When NASA ended its shuttle program in 2011, Cape Canaveral's local economy screeched to a halt. Now, with the space program humming again thanks to regular rocket launches and with SpaceX and Boeing at work on top-secret projects in the high-tech garages formerly used by shuttle orbiters, the Space Coast is back on track. So, too, is tourism in the area, comprising a string of coastal communities in Brevard County that include Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach and Melbourne.
Living in Orlando, my family and I often make daytrips to the Space Coast, just an hour's drive away. But with the opening of the Kennedy Space Center's much-touted Heroes and Legends exhibit last fall, the revitalized Cocoa Beach Pier and a new exhibit at the Brevard Zoo that features kangaroos and komodo dragons, the time had come to linger and explore. My daughter and I recently paid a three-day visit to see if the Space Coast is really getting its groove back.
I last visited the Brevard Zoo in Melbourne four years ago, and I'd forgotten what a gem it is: small enough to see it all, large enough to enjoy a wide range of animals in six loops that represent different regions of the world. In South America, a jaguar lazed overhead on a wooden bridge and an anteater reclined on its back in a pool, comically bathing itself as though it were a character in a children's book. Best of all, the entire zoo is so lushly planted that even on a hot day it is relatively cool.
A jaguar lounges above a walkway at the Brevard Zoo in Melbourne. Photo Credit: Megan Padilla
This time, my daughter was old enough to join an add-on activity that captured my imagination during our last visit: kayaking around the Africa exhibit. A 30-minute guided paddle costs $9.95 and had us dipping our paddles as we slipped past grazing giraffes and frolicking lemurs. Kids must be 5 years old to participate.
The newest addition to the zoo is Land of Change, which opened Memorial Day weekend. Here, visitors follow a path within the kangaroo enclosure, where the marsupials might just hop along, too. On a hot day, though, they seemed content to just chill in the shade near their barn, though we saw a twin set of paws poking out of a mama's pouch. In the newly rebuilt aviaries that are filled with a fluttering rainbow of feathers, my daughter fed nectar to some birds. Two komodo dragons are also now on display as are their slithery, forked tongues, just one of their lethal weapons used to attack prey.
Admission to the zoo is $20 for adults, $19 for seniors and $15 for kids ages 3 to 11 (younger ones are admitted free).
On our way to our hotel we stopped by the Dinosaur Store that opened last April in Cocoa Beach. I expected roadside kitsch, but its Museum of Dinosaurs and Ancient Cultures on the upper two floors (admission $14) turned out to be the real deal. Its Giganotosauras is the largest predatory dinosaur skeleton in the New World and is a cast made from fossils found in Argentina. This is one of two casts outside of that country. We ran out of time but have flagged the museum as a "must return."
An exhibit at the Museum of Dinosaurs and Ancient Cultures at the Dinosaur Store in Cocoa Beach. Photo Credit: Megan Padilla
That evening, we continued our nature and kayaking theme with a nighttime bioluminescent paddling excursion in the Indian River Lagoon. Kayak Cocoa Beach ($40) provides the gear and guides to experience this natural phenomenon that occurs only when the water is warm enough to produce a certain type of algae bloom that is activated by movement and is often bright enough to be able to see fish and even the occasional dolphin or manatee. The season is June through September, and trips run every night (the darker the sky, the better the view) from Kiwanis Island Park on Merritt Island.
Of course, nature makes no guarantees: on the night we went out, the bioluminescence was low wattage, more like swoops of fairy dust trailing behind each paddle's stroke. However, there was a cool evening breeze, and we were outdoors, unplugged, sharing an adventure; enough to make this kayak outing a win.
The next morning took us to the Kennedy Space Center; the primary purpose for our Space Coast trip was to finally see the Heroes and Legends exhibit that opened last November. The newest attraction at the visitors center shares the stories of the early days of the U.S. space program, using technology that firmly stakes this exhibit in a new era of museum, one master-planned and created by Orlando-based Falcon's Creative Group, a themed-entertainment design company that is also behind the world's largest indoor theme park in Dubai.
A swooping ramp delivered us into a 4-D movie experience that explores the concept of heroes and allowed us to relive astronauts' memories through their eyes. Afterwards, we explored the nine interactive pods filled with NASA and personal memorabilia that, together with interviews with astronauts and their families, illustrate the attributes of a hero: passionate, curious, tenacious, confidant, inspired, disciplined, selfless, courageous and principled. A hologram exhibit brings to life the peril of Gene Cernan's space walk on the Gemini 9A that led to astronauts being trained underwater to experience weightlessness.
The exhibit ends in the Astronaut Hall of Fame, which was relocated from an off-site location and completely redone. There, we took a selfie with John Glenn, whose life-size image was projected on a central cylinder upon which a steady stream of images appear.
The author's daughter poses for a photo with an image of astronaut Alan Shepard at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: Megan Padilla
With the addition of Heroes and Legends, the Kennedy Space Center has organized its mission zones based on each era of space program, right into the future.
Our last day on the Space Coast was devoted to the beach, specifically at the iconic Cocoa Beach Pier where we started the day with surf lessons that ended with us both catching waves. Surf instruction was added last summer and is just one of many services and improvements that have been added to the Cocoa Beach Pier since it was purchased by Westgate Resorts in 2014. Among the noteworthy upgrades is the ongoing stabilizing of the pylons that enable this behemoth to safely reach some 800 feet out into the Atlantic Ocean.
The row of shops, bars and restaurants on the pier mostly look the same with some notable upgrades, such as the floor-to-ceiling windows added at Pelican's Bar and Grill which make waiting for a window-front table worthwhile (they use a pager system, so waiting isn't so monotonous). The old tiki bar at the end of the pier has been replaced by the Rikki Tiki Tavern, which opened in May and is a family-friendly perch for a casual bite and for watching the surfers, ships and even a rocket launch if the timing is right.
Beach chair and umbrella rentals mean we didn't have to schlep our gear. The best addition, though, is the food and beverage service, right on the beach. A server takes orders and delivers cold drinks and hot food right to your blanket. It's like being at a resort, but without a room.
Good thing we saved the beach for last, or I might not have made it anywhere else.
Surfing near the Cocoa Beach Pier.
A note about local hotels
What the Space Coast doesn't have yet are new hotels. The Hilton Cocoa Beach is probably the most upscale, oceanfront option.
Hotels are mostly chains, making it a good choice for travelers who want to accrue or use their loyalty program points. We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott Cocoa Beach-Cape Canaveral as guests of Space Coast Florida's Office of Tourism. The hotel is exactly what you expect from a Courtyard and was a comfortable home base for exploring the area. However, it is not directly on the beach and doesn't lend itself to feeling like we were on a "beach vacation."