48 Hours in Space Coast, FL
What is the Space Coast of Florida, you may ask? It is the area directly surrounding the Kennedy Space Center, from North Titusville, Florida to South Melbourne, Florida. There is a lot to explore, and a lot to do. You could easily spend an entire weekend at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) alone. This article will give you some ideas on how to make the most of your 48 Hours in Space Coast, FL. Seeing a shuttle launch, learning to surf on Cocoa Beach and experiencing the history of the Kennedy Space Center is worth the trip, and the addition to your bucket list if its not on it already.
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Table of Contents
Shuttle Launch
Day 1 Shuttle Launch, which is a bucket list item for every person, if not it should be. Aim for the Kennedy Space Center, and follow the traffic. There is something so magical about watching a person launch into space. It really is amazing, and worth the time and crowds. This is the number 1 thing to do in Space Coast, plan ahead but know that space launches are highly weather dependent.
You should plan on getting to the area at least 2 hours early to get a good spot. Bring and wear your sunscreen, if the weather is good for a launch it is probably bad for your skin! Bring cash because you will likely have to pay to park, if you want to get even remotely close, and be prepared to walk.
Once you find your spot, post up and follow the updates on NASA’s twitter to ensure the launch is a go. Even if everything is looking good, last minute changes can happen, so be prepared just in case it doesn’t work out. If it does work out, and the launch goes forward be prepared for an awe-inspiring sight, that will literally be an amazing memory forever!
Cocoa Beach
After all the excitement of the day, you are ready to chill. You might post up in Cocoa Beach, being close by. Cocoa Beach has some original Florida Beach town vibes, and if it is up your ally you can book an amazing surf lesson to learn a new skill!
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Kennedy Space Center
Day 2 Kennedy Space Center (KSC) located in Central Florida 50 miles east of Orlando, and about 10 miles north of Cocoa Beach. It is an important disclosure at this stage, that visiting KSC is quite the investment, parking is $5, adult admission is $57 and children are only $10 less at $47 per person. Included in the ticket is the Heroes and Legends featuring the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, Apollo/ Saturn V Center and transportation, Planet Play, Space Shuttle Atlantis, NASA Now, Rocket Garden, NASA Now, Journey to Mars, IMAX Theater.
For an additional fee you can add dining with an astronaut, or the astronaut training experience. This is a lot to experience, and be warned there is a lot of walking. If you are bringing little ones be sure to bring the stroller.
Top experiences in the Kennedy Space Center, #1 has to be the Astronaut Lecture where you can take pictures with an Astronaut and they give a talk and take questions from the crowd. It is amazing, they are for sure heroes, and their experiences are awe inspiring. They also throw in some fun anecdotes about eating in space, which must have been so strange!
#2 Has to be seeing the Shuttle Atlantis, they have a whole exhibit that shows the history and facts, and then the big reveal of the actual shuttle! It was carrying people to the International Space Station for 26 years! It’s max speed is 17,580 mph and its last flight was July 2011.
#3 For sure is the Saturn V moon rocket, it is so big it is almost mind blowing, (pun intended lol) Words cant explain how impressive and outragously huge this rocket is! If you have made it through all of this walking then you are going to eat, and in the same building as the Saturn V is a little cafeteria, it was nice to eat and be able to look up and admire the engineering feat! Be warned food is pricey, so plan ahead with snacks if you can but don’t be shocked by the amusement park food prices and quality.
#4 Behind the Gates Tour is an amazing opportunity to see behind the scenes, and hear the history of this amazing site. This was the site of the space race, and saw so much history made!
#5 Heroes and Legends you can see real space suits and the history of the USA Space program through the years. This was so eye opening, and no lie those first space suits looked really questionable. The Astronauts showed some serious guts and changed history when they climbed and and flew to the moon in those!
48 Hours in Space Coast, FL
Space Coast in central Florida has so much to offer, and you can’t go wrong this spending a whole weekend exploring and learning about the history of the space program. You also can’t go wrong, having a drink and watching history be made by watching a rocket launch. Whatever you do on Space Coast it will be an amazingly memorable time and you will be glad you did it! Do whatever launches your rocket and enjoy!
