Spend your day like an astronaut on the Space Coast

Florida’s Space Coast has the right stuff for an astronaut vacation! From space program history and stories around every corner, to hidden gems frequented by cosmic explorers, and astronaut-worthy attractions, here’s how you can spend your day like a real astronaut on Florida’s Space Coast.

Cruise Around like an Astronaut

When you’ve navigated the cosmos in a spacecraft, no normal car will do.  Enter Space Coast Slingshots. This unique company rents Polaris Slingshots to cruise around in! All vehicles are dialed in with the area’s hot spots so you can have a semi-guided tour of Cocoa Beach and the City of Cape Canaveral. While you won’t be pulling any G-force on the A1A, it’s still a stellar way to get around the Space Coast.

Eat like an Astronaut

Here on the Space Coast, we like to fuel up before we have fun. Start with the famous pre-launch breakfast of Steak and Eggs at Sunrise Diner in Cocoa Beach, or Too Cool Cafe in Indian Harbor Beach. Then make like Gemini 3 Astronaut, John Young and  smuggle a Ruben Sandwich into your picnic basket.  Looking for a real Space Coast delicacy? Whenever you see a Mahi Ruben on ANY menu, order it! Trust us, your dining options on the Space Coast are better than anything you can get on the ISS.

The Mouse Trap Bar at Cocoa Beach Fish Camp Grill

Adult Astronauts can enjoy a drink at one of the final remnants of the Space Race. The Mouse Trap Bar at the Cocoa Beach Fish Camp Grill is where astronauts used to belly-up before blasting off. Back in the 60s and 70s, this building was known as The Mouse Trap and while the original restaurant has since closed, it’s been replaced by an incredible Old-Florida-style Fish Camp. This bar has held onto some space-race memorabilia like the tin ceiling, mirrors, and stained glass our first astronauts peered into, and gazed upon as they got ready to take flight!

Launches and Lagers

Looking for the perfect beer to pair with your launch experience? Check out this incredible Launches and Lagers guide from the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast. It will help you decide which of our local craft brews you’ll want in hand as you prepare for launch!

​Sleep like an Astronaut

Book a stay at the La Quinta Inn Cocoa Beach-Port Canaveral. What’s so amazing about this La Quinta? Well it’s got a story to tell, originally called the Cape Colony Resort it is remembered as the home of the Mercury 7 during their mission of becoming America’s first astronauts. You can find signage dedicated to them, a mural of their famous photo in their spacesuits, and other photos from the era in the lobby. Relax by the pool with a copy of Tom Wolfe’s book, enjoy some classic shuffleboard, and head outside to #LookUp for an incredible view of a rocket launch.

Want a true space-race feel? Beachside Hotel and Suites in Cocoa Beach has been retro-remodeled to pay homage to the space and surf culture of the Space Coast back in the 1960s. With serious art-deco, Magic City vibes, this quaint hotel will take you back to a time before we landed a man on the moon, with a lazy river and tiki bar, the Duck Dive!  We like to call that a lounge and launch.

For unparalleled launch viewing, you may want to book a room at the Courtyard Titusville Kennedy Space Center. Not only is space the theme of this hotel, bu their rooftop bar, The Space Bar, offers some of the closest, unobstructed views of the launch pads at Kennedy Space Center. Pair a launch with some stellar craft cocktails, and rocket-themed appetizers, and you’ll have the perfect launch experience on Florida’s Space Coast.

Explore Cocoa Beach Like an Astronaut

Known as the Last Stop Before Space, Cocoa Beach is where astronauts and their families enjoy their time before launching to the stars. Stroll down the Westgate Cocoa Beach Pier like Alan Shepard, and head to his park located behind Ron Jon Surf Shop, to enjoy the sun, sand, and surf.

See the Space Coast Like an Astronaut

While you may not be able to see what the astronauts see in the last moments before launch, you can come close with a biplane or helicopter tour from Florida Air Tours and Beachside Helicopters. Choose a Space Center Package to soar over the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex for a unique view and also fly down the Space Shuttle landing runway. While you’re up there, you’ll notice the beautiful Indian River Lagoon and Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge! You won’t find views like this anywhere else in the world.

Florida Air Tours offers Kennedy Space Center Biplane Tours

Experience History at the American Space Museum

The American Space Museum and Space Walk of Fame in Downtown Titusville is a space museum curated with artifacts and memorabilia donated by astronauts and their families and all the men and women that made the Space Program in the USA possible. Their collection includes the actual (and still working) launch controls from the Space Shuttle and Atlas-Centaur missions, pieces of the shuttles, launch suits, concept drawings, models, and so much more. You’ll also learn about the significance of the collection from space program-workers-turned-docents who took us to the moon and back! True space fanatics will LOVE this stop.

Stroll down the Space Walk of Fame

When you’re done at the  American Space Museum, you’ll find their Space Walk of Fame right down the street. It begins at Space View Park, named in part for the spectacular views of launches across the river from Kennedy Space Center. Here, you’ll find stunning monuments for each of the space programs up to the Shuttle program, including bronze handprints of famous astronauts.

Visit Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

You can’t come to the Space Coast and not check out the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. This must-stop attraction features real rockets, the Space Shuttle Atlantis, a launch simulator, bus tours through active launch pads, and so much more. You will want to plan to stay all day to see and experience everything in the Complex – trust us. Amplify your experience by adding on an Astronaut Training Experience to see if you’ve you’ve got what it takes join the ranks! Or, plan on seeing a launch from the Apollo/Saturn V Center. You’ll have to become an astronaut to get any closer to the liftoff!

View a Launch

Only Here! The cherry on the top of every Space Coast Vacation is to witness a rocket launch. It’s simply the best way to experience all of the Space Coast. While you can #LookUp to see a launch from anywhere here, we’ve made a few recommendations with this Google Map. We’ve pinned NASA’s Favorite spots, best spots for a night launch,  the best restaurants to launch and lunch at, and fun experiences like watching the launch while on an eco-tour of the Indian River Lagoon. Save it to your places for next time you’re headed to the Space Coast for an astronaut experience!

See the Space Coast Launch Viewing Map

When’s the next launch? Download the Space Coast Launches app from the Google Play and App Store to keep current with the launch schedule here on the Space Coast. It includes T-2 Hour and T-5 minutes notifications, a live feed of the launch and even a compass to make sure you’re looking in the right direction! It’s free, and a great way to learn more about the space fight activity launching from Cape Canaveral!

If you wanted to be an astronaut when you grew up, and are in love with all things space, come live your dream here on the Space Coast. There’s more than a few experiences that will bring you closer to the stars that your family will remember forever. Don’t wait, launch into your next vacation today!