Cocoa Beach is one of the best vacation destinations in Florida. It offers good beaches and great sovenier shops as well. It has great fishing and surfing. It has many other tourist attractions that are not to be missed. There is Port Canaveral where you can take a night or day gambling cruise on the worlds largest gambling cruise ship with Sterling casinos. You can view ships like Carnival and Disney cruise lines picking up and setting sail to the Bahamas. The most imporatant of those attractions however is of course Kennedy Space Center. It is located near the city of Titusville in central Florida. It is roughly 50 miles or so from Disney World And Universal Studios in Orlando. Kennedy Space Center is really easy to get to if your vacationing in Central Florida there are lots of major highways and toll roads leading to the area and there are plenty of signs to point the way. Kennedy Space Center Vistor Complex is open to visitors year round and has alot of wonderful history and intresting pieces to view. Some of the areas such as the rocket garden that used to be free are now pay areas that you only get to see with a ticket. I feel that is a real injustice in my opinion but that is they way it is thanks to the company that runs the visitor complex. The company that runs the visitor complex is called Deleware Parks just for your information if anyone would like to protest the charge to view the rocket garden!!!! (hint)(hint). But If your wanting to make a day of it at the Cape, it is my opinion that you should purchase a Mission Pass. It takes you on a bus tour around Cape Canaveral and takes you to see the inner workings of the space program and you get to see alot of intresting things. Including an Imax Film about the Space Shuttle and the MIR. Kennedy Space Center can be quite expensive especially after you purchase cold beverages and food. The souvenier shop is packed with alot of goodies for you and the kids and things for those jealous friends and co-workers back home who aren't getting to spend the week in Florida. But a day at Kennedy Space Center is quite enjoyable. If you want the ultimate experience however take a day in at the vistor complex on a launch day. Tickets to view a launch from about 5-6 miles from the pad will cost you $10 per person and will give you a ticket to take a bus trip out to an open area viewing site across from the Banana River it is a great site for viewing "the best seat in the house" for the average citizen. These passes are called LVO (launch viewing opportunity) passes. Tickets must be purchased in person or over the phone with a credit card "7 DAYS" before the scheduled launch date. Some tickets may be left over about a day or two before the launch but remember to get the best seats you have to buy these tickets. However, there is a catch to these tickets!!! They are only good for two launch attempts. If the launch is scrubbed once again, you have to buy the $10 ticket again the next day. So if your very determined to see a launch close then these tickets are very well worth it. But if your content being a few miles further a way then there are lots of free viewing areas along the roadside that are great for watching the space shuttle and rocket launches that occur at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral. But believe me it is worth it to see the space shuttle up close. I have been as close a 3 miles and the windows and your body just shake as it passes overhead. You can hear the sound as far as 150 miles downrange on a quiet day. The best launches to view are night launches. They are gorgeous and allow you to watch the shuttle all the way to space on a clear night. If you do not want to bother with all the trouble of purchasing tickets however and will only be in town a few days or just don't have that much time to spend on viewing a launch, then here is a little secret from the locals: On a launch day park your car on a highway called "Challenger Memorial Highway," it is about 10-12 miles from the launch pads and is accessible from the Bee Line Expressway. It will provide you with a wonderful view of the launch. I viewed the John Glenn launch from there. It is free to park and free to view and is a really great spot for you vacationers or locals that want a great spot to witness the most powerful machine in the world. You can also witness the launches from Orlando and Daytona on clear to partly cloudy days with no trouble. Try your best to plan your vacation around a space shuttle launch you will thank yourself for it. It is enjoyable for everyone. The launch of the shuttles are truly a sight to behold and it is a great day excursion for anyone. It's only downfalls are the cost of the trip which will require a decent chunk of change for a regular size family if your going to take the Kennedy Space Center tour. And the unpredictablity of shuttle launches may require several trips to the complex or area and may take precious time out of your short vacation when there are launch viewing days. But when things go right and the weather and the machines are prime prepare for a wonderful vacation treat. On a scale of 1-10 I give Cocoa beach an "8" for it s ability to provide a good time for everyone and its clean beaches and easy beach access. Its location is close to Orlando and is an excellent place to go to the beach and go to the attractions in Orlando all in one vacation fairly convenient and great fun. Don't miss Cocoa Beach and Brevard county beaches. If you ever need any up to date information on the space shuttle launches please go to Space shuttle Launch Central . It is the best site for pictures and info from the space center. I am usually out at the Nasa Press site as well on launch days so if you have any questions please feel free to ask.

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