| I Dream of...Cocoa Beach! |
|
|
| April 24, 2008 |
|
Hi everybody! This is the beach expert coming to you live from Cocoa Beach. I spent the day hanging out on the beach. I started out this morning with a 3 hour drive from St. Petersburg. I arrived around noon and went straight to Jetty Park at Port Canaveral. What a nice beach park! But what really got my attention was the two sea turtles, half-a-dozen dolphins, and a very large manatee swimming in the inlet right off the jetty.
Next I headed for Cocoa Beach Pier. It's on Meade Avenue, which is a bit hard to see. Just look for the Days Inn and turn toward the beach at the traffic light. Parking in the lot by the pier is $5, or there is metered parking on the side streets. Plenty of hotels right around the pier. Best Western is next to the pier. Most of the pier is taken up by restaurants. If you want to come and hang out at the bar, sipping a cold one, and passing the time with friends, this is the place. If you're hungry, and want to eat on the pier, take your pick of restaurants. Only the furthest reaches of the pier are for fishing. You can walk all the way to the end (which has a tiki bar) for $1.
Next stop was Lori Wilson Park. It's about 30 acres of hardwood hammock, saw palmetto, low dunes, and a beautiful beach with plenty of boardwalks, a nature trail, facilities, and a fantastic beach. I have to say that this is my favorite beach access in Cocoa Beach.
Cocoa Beach provides plenty of parking for those visitors not staying in a hotel on the beach. There are at least four major public access beaches, and most street-ends have a few metered parking spaces.
There are hotels up and down Atlantic Avenue and Ocean Beach Blvd. On the north side of Lori Wilson Park is the Hilton Hotel, and to the south is the Holiday Inn where I'm staying. Across the street is a La Quinta Inn. And that's just to name a few.
I had a fantastic dinner of baby-back ribs, baked beans, a baked sweet potato, garlic toast and a mango smoothie at Slow and Low Bar-B-Que, just a short drive down the road. I'm not exaggerating when I say it is the best BBQ I've ever had. I'm no BBQ connoisseur, but if you put a plate of ribs in front of me, I know what to do. A not-too-loud sampling of blues music, and a collection of vintage surfboards makes for a relaxing dining experience. After a fine meal of ribs and 15 minutes of blues from the Robert Cray Band I was a happy guy.
For breakfast, there's a Denny's across the street and next time I come back I'll try the Thai /Japanese / Sushi restaurant, also across the street.
Walgreens and Publix are convenient to all the hotels. Cocoa Beach has everything you need to keep you happy, full, and well-supplied during your whole vacation.
See you at the beach!
David "BeachHunter" McRee
Florida Beaches Expert |
|
|
|
|
 Forward to Friend |
|
|
| Here I am at Lori Wilson Park, Cocoa Beach. |
| Credit: David McRee, VISIT FLORIDA Beaches Expert |
|
|
|
|
