Day Trip to Cocoa Beach, Florida: A Travel Guide

With its quaint pier, opulent stretches of sugary sand, rocking nightlife, and space history, Cocoa Beach attracts a variety of visitors and is a great day trip destination from Orlando (about 60 miles away) and Port Canaveral, a fast-growing cruise line port just seven miles up the coast.

Located on a slim, pristine sliver of coastal barrier island, Cocoa Beach was a sleepy little beach town until the 1960s, when the federal government made the area the center of national attention by building the John F. Kennedy Space Center, an integral part of NASA's space program, a short 15 miles away.

These days, Space Coast – as the area around Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is known – is one of the most exciting areas in the state. Approximately 12,000 full-time residents create a welcoming atmosphere that attracts thousands of visitors every year.

Sand and Surf

Known as a surfing center, Cocoa Beach is anchored by the imposing Ron Jon Surf Shop (open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year) and its two acres of surf gear and surf wear. If you're a surfing newbie, numerous surfing schools in the area offer lessons for everyone from first-time beginners to would-be surfing competitors honing their skills for some real competition.

School of Surf, cleverly referred to as S.O.S., offers daily lessons and clinics for individuals and groups. It even has family classes where Mom and Dad mount their boards alongside the kids in the manageable Cocoa Beach surf with safe guidance from a trained instructor.

The main beach, where Minuteman Causeway dead ends at the Atlantic Ocean, is Coconuts Beach. It's the social center of the town, and the best place to go when you want to be around a lot of people in a fun, festive atmosphere. The beach features walk-up bars and various restaurants.

If you want something a little more rustic, head a few blocks north to Lori Wilson Park. It features sand dunes, a simple boardwalk, outdoor showers, drinking fountains, and a dog park. (Other than service animals, dogs are not allowed on the beach.) Wander over to the bay side of town to watch the sun set in glorious Technicolor over Banana River.

Kennedy Space Center

One of the area's hottest attractions, Kennedy Space Center offers a variety of space exploration experiences, including tickets for rocket launch viewings from the Apollo/Saturn V Center, where you can hear the roar of the engines and watch the fiery projectiles escape Earth's gravity. The center includes numerous attractions, including the Astronaut Hall of Fame, Apollo 8 Firing Room, Lunar Theater (where you relive NASA's first lunar landing), and Rocket Garden with rockets from NASA's Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs standing upright in take-off positions. Daily tours are available.

Florida's Wild Side

Located about 38 miles from Cocoa Beach, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge gives you an up-close look at Florida wildlife in the raw. The refuge consists of 140,000 acres of wetlands and dry land that provide habitats for more than 1,500 wildlife species. Drive on the circular road through bays and marshes to catch glimpses of many of the animals, including rare birds like egrets, kingfishers, and spotted ospreys. (Birding is best in the winter months.) If you drive down the dirt road very slowly, you are likely to spot an alligator at some point.

If you feel adventurous, take a kayaking tour of Cocoa Beach. You can paddle through manatee habitats, take photos of Indian River Lagoon bottlenose dolphins, and bird watch in one of the most concentrated aviary landing areas in the country.

Be sure to share photos of your Cocoa Beach experience with us on Instagram.