Lori Wilson Park in Cocoa Beach, Florida: A Great Beach Near Orlando

A. At 1500 N. Atlantic Avenue in Cocoa Beach, on Florida's Space Coast, about an hour east of Orlando. It covers a generous 32.43 acres.. Here’s where you can see the county's Lori Wilson Park page.

One quirk worth knowing: it is a Brevard County park sitting inside the Cocoa Beach city limits. The county runs the park; the city's rules govern the sand. That split explains a few of the answers below here.

A. No. Parking and admission are both free, which is unusual for an oceanfront park this size in Brevard County.

There are two lots, north and south of the hammock, with restrooms and showers on both sides. The city's other beachfront parks nearby, Alan Shepard and Sidney Fischer, both charge for parking; rates are on the city parking page.

A. Yes. Brevard County Ocean Rescue staffs a full-time tower here, daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The beach is unguarded outside those hours.

Seasonal towers elsewhere on the coast run a different schedule: weekends from the last week of May until Memorial Day, daily through the first week of August, then weekends again until Labor Day. Ocean Rescue's guards are USLA certified with at least First Responder training. See the Ocean Rescue page for details.

Learn what the beach warning flags mean: double red means the water is closed, red means high hazard with strong currents and/or dangerous surf, yellow means medium hazard, green means low hazard, and purple means dangerous marine life. Here’s where you can learn more details: https://floridadep.gov/rcp/fcmp/content/beach-warning-flag-program . Rip currents are a year-round risk, and can occur even in calm conditions. Check the National Weather Service rip current threat before you swim. If one pulls you out, do not fight it. Float, then swim parallel to shore.

A. The trees. A maritime hammock, a coastal hardwood forest that once covered this whole barrier island, still stands between the two parking lots, and a 3,155-foot boardwalk runs through it.

You get shade, birds and completely different scenery 200 feet from open ocean. Six dune crossovers lead to the sand, four of them accessible.

A. Yes, three of them. The Nature Pavilion is the small one at 286 square feet, with six tables, a grill, water and electricity. The Kelly Slater East and Kelly Slater West pavilions are both 864 square feet, with tables, two grills each and water or electricity.

They are named for the Cocoa Beach surfer who won 11 world titles, which tells you something about the town. Reservations go through Brevard County Parks and Recreation at 321-455-1380. Note that the parking areas stay open to everyone and cannot be reserved with the pavilion.

A. To the park, yes. To the beach here, no.

The park has a fenced off-leash dog park on the south side, inland, divided into large-dog and small-dog areas with picnic tables. Dogs are not permitted outside the fenced enclosure or on the beach at this location.

Cocoa Beach does have a designated dog beach, and it is a different stretch: from 4th Street South down to the north side of Robert P. Murkshe Memorial Park. Leashes cap at 10 feet, you clean up, and hours are 6 to 10 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. in standard time, 6 to 10 a.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. during daylight saving. You have to enter at the dog beach itself. Walking your dog along the sand to get there is not allowed. Full rules are in the city's beach guidelines.

A. The city sets them, and they are short. Tents and canopies are capped at 10 feet by 10 feet, and everything you put up comes down before you leave. No overnight camping is allowed. No fireworks are allowed. Beach fires need a city permit, and permits are currently unavailable. Glass containers are allowed subject to size limits.

Stay off the dunes and the dune vegetation, use the marked crossovers, and give sea turtles, birds and other wildlife plenty of room. Surfing is not just allowed here, it is the local religion. Check conditions and the beach warning flags first.

A. Brevard County's beaches are among the most important nesting grounds in the world, and nesting season here runs March 1 through Oct. 31. Here on the Atlantic, it’s a month earlier than most of Florida's Gulf coast, so plan accordingly.

During the season, artificial lighting must not illuminate or be visible from the beach in prohibited ways; compliant turtle-friendly lighting can exist. This is because lights on beachfront houses and businesses can disorient nesting females and hatchlings. Take your gear off the sand at night, fill in holes, and leave nests and their markers alone. See the county's wildlife page and the state's lighting guidance. The Sea Turtle Preservation Society runs guided turtle walks in June and July, with reservations required.

Farther south, the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge protects 20.5 miles between Melbourne Beach and Wabasso Beach, the most significant loggerhead nesting site in the world and the most significant green turtle site in North America. It is a drive from Cocoa Beach, but it explains why the whole coast takes this seriously.

A. Yes. Brevard County lists "Launch View" as an official amenity of this park, which is not something most beach parks can say.

Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Kennedy Space Center are up the coast, and a launch is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion. Schedules move constantly, so check the NASA events calendar or the Space Coast launch page before you count on one.

A. Atlantic water here runs around 70 degrees in January and February, climbs through the 70s in spring, and holds in the mid-to-upper 80s from July into September. It is swimmable most of the year, with January and February the only stretch many people find too cool.

Summer is hot and humid with afternoon thunderstorms. Spring and fall give you comfortable air, warm water and a quieter beach.

A. Cocoa Beach has a long run of casual seafood spots, surf-town breakfast places and oceanfront bars within a few minutes of the park.

The county tourism office keeps current listings on its Cocoa Beach page and its restaurant directory.