It’s more than a little ironic that one of the most extensive sections of natural coastal wetlands left in Florida is home to the launch pads of the nation’s space program. Though the natural aspects—thousands of seabirds and wide open stretches of sandy beaches—are attractive enough in their own right to merit a visit, most people are drawn here because the undeveloped landscape allows clear and generally unobstructed views of missile launches, and Space Shuttle take-offs and landings, at Cape Canaveral’s Kennedy Space Center. All the big milestones in the history of the U.S. space program—the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle launches—happened here, and if names like Alan Shepard, John Glenn, or Neil Armstrong mean anything to you, set aside time for a visit.
The Kennedy Space Center itself, eight miles west of US-1 via the NASA Parkway (Hwy-405), is open to the public, but only on guided tours. These tours require advance tickets, and all leave from the large visitors complex (daily; $18–37; 321/452-2121) where a pair of IMAX theaters show films of outer space to get you in the mood. There are also some small museums, a simulated Space Shuttle mission control center, a half-dozen missiles in the Rocket Garden, and an actual Space Shuttle, which you can walk through. The visitors center also has a couple of fast-food restaurants and a kennel for pets.
To see the Kennedy Space Center up close, board a bus for a tour; these leave every few minutes, and visit the Apollo and Space Shuttle launch pads and other sites, including a mock-up of the International Space Station. On other tours, you can visit the Cape Canaveral Air Force station; the Cape Canaveral Air Station, site of many early “Space Race” adventures; or even “have lunch with an astronaut,” and talk about outer space with someone who’s actually been there (glass of Tang not included).
One of the best places to eat in this part of Florida is west of the Space Center, in the town of Titusville: Dixie Crossroads (daily; 321/268-5000), at 1475 Garden Street, an immense (and immensely popular) place to eat seafood, especially massive plates of shrimp. All-you-can-eat piles of small shrimp cost $20, while jumbo shrimp cost around $1 apiece. The Crossroads is away from the water, two miles east of I-95 exit 220.
