Cape Canaveral travel guide

Cape Canaveral is a city in Brevard County, Florida, most famous for being the home of America's premier spaceport, Kennedy Space Centre.

Understand

Cape Canaveral is part of a region known as the "Space Coast", since most of the manned United States spacecraft are launched from the Space Coast. The city sits at the northern end of a barrier island on the Atlantic coast of Florida, south of the geographical cape. Falcon 9 (pictured above), the first rocket to land its first stage, takes off from the Kennedy Space Center. The visitors' complex of the space center is found across a waterway, to the west.

The northern part of the city, known as Port Canaveral, is one of the U.S.' main ports for cruise ships.

Get in

By plane

• Melbourne Orlando International Airport (MLBIATA) in Melbourne is the nearest large airport at 27 mi (43 km) south via I-95 or US Hwy 1 (30 min drive).
• Larger airports are Orlando International Airport (MCOIATA) 38 mi (61 km) west on via FL-528; and Daytona Beach International (DABIATA) (63 mi (101 km) north) which are 45 min to 1 1/2 hr drive.

By train

The nearest Amtrak station is Orlando Health/Amtrak station in Orlando, 50 miles west. There are no Amtrak Thruway connections from Cape Canaveral.

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.

(Photo: SPUI, Public domain)

(Photo: SPUI, Public domain)

Martin Andersen Beachline Expressway connects Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Village to its junction with I-4, south of Orlando, near Walt Disney World, at 48 mi (77 km) west, via Orlando International Airport. Locally FL-528 ends at its intersection with US Hwy 1 in Cocoa Village. From its intersection with US 1, the road continues across the causeway as FL-A1A, into Port Canaveral/Cape Canaveral as Astronaut Blvd (FL-A1A) where it curves south through Cape Canaveral and into Cocoa Beach as Atlantic Ave (FL-A1A) (the main thoroughfare). It crosses over I-95 at exit 205.

Get around

By bus

• Space Coast Area Transit is the local Brevard County bus service. It is a cheap way to get around and is wheelchair accessible. The website provides maps and timetables. Buses travel to most sites and places of interest. $1.50 per ride, or $42 for a monthly pass.
• Bus route 9 serves as the main bus route through Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach between King George Blvd & N Atlantic Ave in Cape Canaveral (to the north), to SR-A1A & S 13th in the south of town, via Shephard Park at Ocean Beach Blvd (SR-520) as the main begin/end point of the route.

By car

The city, as a barrier island, is fairly compact and can be crossed in a few minutes by car. The main road in the area is the main causeway, which turns south to follow the barrier island toward Cocoa Beach. Ridgewood Avenue follows the majority of the beach.

See

• Sands Space History Center, 191 Museum Cir (Just outside and to the right of the south gate of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station), ☏ +1 321 853-9171. Tue-Fri 9AM-2PM, Sat 10AM-5PM, Sun noon-4PM. The History Center is an extension of the Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum. It is outside of the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and does not require entry onto the station. Free.
• Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum (Visitors must book a tour with Canaveral Tours.), ☏ +1 321 853-9171. Mon-Fri 8AM-4PM, Wed Thu 9AM (launch and operations schedule permitting). The four-hour tour includes stops at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum, the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse, and several historic launch complexes. Reservations are required two days in advance and seating is limited. Only US citizens and permanent residents are permitted, and they must present one form of official ID, such as a driver's license, military ID, or passport, when registering and upon arrival. Bus and most facilities are not wheelchair accessible. $57.95 for tour.
• Cape Canaveral Lighthouse. Built in 1859 and open to the public through the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation.
• Jetty Park Beach and Pier, 9035 Campground Cir, ☏ +1 321 783-7111, jpreservations@portcanaveral.com. 7AM–9PM. No pets. You can buy parking passes via the website.
• Manatee Sanctuary Park, 701 Thurm Blvd, ☏ +1 321 868-1226. 7AM–sunset. Park on the west side of town with a pavilion, inlet of the Intracoastal Waterway, and potential manatee viewing.

Do

Atlas rocket launches into space from Cape Canaveral (May 2004) (Photo: Hendrik Scholz - User: (WT-shared) Hscholz at wts wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 3.0)

NASA keeps a list of Brevard County parks where rocket launches can be viewed. The best places off-site are to the south from Jetty Park near Port Canaveral, or across Indian River in Titusville.

