As the gateway to the Kennedy Space Center and home to cruisey beach piers and parks, this coastal playground is a great place to escape to from bustling Orlando.
The Florida city of Cocoa Beach is just an hour from the theme parks of Orlando, but feels like a world away. That’s mainly because it’s all about sea, sun and sand here. Oh, and about space travel, of course.
Before you aim for the moon and stars, enjoy a quiet morning at the beach in Lori Wilson Park with its shallow waters and gentle waves. Swim, learn how to surf or have a picnic in one of the beachside pavilions. The park is part of the Great Florida Birding Trail, so bring your binoculars to look for the colorful painted buntings and other species as you follow the boardwalk through the hammock forest.
The surf around the Westgate Cocoa Beach Pier is also consistent and fishing here can be pretty rewarding too. The pier with shops and restaurants has brightly painted rocking chairs to relax on and a Hawaiian-style tavern at its end. Rent surfing gear or beach umbrellas from the beach below the pier.
Get into the surfing spirit at the Florida Surf Museum inside the famous Ron Jon Surf Shop in town. The museum is partly dedicated to local surfing legend Kelly Slater. While in the area, treat the kids to a tour of the Museum of Dinosaurs and Ancient Cultures and the next-door Dinosaur Store. Have fun in its Adventure Zone, discover skeletons and other treasure from the Jurassic period and delve into the ancient cultures of Egypt, China and MesoAmerica.
Cocoa Beach city sits just south of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Spend a day in the interactive Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on nearby Merritt Island. Learn how to fly a space shuttle in a simulator and partake in other fun and educational training sessions as a “space cadet.” See the spot where the Apollo 11 spaceflight took off for the moon in 1969 and visit its hall of fame to commemorate the astronauts who lost their lives aboard the fateful Challenger space journey in 1986.
If you are the adventurous type, don’t leave Cocoa Beach before you’ve played mini golf with the alligators at Golf N Gator or have conquered the elevated trails of the adjacent Cocoa Beach Aerial Adventures play park.