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Space Coast Is Great Place For Families
To Commune With Nature
Somehow, nature's majesty is even more magnificent juxtaposed
alongside some of man's greatest scientific achievements..
By Karen Rubin & Eric Leiberman
Florida's Space Coast is a place where 6.2 million-pound
space shuttles coexist with delicate seabird sanctuaries,
of moonwalks and dune overwalks, of vintage airbirds and
thrilling airboat rides through wilderness.
It presents a fascinating juxtaposition: it is where you
can marvel at man's scientific achievement-our ability to
harness and shape nature to our own purpose--and also be
reverential of nature's majesty.
In fact, egrets and manatees get some of the most fabulous
views of rocket launches, since the NASA Kennedy Space Center
is actually located in the middle of a sprawling, 140,000-acre
wildlife preserve, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
Visiting the Space Center and the other attractions along
the Space Coast provides incredible opportunities to explore
nature. Indeed, experiencing these two aspects of our existence
on this planet provides a very meaningful lesson to children.
The 220-square mile Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
has more federally endangered species than anywhere else
in the U.S. but the Everglades (also in Florida). There
are 22 of them including the Western Indian manatee, Southern
bald eagle, eastern indigo snake, gopher tortoise, peregrine
falcon and Atlantic loggerhead turtle. Though the area is
vast (and much of it secreted within the NASA complex),
for practical purposes the best way to experience it is
by taking a six-mile self-driving tour of the refuge. Shaded
boardwalks weave through pine and oak hammocks of the second-largest
sanctuary in Florida (Even though Kennedy Space Center is
contained within the refuge, to visit the refuge you have
to leave the Space Center, drive back through Titusville,
and take Route 406 to the entrance; 321-861-0667).
The Enchanted Forest, in Titusville, is a 400-acre hardwood
hammock named for an enchanting jungle of cabbage palms,
saw palmettos, moss-hung oaks and grape vines (321-633-2016).
Another adventure of the nature variety awaits at Archie
Carr National Park, the largest sea turtle nesting area
in America. More than 6,000 loggerheads and leatherbacks
lay up to 600 eggs each year, from May through August; in
these times, you can witness animals nesting during nighttime
guided tours along area beaches.
Turkey Creek Sanctuary in Palm Bay at the southern tip
of Space Coast, is one of Florida's Audubon Parks, and a
major stopover for spring and fall migratory birds, including
the pileated woodpecker and rare purple martin. In all 310
different bird species have been sighted in the area. The
sanctuary is surrounded by sand pines, saw palmettos and
live oaks that emerge from ancient sand dunes created 2,000
years ago. A 4,000-foot boardwalk twists and turns along
the murky, black water creek. (321-952-3433).
Florida's Space Coast is a 72-mile stretch of beachfront
from Titusville south to Palm Bay, and includes three of
the beaches ranked among Florida's top ten, along with six
other beaches. The Canaveral National Seashore, accessed
from Cape Canaveral, is a 24-mile stretch of platinum-colored
quartz sand, including the Atlantic beaches of Klondike,
Apollo and Playalinda, offering nearly 20 wooden walks over
15-foot sand dunes scattered with sea oats and prickly pear
cactus, and a view of the Kennedy Space Center launch pads.
One of the best kept secrets of Space Coast is Stick Marsh,
which boasts the best bass fishing in Florida. There are
more than 30 marinas, three fishing piers and numerous charter
boats and fish camps providing fresh and saltwater excursions.
Sebastian Inlet State Recreation Area, Melbourne Beach,
is both a top fishing area as well as one of the prime surfing
destinations in Florida (and near to the famous Ron Jon's
Surf Shop). The stunning inlet boasts a dramatic stone pier,
fishing jetties and crashing waves (and gets the greatest
attendance of all Florida State Parks); 321-984-4852. Other
surfing places include Cocoa and Playalinda beaches.
Indian River Lagoon is the most diversified estuary in
the nation, nurturing 4,000 species of plants and animals
including the Florida manatee. It parallels the ocean for
156 miles (321-722-5363).