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

• Victory Casino, 180 Christopher Columbus Dr, ☏ +1 321-799-0021. Relax and gamble for a night on the water. Ages 18+.
• Zero Gravity Corporation, ☏ +1 703 894-2188, toll-free: +1-800-937-6480. Parabolic flights on a modified 727, offering brief periods of weightlessness. $3675.

Fishing

• A1A Beach Rentals, 6811 N Atlantic Ave, ☏ +1 321 505-7455. Surfboard rental, paddleboard rental, kayak rental, bike rental, beach gear rental. Rentals are by the day, 2-day, and weekly, and the company delivers everything to you. Activities include kayak fishing, kayak manatee and wildlife viewing, surfing lessons, stand-up paddle boarding lessons, cruise shore excursions, surf fishing, flats fishing.
• Anglers Envy Fishing Charters, 726 Scallop Drive #1001, ☏ +1-321-333-5700, info@anglerenvy.com. Deep sea fishing charter experience.
• Cocoa Beach Sportfishing Charters, 505 Glen Cheek 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.
• Fin Freak Offshore Charters (Obsession Fishing Charters), 505 Glen Cheek Dr, Cape Canaveral, ☏ +1 321 631-3474. Cape Canaveral fishing charters.
• Sea Leveler Sport Fishing Charters (Sea Leveler), 505 Glen Cheek Dr, ☏ +1 321-794-3474, captain@sealeveler.com. 7AM–10PM. Deep sea fishing charters. Full, half day and specialty fishing charters to catch mahi, king mackerel, sailfish, tuna, barracuda, wahoo, grouper, snapper, and cobia to name a few. Evening shark fishing charters.

Buy

• Sunrise Fish Dive Surf, 505 Glen Cheek Dr, ☏ +1 321 783-9535. Marina, plus tackle and gift shop.
• Wild Ocean Market, 710 Bluewater Dr, ☏ +1 321 783-2300. One of two locations, the other being in Titusville, though the market also operates in Winter Park.

Eat

Cruise ship at Port Canaveral (Photo: Nathan Forget, CC BY 2.0)

• Fishlips, 610 Glen Cheek Drive (At Port Canaveral), ☏ +1 321 784-4533. Unique food and drinks, live entertainment, great nightlife.
• Grill's Seafood Deck & Tiki Bar, 505 Glen Cheek Drive, ☏ +1 321 868-2226. Fresh seafood and great atmosphere.
• Rusty's Seafood, 628 Glen Cheek Drive, ☏ +1 321 783-2033. Great surf and turf, in a relaxing setting on the water, with live entertainment, and seating both inside and outside over the water.
• Seafood Atlantic, 520 Glen Cheek Dr, ☏ +1 321 784-1963, freshseafoodatlantic@gmail.com. Wed–Sun 11AM–7PM. Restaurant and seafood market near the barge canal.

Drink

• Kennedy's Lamp Post Tavern, 7822 N Atlantic Ave (just off FL-A1A), ☏ +1 321 783-1024. American-style bar near the main highway.
• Rising Tide Tap and Table, 523 Glen Cheek Dr, ☏ +1 321 576-0676. A selection of drinks in addition to an emphasis on small plates and pairings.

Sleep

• Cape Winds Resort, 7400 Ridgewood Avenue (A1A to city hall turn toward beach), ☏ +1 321-613-3958. 1- and 2-bedroom fully equipped beachfront condos with pool, tennis court and covered parking.
• Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, 9009 Astronaut Blvd, ☏ +1 321-784-8500, cx_cafl@countryinn.com. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. Closest hotel to Port Canaveral, with packages that include shuttle service to Port Canaveral. Complimentary hot breakfast.
• Holiday Inn Club Vacations Cape Canaveral Beach Resort, 1000 Shorewood Dr, ☏ +1 321 799-4900, toll-free: +1-800-788-271, OLCapeCanaveral@holidayinnclub.com. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: 10AM.
• Residence Inn, 8959 Astronaut Blvd, ☏ +1 321 323-1100, toll-free: +1-800-331-3131, fax: +1 321-323-1029.

Go next

• Cocoa Beach is the next town serving as the southern extension of Cape Canaveral along Atlantic Ave (FL-A1A), south of Barlow (5800 block).
• Kennedy Space Center is the primary space center in the United States, home to the launch of several notable rockets, including Apollo 11 (the first one that went to the moon). The precinct contains several exhibitions, and there are regular tours.
• Space - The launch facility is a gateway to low Earth orbit and beyond, although extremely expensive.
• Disney World is 1½ hours by car due west in Lake Buena Vista south of Orlando

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