 2026 Travelers' Choice awards, and Siesta Beach was No. 1 in 2025.
Where can I watch a rocket launch from the beach near Orlando?
The National Park Service says the Playalinda District of Canaveral National Seashore has the closest view, but parts of it close around launches and NASA can close areas without notice. Jetty Park in Port Canaveral sells launch-day parking passes in advance, and Brevard County lists launch viewing as an amenity at Lori Wilson Park in Cocoa Beach.
Do you have to pay to park at beaches near Orlando?
It depends on the beach: Lori Wilson Park in Cocoa Beach and Siesta Beach have free lots, while Jetty Park charges $15 per vehicle per day and Canaveral National Seashore charges $25 per vehicle for a 7-day pass. In Volusia County (New Smyrna Beach, Daytona Beach), visitors pay $20 a day in county off-beach lots or $30 to drive onto the beach.