Nature Boat Ride Ideal for Families
Our three-generation family found a wonderful way to be
together and explore nature of a portion of the Indian River
Lagoon on a delightful pontoon boat ride through Island
Boat Lines. Even as we touched off from the pier, at 10
a.m., in the delightfully colorful and comfortable vessel,
we found ourselves in the midst of a pod of bottlenose dolphins
that seemed to be playing near the pontoon.
Our two-hour tour went along the shoreline, with Cocoa
Beach homes and condos on one side, and the pristine mangrove
tree, 1,000 Islands, filled with pelicans, egrets, herons,
ibis, and wood storks on the other. In warmer weather, we
would have been able to spot manatee. It is probably true,
that during the course of the two-hour cruise, you can see
more wildlife than in a whole day at Merritt Island.
Island Boat Lines has two 55-passenger pontoon boats, the
Miss Florida and the Sunshine, and offers three eco-tours
daily (at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and sunset). A special three-hour
trip, offered on Sundays, through The Locks of Port Canaveral
provides up close views of the cruise and Navy ships, submarine
base, Space Lab and US Coast Guard Station. Departing Merritt
Island they will journey on the Banana River, to the Barge
Canal, enter the Canaveral locks and begin their waterfront
view of the port's busy activity.
The pontoon was so delightful for our family-close enough
and enough room for us to chat and enjoy the scenery, the
kids engrossed in shooting pictures and spotting wildlife.
A fabulous sound system and CDs provided by Capt.Sue Bohn
(a Long Island native, she has spent her entire career as
a yacht captain in places like the Virgin Islands), added
to the appeal along with the interesting commentary by the
on-board naturalist, Bob. The pontoons can be chartered
for a larger group, and you can bring food and drinks aboard.
Island Boat Lines' fleet now includes a paddlewheeler,
Indian River Queen. The 98-foot, 260-passenger paddlewheel
boat is available for special functions and private charters.
Call ahead to reserve: 321-454-7414 (after hours, 321-302-0544);
www.islandboatlines.com.
Another way to enjoy nature up close is to paddle. A Day
Away Kayak Tours, operating out of Titusville, offers guided
kayaking trips along inland and ocean waterways (321-268-2655).
There are also various companies that offer airboat rides
along the St. Johns River.
For cultural experiences, there is the Brevard Museum of
art & Science; the Brevard Museum of History and Natural
Science; Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts;
the Cocoa village Playhouse; Titusville Playhouse.
Ron Jon's Surf Shop
One of the unusual attractions to Space Coast is Ron Jon's
Surf Shop. This is far, far from the surfbum's haven. Now
it is for surfbum wannabees with a wad for a wallet. Wonderful
designer clothing and just about all the paraphernalia you
could imagine for hanging 10 or just hanging about the beach.
Would you believe it, Ron Jon's also opened up a major timeshare
resort, right on the water?
Ron Jon's is a kind of beachbum L.L. Bean. It is open 24
hours a day, 365 days a year (yes, including Christmas Day
and New Year's), and has become a landmark in the course
of 40 years in Florida, earning global fame.
The shop is an experience-indoor waterfalls, palm trees,
sandstone sculptures of surfers, radical merchandise including
its own Ron Jon's brand. You can custom build a skate board
or buy everything you need for surfing, wake boarding, scuba
diving.
The shop hosts about 2 million visitors a year (intersection
of Highway 520 and A1A).
Radisson Resort at the Port
Our visit to Space Coast was a multi-generational getaway
for us. As we typically do when we come down to visit grandparents
now residing in Florida, we usually pick up and have our
own getaway to explore some other part of Florida. These
getaways provide experiences-just spending time together
in the car, sharing the sense of discovery and adventure-that
will last a lifetime.
We loved staying at the Radisson Resort at the Port. The
hotel is actually just minutes away from the Port Canaveral,
now one of the busiest passenger cruise ports in the world.
