Cocoa Beach vs Tampa

Cocoa Beach vs Tampa – Which Florida Destination Reigns Supreme?

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Located in Florida, Cocoa Beach and Tampa are beautiful places for visitors to come and relax.

I will gladly spend a whole year in any of these places.

Cocoa Beach vs Tampa

Cocoa Beach vs Tampa

Cocoa beach vs Tampa

, which should I pick?

   Below, I have an overview of some of the activities you can engage in as well as the cost of travelling to Tampa and Cocoa Beach.

This article will give you a quick rundown of the price of food, transportation, and accommodation.

in addition, it talks about other details that can help you know more about the two destinations in case you’re indecisive on which place is best for your vacation.

The Showdown: Cocoa beach vs Tampa

Cocoa Beach

For many years,

Cocoa Beach has remained one of the best vacation

spots for me because I enjoy relaxing in the sun, enjoying the waves and the sand.

In the 1960’s television show titled “I Dream of Jeannie”,

Cocoa Beach was used as the set of the show

.

Cocoa Beach is just over 11,000 and is located in Brevard County along the Atlantic coast.

While many people like to visit this beach because of its impressive surfing, there are notably many surfing festivals and competitions held in this beach annually.

The renowned Ron Jon’s

surf shop gets over two million visitors every year

.

Cocoa shop is known everywhere as the home to the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame.

Tampa

Tampa is located on the north shore of Tampa Bay just across the water from Saint Petersburg.

The metropolitan area which has about 2.

9 million residents includes Tampa, St.

Peterburg and Clearwater.

It is the second largest metropolitan area in Florida.

With a population of almost 350,000, Tampa is a setting for many outdoor activities and has even been ranked as the 5th best outdoor city by Forbes in 2008.

Tampa has amazing historical buildings which are now being brought to life and house beautiful restaurants, shops and retail stores.

Thanks to the urban renewal of these old buildings, there have been many recent innovations to make the city even better.

In terms of food, Tampa has one of the best cuisines in Florida.

Busch Gardens

Cocoa Beach vs Tampa

Cocoa Beach vs Tampa

Busch Gardens is an African-themed family entertainment and adventure park which has a land measurement of 335 acres.

The Busch Gardens is renowned for hosting a lot of engaging activities such as thrill rides, live music, performances and also exotic animals in their natural environment.

During your stay, you can choose to take a safari to see different animals grazing on the plains with several African villages and camps on site.

A recommended option would be the Serengeti Night Safari.

There are special animal encounters that you may be offered including:

  • The chance to hand feed giraffes and kangaroos

  • Watching park staff members tend to the patients at the Animal Care Center

  • Getting close to some of the residents like flamingos and sloths.

Fun Things to Do in Cocoa Beach

If you’re planning on travelling to

Cocoa Beach, here are some fun things you and

your family can do during your stay:

Park Yourself by the Shore

One of the best places in

Cocoa Beach is Lori Wilson Park

.

You and your family can relax at this clean and very large beach and enjoy the thick golden colored sand.

You can also park your car freely.

While you’re here, do not forget to walk through the nature trail.

This trail winds into a maritime hammock which has live oak, palmetto and greenery.

The experience is definitely worth it.

Ride a Wave

Cocoa Beach boasts of very calm and consistent

waves.

Its shallow waters wade out past the breakers and have proven to be a convenient spot to learn how to surf.

Here, you can take a few lessons on surfing, rent a board or come along with your own.

If you’ve never tried surfing, then this is a great opportunity to do so as it is undeniably one of the best places to surf in the state.

Explore the Cocoa Beach Pier

Basically, the

Cocoa Beach boardwalk measures a distance of about

800 feet over the Atlantic Ocean.

Not only do you get an amazing view of the beach, there are shops, boutiques and restaurants which you can go to.

During your stay, make sure you grab a bite of the juicy fish sandwich at the Atlantic Ocean Grille.

Discover Ron Jon Surf Shop

When it comes to surfing, Ron Jon Surf Shop has almost everything, if not everything that you need.

The outstanding Ron Jon Surf Shop is the world’s largest surf shop which measures about 52,000 square feet.

It is one of the top

Cocoa Beach attractions and as such

, opens 24 hours a day.

From bikinis, to surf boards to clothing and sports gear, this shop has everything that you could possibly need.

Even if you do not want to shop for anything, you are free to walk around and check out the fish tanks, glass elevators and flowing waterfalls.

Eat Outside

The Fat Kahuna’s BeachSide Grille is popular for its breezy outdoor seating as well as an amazing view of the ocean.

You can enjoy the cool, air-conditioned paradise with the soft background Hawaiian music, the full screen television that features nonstop surf footage and a wrap round bar.

FAQs


Is Cocoa Beach near Tampa?

Tampa and Cocoa Beach have a distance of 116 miles between them.

The road distance between these two places is 135.

1 miles.

How do I travel from Tampa to Cocoa Beach without a car?

To get to

Cocoa Beach from Tampa without a car, the best option would

be to board a bus or taxi.

This takes about 3h 57m and the cost ranges from $150-220.

How far is Tampa from the ocean?

Based on your location or where you are living, the distance from Tampa to the beach varies.

From the North Tampa and USF area, it can  take about 45 minutes driving out to the beach.

This also depends on the beach that you are going to.

From North Tampa, the Ft.

DeSoto park can take about two hours while the

Clearwater beach

is by far the easiest and fastest drive

ABOUT ME

Born & raised amidst the gators and orange groves of Florida, I’ve waded through the Everglades and braved the dizzying heights of Orlando’s roller coasters.

About Us Jeff from TravelMagma

But FL is just the beginning of my adventures.

I’ve journeyed far and wide. Yet, it was the serene beauty of Japan that truly captured my heart.

I even wrote my own little
Caribbean Guide.

But…

My 2nd book “Things I Wish I Knew Before Going to Japan” became a bestseller, a guide filled with wisdom:

TravelMagma is where I tell the tales of the road, capture the essence of each destination, and inspire you to make your own footprints around the globe.

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Jeff