Panama City Beach - Florida

Panama City Beach, or PCB, as it's known is the new Spring Break Capital. And they know how to pick 'em. We found over 26 miles of unbroken great white sand that extends from St. Andrews State Park to Phillips Inlet.

You'll find that on a sunny day, the vision on polar-white sand and emerald-green sea is irresistible to anyone above ground.

Panama City Beach is among the more beautiful along the Panhandle shoreline, where blinding white sheets of quartz sand meet the clear emerald water of the Gulf of Mexico. The beach is a healthy width in most places - we found thanks to the renourishment projects (necessary because of hurricanes, which did their share of stripping away in the 1990's).

Panama City Beach is not to be confused with Panama City - the larger military/industrial port that lies near Tyndall Air Force Base. From March through Easter, PCB mutates to Spring Break Haven with a half-million or so college-aged revelers calling this Party HQ.

From Easter through Labor Day, PCB is a family-friendly vacation town full of those small tourist shops and attractions. And then, from Labor Day to February, PCB goes into hibernation - becoming almost a ghost town.

Remember that Panama City Beach lies on the Panhandle, at a latitude much north of the year-round Florida subtropic meccas. Translation: it gets Cold in the winter here.

The water changes colors throughout the day - emerald to azure to coral. And we found the sand nearly 99% quartz sand - a striking contrast to the sea. But in a strange twist, the city has not done well to provide great beach access. Here are your best bets:

St. Andrews State Park is at the east end of Thomas Drive and is $4 per vehicle. You can camp there, as well - for around $15. There are concessions and restrooms, picnic tables, showers, and a nice visitor center.

Thomas Drive Park is at the 7000 block of Thomas Drive and is free. The park is open sunrise to sunset and has restrooms and showers.

Cocoa Beach Florida

Think Cocoa Beach and you may think space shuttles and world class beaches. If you do - you're right on the money. Cocoa Beach is a family-friendly town with prices so low, it make great sense to headquarter here for your Florida vacation instead of Orlando. That's what we did when we wanted to see the nearby Kennedy Space Center yet catch the Cirque du Soleil show at Downtown Disney that night in Orlando. The drive is like one CD long - and then you're there.

Cocoa Beach has a beach, is minutes away from the Kennedy Space Center and a short hop from Disney. You'll pay much more to stay near the parks and guess what? No ocean!

NASA's influx in the early 1960's put sleepy Cocoa Beach on the map. Hundreds of engineers, technicians, designers and assistants moved in and really, little has changed. You'll find the same family-run motels that seem to be stopped in time.

Beach access in Cocoa can be found at the end of many streets that run to the ocean. We found this ideal as traffic flow around the Cocoa Beach Pier is nice. Parking is ample and there are a few parks where you can spend the day.

Cocoa Beach is an All-American beach: green water, wide, coarse-grained and sometimes brown-sand beach with every race imaginable (and swimsuit size). We found most people hang out around the pier area - on Atlantic and Meade toward the north end of Cocoa Beach.

Surf is best on the north side of the pier. The beach is ideal for kids on the south side. But we didn't find any lifeguards. Make sure you're watching where your kids are. And take note of possible rip-currents. We saw signs posted for them.

If your timing is right, you just might see a rocket launch from Kennedy Space Center, just north of Cocoa. You'll know when it happens. Everybody and their brother will be looking skyward and taking in the majestic event. The orange flame in the picture here is the Space Shuttle. Click the picture for a larger view.

Want to know more about Cocoa Beaches? We provide a list of things about Cocoa Beach - Next! >>

Key Largo Beach Camping Park

Beaches are in short supply on Key Largo, the largest of the Florida Keys - 30 miles long. But this is a vacation hotspot for diving, snorkeling, fishing, boating, and cruising. And if you're into the underwater - you'll want to make Key Largo your headquarters as you explore all John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park has to offer.

Humphrey Bogart put Key Largo on the map with the 1948 movie of the same name. But there is little else to connect Bogart with Key Largo. Bogie never set foot in the Keys. The main town, Rock Harbor, changed its name to Key Largo to cash in on some of the Hollywood dollars - however we found they should have used some of the dough to create some sort of zoning.

As you head down U.S. 1, you'll see a restaurant next to a tire shop next to a home. Strange. And a tip: leave the coral - even the stuff you find in shell shops. It's probably not from Florida, but nonetheless, promoting reef destruction somewhere rules are lax.

On to the beaches: The main attraction on Key Largo is the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. Reefs off the shore from the park have taken a beating - and speaking of the shoreline, we noticed more trash than anywhere we've been. Divers state the visibility has decreased in recent years in spite the management plan in place by the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary since 1997.

Pennekamp (an actual beach campground), was established in 1960 as the nation's first underwater preserve. Like many islands we review, Key Largo has an offshore reef which intercept the waves. There is no physical mechanism for the sand to move toward the shore and build up a beach. But you'll find three beaches - all man made.

Cannon Beach - we found had a small, narrow band of sand with cannon placed in the entrances. There's a replica of a seventeenth-century shipwreck just 130 from the beach - you can snorkel there. Plenty of cool fish and it's awesome looking down at the "wreck". But don't just bring the beach towel. Bring your snorkel gear so you won't miss the best part of Cannon Beach!

