Cape Canaveral

Cape Canaveral is a city in Brevard County, Florida, most famous as the home of America's launch pad, Kennedy Space Center. Cape Canaveral is part of a region known as the "Space Coast", since all of the manned United States spacecraft are launched from the Space Center on nearby Merritt Island. The city of Cape Canaveral is located at the northern end of a barrier island on the Atlantic coast of Florida. It is due south of the geographical feature Cape Canaveral which is on Merritt Island.

Getting there

By plane

Melbourne International Airport (IATA : MLB) , just 27 miles south, is the closest airport to Cape Canaveral. It is served by Delta Airlines with six daily arrivals (note that Flight 5197 does not operate on Saturday, and Flight 5049 does not operate on Tuesday or Wednesday) from Atlanta.

Orlando International Airport (IATA : MCO) , from which Florida State Route 528 goes straight to Cape Canaveral, is the largest airport serving the area. The drive takes a little less than 1 hour.

Daytona Beach International Airport (IATA : DAB) is about an hour and 15 minutes north by way of Interstate 95.

By train

The nearest Amtrak station is in DeLand, 77 miles north.

By car

Cape Canaveral is at the eastern end of Florida State Route 528 from Orlando. Interstate 95, a primary north-south route on the Atlantic Coast, intersects FL-528 near Cape Canaveral.

Travel around

By bus

• Space Coast Area Transit is the name of the local Brevard County bus service. It is a cheap way to get around and is handicap accessible. The website provides maps and timetables. Buses travel to most sites and places of interest. $1.25 per ride, or $35 for a monthly pass.

By taxi

See

• Cape Canaveral Lighthouse

• Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (Follow Florida State Road 405 until it dead ends) This busy tourist attraction offers museums, movies, a rocket garden and bus tours of important shuttle preparation and launch facilities. This is an official Federal site - however, the visitor complex is run by contractors for a profit, so prices are comparable to private tourist attractions, not a typical national park. Basic admission (a 2 day pass) includes an excellent bus tour, the museums and the IMAX movies. Additional special tours or programs should be booked in advance since they sell out quickly. NOTE: this facility may sometimes be closed on shuttle launch days!

  • Shuttle Launches - passes to bring your car to sites "close" to the shuttle can be purchased through the KSC Visitor Complex . Keep in mind that for safety reasons, the closest approach available is at least 4 miles away, and often much further (7 miles, 10 miles, etc.) Very few viewing sites offer a glimpse of the shuttle on the pad before launch - in which case, it really doesn't matter where in Brevard county you are. You will definitely see its blazing engines launch it up into the sky, and (seconds later, depending on the distance) hear the booming noise as it rattles your windows. On a clear day, a shuttle launch can sometimes be seen from Orlando! Most people with a launch pass arrive many hours early to choose the best location in their assigned area, and the gridlock getting out (everyone leaving at once) will take at least an hour. Additionally, launches are subject to cancellation for weather or a problem in any of the billions of parts that go into a vehicle, so a launch date can never be considered firm. At Kennedy Space Center NASA also has there own Industrial Railroad with 3 EMD SW 1500's with 60 freight cars for to move rocket soild booster fuel heavy duty freight cars that are special built also moving Military Equipment , Rocket equipment , space mission eqipment.

• Patrick Air Force Base - due to security this unique national treasure is usually closed to the public, however a free bus tour is offered once a month by reservation only. Call 494-5945, 494-5949 or 494-5933 for reservations and more information. However, most of these unique Air Force sites, including older manned and unmanned launch pads, the newer unmanned vehicle launch pads and the intimate Air Force Museum, can also be seen from a fee-based special KSC bus tour of Cape Canaveral.

Thing to do

• Go on a Cruise from Port Canaveral - Evening and extended cruises offered. These are especially popular for their casino facilities which are not available on land.

  • Sterling Casino Lines, 180 Jetty Drive, Ph: (800) 765-5711. Go out for night on the water on Sterling. Ages 18+.

  • SunCruz Casino, 610 Glen Cheek Dr., 321-799-3511. Relax and gamble for a night on the water. Ages 18+.

• Zero Gravity Corporation , 1-800-937-6480, Parabolic flights on a modified 727, offering brief periods of weightlessness.

• Cocoa Beach Sportfishing Charters, 800 Scallop Dr, 1-321-848-2662. . Deep Sea Fishing Charters leaving from Cocoa Beach and Port Canaveral. Catch Dolphin,Wahoo,Sailfish,Grouper and many others. Children Welcome.

Buy

Kennedy Space Center's Gift shop is a treasure trove of astronaut autographs.

Eat

• Rusty's Seafood , (321) 783-2033, 628 Glen Cheek Drive, Great surf and turf, in a relaxing setting on the water, with live entertainment, and seating both inside and outside over the water.

• Grill's Seafood Deck &Tiki Bar , 321-868-2226, 505 Glen Cheek Drive, Fresh seafood and great atmosphere.

• Fishlips , 321-784-4533, 610 Glen Cheek Drive, At Port Canaveral, Unique food and drinks, live entertainment, great nightlife.

• Dixie Crossroads , (321) 268-5000, 1475 Garden St Titusville, FL 32796, Seafood

Sleep

• Residence Inn Cape Canaveral Cocoa Beach, 8959 Astronaut Blvd., +1 321 323-1100, Toll-free: +1 800 331-3131, Fax: +1 321 323-1029, .