Cocoa Beach
Gateway To
Florida’s Space Coast

Nestled at the southern end of the Cocoa Beach area is the gateway to Florida’s hi tech Space Coast. Immediately adjacent is Cape Canaveral, which has been associated with the space program ever since the National Aeronautics Space Administration’s manned flights began in the Sixties.

By: Veronica Maria Garbutt

The Cape is a peninsula that extends south from Merritt Island while bounded on the west by the Banana River. It is the site of an air force station where the earliest experimental rockets were launched.

As the crow flies, Cocoa Beach is the nearest seaside to Orlando and since it is only ten minutes drive away from Kennedy Space Centre, it is geared up for family trips with various seaside attractions and lots of resorts to suit all budgets. South of Cocoa Beach, Route A1A links the resort towns of Brevard County together, like a string of pearls, from Melbourne beach in the north to Hobe Sound and Jupiter in the south.

“I don’t think there’s any other place in the world like Brevard County.” says the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast Linda Weatherman. “So much linear waterline, rivers and wetlands alongside manned space launches and emerging technologies such as solar energy, wind turbines and flight components. There is an intelligent engineering base and a highly educated workforce with costs lower than other US high tech areas such as San Jose.”

With its roots in space exploration - from Mercury, Gemini and Apollo to the space shuttle and beyond, Brevard anchors the eastern hub of Florida’s growing Hi-Tech Corridor which stretches westward through Orlando and Tampa. Cocoa is also the east coast’s surfing capital with all the accoutrements of a beach town. Where else in the world, other than this amazing site, can you lie on a surfboard, sit at a beach cafe, or kayak through pristine mangroves to look up and see a rocket soaring into the sky?

The footprints of ancient Indians who fished in these Atlantic Ocean waters and gazed on the same endless horizon have long since washed away. Only a frayed Spanish manuscript from 1565, now in a museum archive, attests that Canaveral is the oldest continuously occupied stretch of coast in continental USA. Nature swept away the remnants of a community of slaves who settled south of the cape as they moved inland to escape a hurricane. Perhaps the history of a place planted so close to the sea is meant to be elusive.

Most historic sites date from settlements established about 150 years ago. Start your exploration at Jetty Park. Just across from the playground, the Canaveral coast marks the site of the last naval battle of the American Revolution taking place during March 1783. The Duc de Lazman ship, heavy with gold and silver, was anchored a mile offshore on its way from Havana to Philadelphia. The treasure was to be used by the Congress to fund the new country’s first bank and reduce the war debt. Three British ships spotted the vessel and gave chase. Captain John Barry, commander of the Alliance, came to its defense and fired on the British, who turned back. Thus, the precious cargo was saved and the rest, as they say, is history.

In the distance, to the northeast, stands Cape Canaveral Lighthouse. The original brick tower was built in 1848 and replaced in 1868. The story has been told of Dr. Wernher von Braun, a renowned scientist and former leader of the US space program who climbed up to the railed balcony atop the lighthouse to watch early launches. In the heyday of the space program, over 2000 members of the public descended on the area to watch a rocket launch. The restaurant there was a favorite of astronauts and space workers and has been reincarnated as the Durango Steakhouse at 5602 N. Atlantic Avenue in Cocoa Beach.

At 1500 N. Atlantic Avenue lies Lori Wilson Park where the entrance to the south lot, where parking is free, has been named I Dream of Jeannie Lane to honor the heritage of Cocoa Beach after the 1960s TV Show of the same name. Not far away lies the 800ft long pier, a major beach attraction with plenty of shops and restaurants lining the first (free) half. It’s also popular for concerts, local events and annual festivals. Just south of the pier, Alan Shepherd Park is a lovely natural expanse of the beach with fine water quality and good amenities. Bike and beach rentals are available and the park offers showers, toilets, picnic areas with barbecue grills and bathhouses.

Just one block from the famous Ron Jon Surf Shop, the beach affords great views of the space shuttle launches and is a regular venue for surfing competitions. The place is noted for its surfing competitions, ‘radical waves’ and its vibrant, youthful feel. Ron Jons at 451 North Atlantic Avenue is open 24 hours and is a virtual surfing theme park. This neon-lit palace is devoted to boogie boards, surf boards, scuba gear and other beach and surf equipment. Scuba diving and surfing lessons are also available and there is even a Surfing Museum next door.

Top end accommodation can be found at the Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront at 1550 North Atlantic Avenue, which offers every luxury including an outdoor heated pool and a deck for outdoor dining beside the sea. Another option is the low-rise Inn at 4300 Ocean Beach Boulevard, which is within walking distance of the pier and Ron Jon’s. It offers refreshments and chat opportunities every afternoon and a chance to mingle with the other guests. If you are on a budget, Surf Studio Beach Resort, a waterfront motel, offers comfortable no-frills rooms.

Don’t miss dining out at The Pier, on the pier, or at Coconuts or The Beach Shack. Snow crabs and blue crabs are the main draw at Crab Heaven, which is just over the Cape Canaveral boundary - but worth the trip. Sunset Cafe Waterfront Grill, on the Cocoa Beach Causeway, is another good choice for seafood plus a tantalizing view of the slow Banana River. However, for a special treat don’t miss the red snapper Key Largo style with risotto, shrimps and orange salad, followed by a key lime pie for dessert at the Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront’s Atlantis restaurant. Bon appétit!

