Surfing Outdoors & Nature Cocoa Beach Cruises Merritt Island Cocoa Cape Canaveral
The walkway to the shore of Canaveral National Seashore
Photo Credit: Donna McLaughlin Arnold
Take the family to the beach for some wave riding fun.
Photo Credit: Contributed Photo
The 140,000 acre Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is home to hundreds of land and water fauna.
Photo Credit: Contributed Photo
Grab a bite to eat at the Mai Kai Tiki Bar located on Cocoa Beach Pier
Photo Credit: Contributed Photo
White ibis and roseate spoonbill are just a couple of the types of birds you might see on the Space Coast.
Photo Credit: Contributed Photo
Hit the water on the Space Coast – go surfing or take in the view on a nature cruise.
The Space Coast tells the truth, the whole truth. Not even a hint of exaggeration in its name: If there's one thing the Space Coast has, it's lots of space. And not just what you experience at Kennedy Space Center. Step outside and the space is wide open and drenched with water, water everywhere.
So, it comes as no surprise that outdoor pursuits concentrate on, in, or near the Space Coast's spacious waterfronts - the Atlantic Ocean, Indian River, Banana River, St. Johns River, plus countless lagoons, creeks, canals and streams. Here I diagram three days of active fun where the main ingredient is water.
Day One
Start your visit with an overview of local ecology and history on a morning cruise with Island Boat Lines. Two-hour excursions depart from 500 W. Cocoa Beach Causeway on a portion of Intracoastal Waterway known as the Banana River and heads through estuary dolphin habitat to Cocoa Beach's mangrove 1,000 Islands. You get a visual, auditory and olfactory introduction to birds roosting, hunting and dining along rookery islands and backyards. Bring your binoculars for a close look at pelicans, herons, ospreys and anhingas. On warm days, look for manatees in the water.
For a more intimate interaction with the region's rich wildlife, work off lunch with a kayak trip. A good place for beginners to start, Brevard Zoo takes you on half-hour guided tours of either its African portion, where only water separates you from giraffes and ostriches, or Florida wetlands, where you'll spot local birds and small alligators.
For those more experienced, the zoo offers a four-hour tour at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, a 140,000-acre mass of untouched habitat for hundreds of species of land and water fauna.
Day Two
Time to hit the beach, Beach Boy-style. Meaning: with surfboards. Haven't a clue? (Not to mention a board?) Sign up with a local surfing school for a group or private lesson. Then head to any one of the area's surfing hotspots for a day of shredding the waves. Cocoa Beach Pier is most famous and happening, and the site of Easter's Surfing Festival. You can rent or buy your equipment nearby at super-sized Ron Jon Watersports.
Cocoa Beach makes a convenient spot to anchor your water-seeking stay on the Space Coast. Several chains, such as Hampton Inn, are central to the long, watery coast line. If you're surfing-obsessed like my family, however, try the new Ron Jon Resort Cape Caribe in Cape Canaveral.
Drive the wildlife trail and main road across estuary, scrub, and pine flatwoods to the Manatee Observation Deck, where the docile, blimpy marine mammals gather.
5 visitor(s) liked this article.
Cocoa Beach Pier
Ron Jon Surf Shop
Brevard Zoo
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
Island Boat Lines & Indian River Queen
Ron Jon Cape Caribe Resort
Post a Comment