It is very centrally located to everything, though about
15 or 20 minutes drive (since you actually have to go off
the island and come back in to Kennedy Space Center) to
the visitor center.
No matter-the amenities of the Radisson made us feel as
we were in a resort. It offered a lovely pool (with faux
rock formations and waterfalls), Jacuzzi and kiddie pool,
not to mention free use of a competition-grade all-weather
tennis court, lighted for night play (free use of the court,
and the hotel provides tennis rackets and balls as well),
as well as a fitness center, made our stay all the more
delightful. The hotel also makes available complimentary
transportation to the beach, as well as to the cruise terminals,
nearby.
The landscaping-with bridges, and paving through beautiful
shrubs and bushes-help make the Radisson very popular for
weddings, while its meeting facilities-accommodating groups
from 10 to 1,500 in size--make it a popular meetings destination.
The hotel offers 212 luxury rooms plus 71 two-room whirlpool
suites-much smaller in scale than the large properties you
typically associate with Radissons. This was more intimate
and we would make a fabulous site for a family reunion--indeed,
we saw a family gathered to celebrate a 90th birthday during
our stay.
We stayed in one of the Radisson's new suites-a gorgeous
master bedroom, beautifully appointed, elegantly decorated,
with king-size bed and Jacuzzi, and a separate living room
and kitchen/dining area that proved especially comfortable
for our three-generation getaway. The kitchen was equipped
with coffee maker, refrigerator, microwave, lovely glass
table seating four. The armoire had an iron and ironing
board. There were TVs with remote control in both rooms.
The hotel also had a lovely restaurant of its own, but
we ventured just next door to Kelsey's, a casual restaurant
with a pleasant Italian-Greek atmosphere that was perfect
for a family outing, especially after a busy day sightseeing.
The pasta was superb (try the penne with gorgonzola and
the calzones).
Another restaurant we thoroughly enjoyed (after our pontoon
boat ride), was the Waterside Café, which offered
open-air dining (as well as enclosed restaurant) with a
wonderful view of the Lagoon and was set up to offer live
music for the evening.
No doubt, many will come to the Space Coast in order to
embark on one of the many cruises that depart from Port
Canaveral, now the largest passenger cruise port terminal
in North and South America. Disney, Carnival, Royal Caribbean,
Holland America, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Royal Olympia,
Sterling and Sun Cruz operate from there. The Radisson offers
a fabulous package for cruise-goers, where you overnight
and then get to park your car for free (saving $10/day parking
charges), with the hotel providing free shuttle transportation
to the port, just about five minutes away; the package also
includes full hot breakfast buffet for two ($139 for a deluxe
room; $169 for two-room whirlpool suite). That would give
you time to explore some of the attractions, like Kennedy
Space Center, without the worry of encountering travel delays
that could interfere with making it to the cruise ship on
time.
The Radisson was next door to TRAXX Jungle Village, a small
amusement park, and just down the road from a Fantasy golf
(closed during our stay, perhaps still recovering from the
hurricanes), and from the world-famous Ron Jon's Surf Shop.
Radisson Resort at the Port, 8701 Astronaut Blvd., Cape
Canaveral, 321-784-0000, 800-333-3333, www.radisson.com/capecanaveralfl.
If you choose to think of it as such, it is also the closest
beach to Orlando's themeparks (indeed, Disney's cruiseships
sail from Port Canaveral). Many people make the Kennedy
Space Center and the beaches a daytrip from Orlando, 35
miles away, but Space Coast is very much a destination in
its own right. I actually find it too confusing to mix the
themepark fantasy experience with the real attractions-real
science of Kennedy Space Center and the real nature experiences-of
Space Coast, and there is certainly enough to do to round
out an exceptional family vacation of any duration.
For more information, contact Space Coast Office of Tourism,
800-93-OCEAN, 877-57-BEACH, or visit www.space-coast.com.
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© 2005 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles,
Inc. All rights reserved. Send comments or travel questions
to FamTravLtr@aol.com.
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