Time now to head over the causeway to the historic Cocoa Village, which has lots of remarkable buildings, antique shops, art galleries and upscale restaurants. Here you can catch a live performance at the playhouse, listen to a band playing in the gazebo or amphitheatre in the riverside park or visit The Florida Historical Society, which is brimming with documents from the past. You can stroll along the boardwalk, take a slow cruise on the Indian River Queen or drop a fishing line for some of the best catches in the area, including dolphins, wahoo, sailfish and yellowfin tuna.

Cocoa Village began as a small riverside community and trading centre for steamboat travelers. Just south of Cocoa, the town of Rockledge opened resort hotels and developed into a popular stop for visitors arriving by water and later by railroad. The river used to be much wider at Cocoa. About forty years ago, the city deepened the channel, and a dredge was used to expand the shoreline and add Riverfront Park.

The S. F. Travis Building at 300 Delannoy Avenue in Cocoa was built in Travis. Conveniently located next to the town wharf, Travis Hardware is the oldest business in Cocoa. Inside you’ll find the original tin ceiling, wood shelving and hardwood floors. Cocoa Village Playhouse, at 300 Brevard, is a magnificent four-story Italian Renaissance building that originally opened as the Aladdin Theatre in 1924, hosting live performances. Motion pictures moved in during the 1940s. For more than a decade, this performing arts centre has been home to Broadway on Brevard and other theatrical productions. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Porcher House, at 434 Delannoy, was the home of prosperous citrus farmer Edward Porcher. This prestigious estate, originally on the banks of the Indian River, was built in 1916 using local coquina shell rock. Its turn-of-the-20th-century Classical Revival style, location, and grandeur make it a popular location for weddings. The bride enters from the upstairs balcony and floats down the wide central staircase.

Next door, the cream walls of the Bellaire Arcade encircle an outdoor courtyard filled with potted plants and tables. Bellaire is French for “beautiful air,” and the arcade was originally built in 1925 with stores on the ground floor and offices upstairs. Nearby, on the corner of Harrison Ossorio’s Bakery and Café, is the best place in town for pizza. Fine dining establishments include The Mango Tree, Yen Yen, The Surf and Gregory’s Steak House and Seafood Grill. And at Café Margaux, you can dine on lamb cutlets with demi-glace sauce served at pretty garden tables beneath the plum colored awning.

Some eight miles (13 km) north of Cocoa Beach lies Titusville, the town closest to the Kennedy Space Centre and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. At the entrance to the refuge, you can collect an informative leaflet describing the island’s ecosystem. One of the best birding spots in the country as it is located on the temperate/tropical climate shoulder, Merritt is home to more threatened species than any other refuge in the continental USA. Don’t miss enjoying a picnic amid the lush mangroves… you may even be lucky enough to spot a manatee or dolphin.

The starting point for a walk through historic downtown Titusville is the intersection of Washington Avenue and Broad Street. The first rail service came east down Broad Street and linked to steamboat traffic at the river wharf. By the turn of the 20th century, the East Coast Railway depot was built two blocks south on Julia Street. This was the centre of commerce. Most of the buildings on Washington date from around 1910 to 1920 and are a simple masonry design constructed following a fire that destroyed earlier wood structures. Stores, banks, and businesses lined the east side; hotels and boardinghouses were across the street. The Washington Hotel was on the corner, and you can still see balconies, once shaded with bright awnings. Kloiber’s Cobbler Eatery at 337 S. Washington, once Denham’s dry goods and clothing store, has been restored inside and out to bring back many of the original design features.

The Kennedy Space Centre is undoubtedly the area’s biggest attraction. Owned by NASA, the centre was built as a means of astronauts’ and employees’ families to view operations. Today it draws some 2.3 million visitors a year offering an intriguing view on life beyond earth. For many folks, viewing a dramatic space shuttle launch is the high point of exploring the area. “But be warned,” says Tom Bartoskek of the Space Coast Tourism Office, “that it’s a good idea to plan on staying a few extra days in case of a delay.” For further information, call 321-449-4444 or buy launch tickets online at www.ksctickets.com.

Although the Space Centre is a government facility, The Visitor Centre is privately operated. Everything within the complex is near the car park as is the departure point for the tour bus. Begin by getting oriented at Information Central. The top attractions around here are the Astronaut Encounter, Rocket Garden, IMAX Theatres and the Explorer, a full-size replica of a space shuttle. Next take the bus tour, the price of which is included in your ticket. You will marvel at the Vehicle Assembly Buildings, the launch pad and the International Space Station. Then after inspecting a Saturn V rocket, you will be awed by a simulated Apollo countdown and lift off in a former control room.

Other space travel attractions in the area include the Air Force Space Museum which is located a mile inside Cape Canaveral Gate on Launch Pad 26A and the Astronaut Hall of Fame, an interactive museum on the Titusville road. Here you can experience weightlessness, g-forces and 360 degree spins while testing your piloting skills on a shuttle simulator. If you have children aged 9-14 in tow they can enroll on the 5 day Space Camp Florida program where they will discover what it takes – mentally, emotionally and physically – to become an astronaut.

For a change of pace, book an hour long $25 Eco Tour on horseback at Ace of Hearts Ranch (Tel: 321 638 0104). Here riding along wooded bridal ways, you can discover oak tress, blueberries, Spanish moss and saw palmetto with their medicinal uses explained by knowledgeable Cherokee owner Sandy Vann. You may also be lucky enough to spot a hawk, bob cat, otter or armadillo along the way. For more animals, the award-winning Brevard Zoo near Melbourne (Tel: 321 254 9453) is a must, especially for the native Florida red wolves, white tailed deer and plenty of alligators! Happy landings!