City Profile: Port Canaveral

By VISIT FLORIDA staff
Published: February 26, 2008
Last Updated On: March 21, 2011

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Titusville

Merritt Island

Cocoa

Cape Canaveral

See how nature and science coexist in Port Canaveral.

You won't find many places where nature exists in harmony with technology, but it does in Cape Canaveral on Florida's Space Coast. You'll also find pristine beaches, fabulous fishing and great golfing all within easy driving distance of Florida's biggest attractions.

Visit Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, which tells the story of NASA's exploration of space through interactive exhibits, movies and tours that are sure to delight visitors of all ages. Get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of Kennedy Space Center on the KSC Tour. Marvel at a monstrous 363-foot-long Saturn V moon rocket, the most powerful rocket ever built, at the Apollo/Saturn V Center. Discover the sights, sounds and sensations of launching into space on Shuttle Launch Experience. Experience the thrills of space in the two 3D IMAX productions offered here: Space Station 3D, narrated by Tom Cruise, and Hubble 3D, narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio. Meet a real astronaut and walk among towering rockets in the Rocket Garden. Other highlights include the Mission Status Center, which offers a behind-the-scenes look at mission briefings every hour; Space Shuttle Plaza, a full-sized replica of a space shuttle orbiter; and the Astronaut Memorial, which honors the astronauts who gave their lives to further space exploration.

The port is a great place to find a party or charter fishing boat and is also the largest scallop fishery in the world.

Amazingly, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge exists on the same land that hosts the Kennedy Space Center. This 220-square-mile refuge is home to more endangered species than any other refuge in the United States, including the southern bald eagle and Atlantic loggerhead turtle. Here, gators soak in the sun at the edge of inland waterways; raccoons, bobcats and armadillos roam the refuge; and gentle manatees (sea cows) swim in the waters of the Indian River.

Other Titusville attractions include the Valiant Air Command, a "flying museum"; the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, which showcases the feats of the first 44 American astronauts; and a Space Camp for kids.

Head out to sea from nearby Port Canaveral, the second largest multi-day cruise ship port in the country. Port Canaveral also has recreational facilities including boat ramps, campgrounds, parks, beaches and fishing areas. The port is a great place to find a party or charter fishing boat and is also the largest scallop fishery in the world.

Farther south in Cocoa you can explore Historic Cocoa Village, the restored downtown district. It is a tree-lined brick-walk village with specialty shops, a picnic area and gazebo and the Porcher House, the former estate of wealthy citrus growers, now open to the public for tours.

Cocoa has several museums including the Brevard Museum of History and Science, with exhibits of natural science, history and archeology, and the BCC Planetarium and Observatory, a 70-foot aluminum dome with the world's most advanced laser projector, on the campus of Brevard Community College.