Last updated on March 12th, 2025 at 06:01 pm
Lingering hurricane damage and growing disgust with misbehaving college students has put a damper on many of Florida’s top Spring Break hot spots, including Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel Island and Siesta Key, where hotel rooms are in short supply and red tide threatens beaches.
Meantime, Miami Beach would rather you go someplace else.
The No. 1 Spring Break destination in Florida for 2025 remains Orlando and Central Florida, where the city’s theme parks are the big draw, and popular Atlantic beaches are little more than an hour away.
You’ll see the usual crowds of college students amassing in hot spots Panama City, Daytona and Miami Beach, and while Fort Lauderdale-area beaches are not as vibrant as they once were, they still see a steady stream of students and families.
Spring Break has its roots in Fort Lauderdale, made famous by the 1960s beach movie “Where the Boys Are.” At the center of the action to this day, as then, is the Elbo Room bar at the corner of State Road A1A and Los Olas Boulevard at the main beach.
When is Spring Break?
Spring Break in Florida is normally associated with the spring semester break taken by colleges and universities — and every school is different.
A staggered college schedule means Spring Break for students begins in late February and runs through April, peaking in mid-March.
On the other hand, families with children in primary and secondary schools traditionally take their spring break around Easter. Easter falls on April 20 this year, and Easter Week runs from April 12-20, so there will be little overlap with college breakers.
Table of Contents
Top 2025 Florida Spring Break destinations
Orlando & Central Florida
Orlando tops the charts every year as the No. 1 Spring Break destination in Florida. The big attraction, of course, is the multiplex of theme parks with Disney World, Legoland and Universal Studios leading the way.
Orlando is also a great jumping off spot for visiting the Kennedy Space Center in Titusville and the beaches of Cocoa Beach and Daytona Beach, two popular Spring Break destinations in their own right.
If you are Orlando bound, you are probably interested in these closest beaches to Orlando and Disney World.
With more than 480 hotels and resorts in the Orlando area, there is plenty of competition for your business. Expect the best deals for hotel stays. Compare rates on Hotels.com.
For camping near Disney World, check out Our picks within an hour’s drive. You also may find attractive camping options in Ocala National Forest.
Hot Tip: Try something different and get away from the crowds. The world’s largest concentration of springs can be found north of Orlando, in and around Ocala National Forest. We’ve picked out 19 springs worth visiting.
Daytona Beach
The “World’s Most Famous Beach” has long been a popular Spring Break destination and will remain so this year, though normally laid back New Smyrna Beach just to the south seems to be experiencing more and more overflow revelry.
New Smyrna has the same weather, arguably nicer beaches and an Old Florida atmosphere with easy access to Canaveral National Seashore.
Still, Daytona Beach will never relinquish it’s crown. It’s a town that likes to party.
Kicking off peak season with Bike Week in early March, things get crazy near the Main Street Pier and boardwalk and stay that way for two more months.
A beach alcohol ban remains in effect for 2025, but that’s unlikely to dampen spirits.
There are numerous scenic drives nearby if you want to get away. Try the Ormond Scenic Loop, or cruise to Ocala National Forest.
Campers can check out the best campgrounds near Daytona Beach. Check hotel rates in New Smyrna Beach, Daytona Beach and less-crowded Ormond Beach.
Hot Tip: Escape for a day from the Daytona mayhem to the pristine beaches of nearby Canaveral National Seashore, which you can access from A1A in New Smyrna Beach. A clothing optional beach is at Parking Lot No. 5.
Key West
Key West is Key West, party capitol at the end of the world, 24/7 at any time of the year.
Not surprisingly, the revelry kicks up a notch during Spring Break as students swarm Duval Street and jam beaches and bars. (Yes, Key West has several beaches.)
But be ready to shell out the big bucks for rooms. Don’t give up. There are a lot of options for vacation rentals and rooms throughout the Lower Keys on Hotels.com.
Arriving by car, bring Florida Rambler’s popular Florida Keys Overseas Highway Mile-Marker Guide and check out the less-crowded Lower Keys as you get closer to Key West.
It’s a four-hour drive from Miami’s airport to Key West, so you might just want to stop (or stay) in Key Largo and snorkel at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.
Hot Tips: The most underrated and least-visited destination in Key West is the beach at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park. On a budget? Free things to do in Key West: Fun without breaking your budget
Cocoa Beach
Cocoa Beach is the surfing capitol of Florida with sprawling beaches and dozens of beachfront hotels. It’s also the closest beach to Disney World, Orlando International Airport and the Kennedy Space Center, making it the perfect central destination for Spring Breakers.
There is plenty of action on these beaches and in the air around them. This is the Space Coast, after all, and with a little luck you might see a rocket launch.
Look for a campsite or a cabin at Jetty Park, if there are any left. Most Cocoa Beach hotel rooms are in the pier area, which rocks during Spring Break. Compare prices on Hotels.com.
Get your beach gear and souvenirs at world famous Ron Jon’s Surf Shop, one of at least five things to discover near Cocoa Beach.
Hot Tip: Avoid the pier area and venture further south on A1A to “Coconuts Beach.” Get your beach souvenirs at Ron Jon’s Surf Shop, one of five things to discover near Cocoa Beach.
Clearwater Beach
Red tide and hurricanes have done little to discourage spring-breakers from piling into Clearwater Beach, which has become the new epicenter of Spring Break on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Part of Clearwater’s undying appeal are two other awesome beaches, Caladesi Island and Honeymoon Island.
Bring your bicycle so you can enjoy one of Florida’s most appealing multi-use trails, the Pinellas Trail.
