You want to take your family on a vacation to a beach; however, you have no idea as to how to plan your vacation on a budget. With these simple tips, you will be able to efficiently plan your beach family vacation with the money you have to spend and be able to visit one of the best beaches in Florida.
Florida offers some of the best beaches in the U.S. Hollywood Beach, Sanibel Island, and St. Petersburg Beach are fun for families, in and out of the water. Almost 81 million visitors traveled to Florida last year, according to VISIT FLORIDA Research. Most go for the year-round tropical weather and sandy beaches. Among its 1,800 miles of sand beaches are three top destinations for families traveling to the Sunshine State. Hollywood Beach, Sanibel Island and St. Petersburg offer the best vacation options for families.
Hotel Discounts
If you plan to stay in a hotel, check with that hotel and see if they offer a discount. Many hotels will offer specials or package deals to entice you to stay with them. Some hotels will offer a cash discount if you pay your entire bill with cash. Other hotels will offer discounts if you stay with them for a certain period of time, like, for instance, seven nights, or if you stay with them during a particular time of year. Beach areas, such as Myrtle Beach, have less people visit during the winter months because the water is not as warm as the summer so they tend to offer good discounts during the winter months.
Take Food
Once you find the hotel where you wish to stay, see if you can get a room that has at least a refrigerator and microwave, if not a full kitchen. You can save money by bringing your own food or going to a grocery store once you arrive. Fix at least breakfast and lunch in the room and only eat out for dinner.
Off Peak Times
During the peak season from mid June to mid August, hotel rates can be at least $20 or more a night than at other times of the year so if you can go to your destination at off-peak times. Sometimes this is hard to do if you have children who are in school, but if you don’t, going on the off-peak times will obviously save you money on a hotel room.
Free or Cheap Activities
Before you leave on your trip, do some research online for free or cheap activities. See if your destination has a web site and what kinds of activities you can find to do. Many places will have things to do for free or cheap activities like miniature golf. You could even see if there are places to visit close by that perhaps are historical sites, which are usually free or rather inexpensive things to do.
Coupons
While you are researching for free or cheap activities, look for coupons online that you can print out at home before you leave. You might even find discount tickets for attractions online as well. For instance, Ripley’s Aquarium might offer a $2 discount for adults and $1 discount for children if you order your tickets online. Once you arrive, look in your hotel lobby for coupon books offering discounts for various places. Many of the more tourist areas such as Myrtle Beach or Daytona Beach have coupon booklets with coupons for restaurants and attractions.
Best Beaches In Florida For Families
You will find below our top 3 Best Beaches In Florida For Families!
1. Visit Hollywood Beach Florida for an Active Vacation
Hollywood Beach recently went through a significant renovation. Its unique environment offers a boardwalk filled with restaurants and retail stores. Families can ride bike, rollerblade or simply walk along its 2-mile boardwalk.
The grounds also offer a park with sprinklers for kids and adjacent tennis courts and paddle ball available for adults. This award-winning beach in Florida received a “top ten nostalgic promenades” designation by USA Today.
2. Travel to Pristine Sanibel Island Beach for the Best Shell Collecting
Kids love collecting shells on the beach, and there is no better place than Sanibel Island to do so. Families come from all over the world to collect these beautiful shells. Many approach this beach in Florida with bags and buckets to collect their treasures. The peak of shelling season is May to September, which also offers the warmest waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Travel during that time period for best results.
Although Sanibel offers the best shell collecting of any beach in Florida, it also offers bike, boat, kayak, and canoe rentals. In addition, nearby tennis and golf courses are within minutes of the beach.
3. Visit St. Petersburg Beach Near Busch Gardens and Adventure Island
The St. Petersburg beach area is home to over 15 beaches featuring the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Among the most popular of the beaches are John’s Pass, Pass-a-Grille, and, Treasure Island. John’s Pass offers a boardwalk with over 6 restaurants and 40 shops. It also offers parasailing and jet ski rentals. This popular destination receives the most visitors of all of Pinellas County.
The sheer number of beach locales along with its proximity to adjacent theme parks makes this an ideal beach in Florida for families. The St. Petersburg Beach area is a short drive from attractions such as Busch Gardens and Adventure Island.
Busch Gardens offers fast-paced roller coasters along with animal exhibits that kids will love. While, Adventure Island, a water park with wave pools and various water slides provides fun entertainment while cooling off from the hot Florida sun.
A beach vacation in Florida provides entertainment options ranging from shell collecting, parasailing, to a simple walk on the boardwalk. Hollywood Beach, Sanibel Island and St. Petersburg Beach are 3 of the Best Beaches In Florida For Families and offer the best vacation options ideal too!
I would love to visit the beaches in Florida
I am in the preliminary phase of planning a trip to Florida and I am going to add St Petersburg beach to my list.
Lucky you! Enjoy!
Sanibel Island Beach would be a dream vacation, the only beaches I have visited in Florida would be Coco Beach and Fort Lauderdale, both beautiful places.
Those 2 are great choices too!
Thank you! This article is just what I wanted to read! We moved to Florida. The only beach we have visited is Clearwater Beach near or in Tampa. I forgot. It was gorgeous! White Sand and clear blue water. Just stunning!
Lucky to be in Florida! Glad you enjoyed our article:)