Far Beach - also at Pennekamp, is close by down Largo Sound. We found this beach to be the best of the pair. It has natural shade with transplanted coconut palms and looks nicer. You'll miss the beauty of snorkeling, though.

Finally, there's the Harry Harris County Park - another man made beach with a lot of sports equipment; basketball courts, baseball fields, boat ramps, a really cool tidal pool about the size of a football field. Did we mention the playground? And yes, there's a nearby reef - Wilkinson's Point. You can walk out into Florida Bay (wear shoes) - but be careful.

Tip: Bonefishing is awesome here!

All three beaches cost around $2.50 - $4.00 to park and enter (per person). And they are open from around 8 AM till sunset. All have full facilities complete with showers, concessions.

Daytona Beach - Spring Break Beach

Daytona Beach having an identity crisis? Indeed - the place we dream has beaches miles long, all-day sunshine, and surf, is going through a makeover. While you can't see it everywhere, this town, after years of being the number one Spring Break destination, is trying to upgrade its image. But leave it to Daytona Beach to find a way to make a beach, driving on the beach, an International race track, and hundreds of retirement style condos a World Class Destination. They'll get it done.

And do they have the beaches. Here we found 23 miles of wide beaches with hard-packed sand - and 18 of those miles are open to automobile traffic. That's what put Daytona on the map - beach driving!

Daytona Beach has become synonymous with Spring Break, so much so that MTV has come here since the '80's to broadcast from the beach and gave us the impression that Daytona Beach was one huge oceanside Animal House. Even though they still come in the thousands, the peak was in 1989, when over 400,000 students showed up. With only 20,000 hotel rooms - you do the math.

The city has done a lot to change the image - trying to turn interest to the major-league baseball spring training and the Daytona Beach NASCAR racing event. Still, 200,000 come here each Spring Break, spaced out over a four to six week period. The most rowdy and wild party animals now call Panama City Beach up in Florida's Panhandle their Spring Break home.

The Beach - The 23 miles of beautiful sand starts at Ormond Beach and runs down to Ponce Inlet. In the middle sits Daytona Beach. This thing is spectacular at low tide. It's almost 500 feet wide! Vehicles, including RV's and trucks under 33' are allowed on 18 of those 23 miles.

We noted the sand here to be very fine. It's of quartz origin and packs tightly. So hard is the sand that cars once raced here! But tourists can still drive (although no more than 10 mph) on the famous beach. On a nice day, you'll see over 10,000 vehicles roaming the beach.

But more than cars, we saw volleyball, jogging, surfing, and bicycling. And swimming here is great. The bank slopes slightly so even little ones will enjoy the shallow water. Watch for the waves - bodysurfing of Daytona Beach is the best in the state.

Riptides do exist during times when the tide is going out. There are over 200 lifeguards watching over the beach - but take care. Rip currents are dangerous.

Learn about surfing at Daytona Beach and the famous Daytona Beach Pier, Next! >>

Daytona Beach Florida Hotels

It wouldn't be right if we didn't recommend a few Daytona Beach Hotels. Especially during Spring Break, getting a hotel room in Daytona Beach can be almost impossible. However, if you do get a room, the rates are fairly affordable. But know that most Daytona Beach hotels carry a minimum-stay requirement.

The hotels here are almost all family owned and operated. The Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau has a brochure called, "Superior Small Lodgings", which includes small motels around Daytona Beach.

If you don't really care about the beach, we recommend the Hilton Garden Inn Daytona Beach Airport, on Midway Ave. You'll be close to the Daytona Race Track - and this hotel has a restaurant.

People in Daytona Beach have come wise about the many beach condos they own. You can rent a beach condominium for a good price. Remember, beach condo rentals contain kitchens, washers and dryers.

We recommend the Ocean Walk Resort on Atlantic Ave. It's near the Main Street Pier and has some sports amenities you may appreciate; a pool, computer-golf, putting green. Daytona Beach condo rentals are worth a check. But check early.

There is a 6% state sales tax and Volusia County tacks on a 4% tax on hotel prices.

We talked about Spring Break, and how it has come and gone in Daytona. More kids visit Panama City Beach than here during the same time. However, we can't dismiss Bike Week. I know it seems like an unlikely group to turn to - after the flood of beer, sex, rap and rock - but businesses embrace this now tradition.

Held the first week of March, as many as half a million bikers roll into Daytona Beach. There's also Biketoberfest, around Halloween, a brewfest that welcomes the Harley crowd and we found when asking - is well, civilized! If you've grown up capturing images of bikers in movies, this is completely opposite.

Motel owners love them as they are some of the most courteous people around. And Harley-Davidson pulled into town with an enormous dealership downtown. To us, it looks like any Mercedes dealership you'd find in Florida, all the shine an glitz you'd expect.

But here's a tip: Hotel and Motel rates get jacked up during the first week of March as locals have found most bikers are affluent and can afford it. Most of their Harleys cost around $20 thousand.

You'll find the prices drop right back down as Spring Breakers come in the next few weeks.