Like many other beach hot spots in Florida this year, Clearwater’s hotel rates are eye-opening, so comparison shopping is critical. Here’s a link to Hotels.com for Clearwater Beach.
For the best camping near Clearwater and Tampa Bay, check out these 9 choice campgrounds.
Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale is a perennial favorite for Spring Break, and efforts by the city to quell the debauchery has meant a more orderly gathering of the tribe. It’s almost peaceful these days.
Fort Lauderdale may have the most predictably pleasant weather of any Spring Break destination in Florida, and you can never discount Fort Lauderdale’s enduring reputation as THE Spring Break mecca.
The world-famous Elbo Room is still the center of the action, as it has been since 1960 film “Where the Boys Are” put Fort Lauderdale — and the Elbo Room — on the map.
My advice: Go to nearby beaches in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Pompano Beach, Hollywood or Deerfield Beach, where police presence will be far more “normal.”
Hot Tips: Escape on a ferry out of Fort Lauderdale to Bimini or Grand Bahama Island. Hard Rock Live in Hollywood hosts several major acts this spring, including Stevie Nicks, the Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ
You may want to avoid…
Miami Beach
Topless tolerance and its growing reputation as a party town has prompted Miami Beach to put the brakes on Spring Break fun. Police presence will be significantly stepped up with hundreds of officers patrolling beach areas throughout March.
“Expect curfews, security searches and bag checks at beach access points,” as well as multiple DUI checkpoints, the city warns.
- No alcohol on the beach.
- A $100 flat fee parking for non-residents at South Beach parking garages.
- Parking garages and surface lots south of 23rd Street will be closed.
- Ocean Drive sidewalk seating will be closed on March 14-16 and March 21-23
- A DUI sobriety checkpoint will be set up on 5th Street starting at 7 p.m.
- The non-resident towing rate will be $516 — double the regular rate — for vehicles towed in South Beach.
- Beach entrances on Ocean Drive will be limited and will have security checkpoints.
- Police are authorized to declare last-minute curfews at any time, as they have in recent years.
Besides all the rules, Miami Beach hotel rates are outrageous and the cost of drinks in bars are shocking. The last time I visited South Beach, beers were $15 — and that was 10 years ago!
My advice: Skip it.
Hot Tip: Go to the postcard-perfect beach in Crandon Park on Key Biscayne, or the legal clothing-optional beach at Haulover Park. Spend a day in Everglades National Park or explore the mysterious Loop Road.
Panama City Beach
‘Girls Gone Wild’ had its roots Panama City, but the city’s heyday as a premier Spring Break destination is fading as local governments crack down on alcohol sales and consumption.
- No alcohol on Panama City Beach or unincorporated Bay County.
- No alcohol sales after 2 a.m. in Panama City Beach and unincorporated Bay County.
- No alcohol sales after 2 a.m. for businesses outside of entertainment districts in Panama City. Those within the districts cannot sale alcohol after 4 a.m.
- No consuming alcohol in parking lots.
Because of unpredictable weather and efforts to discourage the college crowd, you likely will find bargains on Hotels.com. Campers might consider our choices for the beach camping in Florida’s Panhandle.
My advice: With temperatures rarely rising above 70 during March, Panama City Beach is a crap shoot. I want sun when I go to Florida.
Hot Tip: A cozier, Old Florida small-town atmosphere can be found 30 miles east of Panama City in Grayton Beach, but accommodations there are few.
Fort Myers Beach & Sanibel Island
Editors Note: The red tide gradually disappeared in early March.
Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel Island have had a rough time of it over the past couple of years. Both have been battered by multiple hurricanes, and toxic red tide threatened it’s ugly face along this section of Gulf coast.
You’ll still find some Spring Breakers here at the few hotels that are open (about half remain closed), and the beaches themselves have returned to their former glory.
But there won’t be much of a party.
Here’s the latest on recovery for Sanibel Islanda after damage from 3 hurricanes
Siesta Key
Editors Note: The red tide gradually disappeared from this area in early March.
Siesta Key is another destination that was slammed head-on by hurricanes this fall, but most of the beaches have reopened and visitors are being welcomed this spring.
Still, the area’s continued hurricane hangover may put a damper on your plans.
“You just can’t expect it to look like what it was last year or the year before,” Kay Kouvatsos, owner of the Village Cafe told ABC7 in Sarasota last month. “It’s not pretty yet. But it’s getting there.”
As if hurricanes weren’t enough, toxic red tide is once again amassing offshore of Southwest Florida, as it has for the past two years.
Follow the developments with red tide with our red tide forecast report.
Florida Beach Cams
These links will take you to live beach cameras at popular Florida beaches.
Atlantic Beaches (North to South)
- Jacksonville Beach (surfguru.com)
- St. Augustine Beach (surfstationcam)
- Flagler Beach Pier
- Ormond by the Sea
- Daytona Beach
- New Smyrna Beach
- Cocoa Beach (Jetty Park)
- Cocoa Beach
- Melbourne Beach (surfguru.com)
- Sebastian Inlet (surfguru.com)
- Deerfield Beach
- Fort Lauderdale Beach
- Dania Beach
- Hollywood Beach
- Miami Beach
- Key Biscayne
- Islamorada (Beach at Amara Cay)
- Marathon (Beach at Tranquility Bay)
- Key West (Fort Zachary Taylor Beach)
Gulf Beaches (Panhandle to South)
- Pensacola Beach (visit pensacola)
- Destin (surfguru.com)
- South Walton / 30a Beach Webcams
- Clearwater Beach
- Indian Shores (surfguru.com)
- Treasure Island (surfguru.com)
- Siesta Key
- Venice Beach (Sharkey’s on the Pier)
- Fort Myers Beach
- Naples Beach