Puloma Banerjee
Hi Becky,
How are you really enjoyed reading a fabulous blog on Florida NASA space centre and sharing your entire experience on this historic place. Wonderful captures on the exhibits too!!
Thank you for introducing me to Wandering Women Bloggers!!
ramckellips
I am so glad you enjoyed the post, and are getting so much out of the Blogging group it is such a help!
Linnea
This is so cool! I’ve never been and it’s on my list! I’ll definitely use this guide when I go!
rebecca mckellips
I am so glad to have helped! I hope you get to go soon and experience a launch!
Emma
This would be amazing!! I know kids are the ones that tend to get most excited about places like this but I love these kinds of places and to see a shuttle launch would be incredible
rebecca mckellips
I am totally the same, a museum full of history, space and astronauts!! I am totally there!
The Space launches are a bucket-list item for certain!
jamie@pinkluggageabroad.com
I remember doing this as a kid and it was so fun! Need to revisit as an adult, thanks for sharing!
rebecca mckellips
Yes, it is so awesome as an adult I learned so much and it all seems so much more significant when you know what it took to do it!
Tiffany
I lived in Florida for years but it never worked out to see a launch (and I never had the money to go to the station). Now we will have to do it all when we go back to visit because I had no idea how much there was to do there!
rebecca mckellips
I lived in Florida for 16 years before I finally saw one so I can totally understand. I hope you can add it to your list soon because it is totally worth the trip!
Lenore | The Nitty Gritty Travel OT
I had so much fun at Kennedy Space Center and at Coca Beach, your blog post brings back good memories. I would like to see the shuttle launch so that would be a great reason to go back and visit.
pulomabanerjee@gmail.com
Absolutely looking forward to seeing it 😀
rebecca mckellips
I am so glad! You should totally put it on your bucket list, it is an amazing experience!
Debbie
We LOVED the Kennedy Space Center. We wished we had another day to explore more. This totally takes me back 🙂
rebecca mckellips
Yes, one day is just not long enough to see and do it all!
Krista
I have yet to explore this area of Florida, but you’re making me want to plan a trip asap! It looks so interesting to visit and I would love to see a launch live!
rebecca mckellips
Watching a launch should for sure be on your bucket-list! I am so glad I went and honestly want to go see another one!
Laura J
This looks amazing! My partner is disappointed we didn’t know about this last time we were in Florida so it definitely calls for a return trip.
rebecca mckellips
Laura you should for sure come back and hit it up it is totally worth it!
Krystianna
Great post! I’ve been to Florida, but only to go to Disney. I’ll have to go back to check this out!
Monica
So glad to hear this open. We tried to go to a NASA facility/museum in Mississippi in March and they were still closed.
rebecca mckellips
They have a couple limitations, so definitely check before going, but it is mostly open!
Anja
Even as a technically not very interested person, I really loved the Space Centre in Houston and this one looks extremely interesting too. It would be amazing to observe a launch, someday!
rebecca mckellips
The launch is totally worth it! It is amazing to see a rocket launch someone to space!
Tina
Oh my gosh, I want to go back to Florida so bad. Next time I visit I’m adding Space Coast to my list.
rebecca mckellips
YAY!! I am so glad and I hope you have an awesome time!!
Puloma Banerjee
It’s awesome I wish you guys get to visit it!
Florida Top 9 Unique Travel Spots – Whatever Packs Your Bag
[…] Florida’s Space Coast is one of the best places to visit. Bioluminescence season in Florida is June through October and there are 2 different kinds of Bioluminescence, the plankton in the water and the fish both give off the bioluminescent hues. Seeing a shuttle launch from the Kennedy Space Center will always be both awe inspiring and a highlight to remember forever. If you are there you need to stop over to NASA at Cape Canaveral and see the shuttle and the development of the space program over the years. For more info, tips and tricks for a great trip to Florida’s Space Coast! […]