Space Coast
Florida’s Space Coast, while famous for Kennedy Space Center, has lots to do in addition to venturing to Space. Cape Canaveral and its environs has so much green space, gorgeous seashore, and parks to explore by car, bike, kayak or paddleboard. Florida’s Space Coast includes Cape Canaveral, Cocoa and Cocoa Beach, Merrit Island, Rockledge, Melbourne, Palm Bay and Titusville. There’s sandy beaches, beach and surf shops, and some fun and festive happy hours on the waterfront of Port Canaveral too, where you can watch the cruise ships come and go.
Fun things to do for a little luxury vacay on the Space Coast:
Tour Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge just north of Kennedy Space Center. From Titusville, cross the Max Brewer Causeway over the Indian River. The National Park stretches from the River to the Atlantic, on the Canaveral National Seashore. You can drive down Peacock Pocket Road for great waterfront views of Indian River lagoon and the Space Center, or head east to the Seashore and beaches, or north to Black Point Wildlife Drive. Drive this loop to see wild boar, loads of shorebirds, alligator sunning in marsh, snakes, and otters. It’s a dirt road that makes a loop. The Cruickshank Tower Trail is a 5 mile loop reached from here you can walk or ride mountain bikes along the waterfront, so peaceful as you admire the habits for birds, fish, butterfly, plants and flowers. This is all part of the Canaveral National Seashore, over 35,000 acres was designated as protected in the 1960s when NASA and the Kennedy Space Center were being established just south, an environmental initiative to provide a peaceful place for wildlife given the potentially disruptive launches nearby at the Space Force zone.
Another fun Merritt Island bike ride is to travel south from the 404 Bridge on South Tropical Trail to admire the beautiful homes with water on both sides of this narrow peninsula. South Tropical Trail is a great 4.5 bike ride each way down to the Banana River Drive Drawbridge and Dragon Point. The entirety of Merrit Island is 46 miles long, the Peninsula sits between mainland Titusville, and Cocoa below, with Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach to the East on the Atlantic side.
Walk out the Cape Canaveral Breakwater Pier to see the coastline, the beach and the entrance to Port Canaveral’s harbor for cruise ships, container ships, pleasure boats and commercial vessels. From here find a tiki bar to have drinks and watch the departing cruise ships in the afternoon, see below for bar and restaurant recommendations.
At Cocoa Beach visit the biggest Ron Jon’s surf shop. This world’s largest surf shop is over 52,000sq ft, like the LL Bean of Maine. This Ron Jon flagship beach boutique Is not actually the original, the first was 1959 on the Jersey shore. By 1961, Cocoa Beach & Key West were built due to the surfer shop popularity!
Kennedy Space Center is a MUST. It’s a full day exploring this aeronautic facility which been the forefront of Space exploration since its inception. President Dwight Eisenhower founded NASA in 1958 which launched this original NASA facility. In 1963, President Lyndon Johnson announced that the Merrit Island facility would be named Kennedy Space Center honoring the late President Kennedy and his commitment to go to space in his speech in 1962. This huge facility on an otherwise pristine peninsula is multi-faceted, its an engineering and launch facility and also a vibrant astronaut training school. Kennedy Space Center later became a visitor attraction in 1965 due to the popularity of people coming to witness launches and wanting to learn more about space exploration.
Today, Space exploration and Kennedy Space Center are even more interesting with NASA and SpaceX innovations, frequent Space mission launches, and Blue Origin moon trips – as Elon Musk and Bezos compete in the final frontier.
A few Kennedy Space Center tips:
~Arrive and park prior to the 9am gates opening, you’ll have time to get tickets, have a photo with an astronaut, and reserve virtual reality admissions, and hear the patriotic opening National Anthem.
~Pick up the daily schedule so you know Imax show times, Astronaut chats, and special events.
~Take an early Shuttle Bus out to the massive VAB and Apollo/Saturn Center as this gets busier later.
~Atlantis, Journey to Mars, and Heros and Legends, and the IMax shows, are all worthwhile back at the Welcome Visitors Center.
~Don’t miss the virtual Blue Origin for your 11-minute trip to Space in a capsule that some are paying Jeff Bezos over $200k for, its included “virtually” at KSC, just sign up.
~Kennedy Space Center campus seems huge at first, but its do-able in a day – 9-5pm. Fun fact though, its only $10 more for a second day at Kennedy Space Center when you purchase a two-day ticket.
~You are allowed to bring refillable water bottles and snacks into the Park. Kennedy Space Center has several basic, casual eateries on premise as well.
~ Check for launches and go close to the launch site, best at night. We drove to the Causeway to watch a night launch – the flash – feel the earth move – the sonic boom — incredible!
Downtown Cocoa is a cute historic village with shops, cafes and pubs, worth a stroll, park at Cocoa Riverfront Park. For a great Cocoa bike ride from downtown along the waterfront on the scenic shore, head south on Riverside Drive to Rockledge Drive for 5 miles. And/or travel north from the Cocoa Riverfront Park along Indian River Drive for 5 miles along paved (but not overly trafficky) auto roads, admiring the lovely waterfront estates and docks before looping back.
Dining Spots around the Space Coast:
Port Canaveral has several great happy hour spots on the waterfront. Rusty’s Seafood and Oyster Bar is a tiki bar with a great canal view of the port and the cruise ships, casual fare, tropical cocktail and full bar, and often live music. Fishlips Waterfront Bar & Grill nearby has happy hour and a fun atmosphere, from theire covered patio or upstairs tiki bar – all with a commanding cruise port view. Their motto: eat, drink, laugh, dance, repeat, works for me! Sit and sip and watch the ships depart, a fun food and frosty drink spot.
Preacher Bar in Cape Canaveral is an unassuming location, not waterfront, but sophisticated, even scintillating inside with soulful food served at the bar and cozy restaurant. Preachers’ great happy hour includes drinks and BOHO appetizers; the tuna bites, the triple crab cakes, and the scallop escargot are amazing. Bartenders are animated and entertaining at Preacher too, you can confess your soul over soul food.
Mexico’s Grill on Merritt Island is in a strip mall, so not so fancy in atmosphere, but the authentic Mex food is fabulous, cheap and cheerful. Complimentary chips and salsa, Margaritas are great, and service is attentive too!
Downtown Titusville, Café Paradiso Social Club and Bistro, is a hole-in-the-wall worth poking in to. You’ll discover wonderful New Orleans-inspired cuisine inside this cozy creole speak easy. The décor is fascinating, the food is made fresh by Chef Gypsy from New Orleans, and her team is delightfully friendly. Her Unicorn fish – blackened bayou style – wow! Lots of fun events at Paradiso, live trivia, music and murder mystery dinners are constantly evolving!
Discover the Space Coast and enjoy Cape Canaveral for a few-day getaway. While not exactly luxurious in its lodging and dining offerings, for that visit West Palm, Delray, Amelia Island, or St Augustine, its more casual and relaxing, inspiring, educational and “vacational” which is that wonderful state of mind you achieve when on vacation!
See more Florida Reviews:
Amelia Island- Fernandina Beach l Anna Maria Island l Boynton Beach l Crystal River, Homosassa & Inverness Things to Do l Delray Beach Things to Do l Disney World Orlando l Fort Lauderdale’s Top Things to Do l Fort Lauderdale Port Everglade l Key West’s Best
Miami Luxury Hotels l Mount Dora l Marathon Top Things to Do l St Augustine Top Things to Do l Sarasota, Siesta Key and Venice
