The fourth stop on our honeymoon road trip in Florida was Space Coast in Cocoa, Florida, where you can also enjoy the beautiful Cocoa Beach Pier – just a short 45-minute drive from Orlando.

Brevard County, also known as Space Coast, gets its nickname from being around the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It is famous for being the site where NASA-launched manned spaceflights first began and been the home of space exploration ever since.

Fun fact: The reason why rockets are launched there is because of the Earth’s rotation. Earth rotates quickly at the equator, so they launch at a southerly location to take advantage of this. Yes, I learned quite a lot from our trip here!

How to get to Space Coast, Florida?

You can travel by car by taking either: Interstate 95, U.S. Highway 1, or Alternate U.S 1 if you’re traveling north-south. But if you’re traveling from east-west, you have to option of passing through either: Highway 50, Highway 528, Highway 192, or State Road 520. You can also travel by bus by riding from Space Coast Area Transit, which is a cheap way to get around the area and is handicap accessible. If you want to travel by air, you can book a flight from Melbourne International Airport or from Orlando International Airport.

Where we stayed at Cocoa Beach, Florida

Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront

We stayed at Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront during our visit to Space Coast, which was great because it’s just 30 minutes away from the Space Center! The hotel literally is just steps away from the beach, and we could see the ocean from our window – perfect for couples who love long, romantic walks on the beach. Besides that, our room also came with a comfortable sofa bed and a lovely ocean view to wake up to.

The hotel also offers great amenities and services like beach rentals, video rentals for your kids, and airport/cruise shuttle service. For the more athletic guests, they offer a 24-hour fitness center, a beach volleyball court, boogie board rentals, and surf lessons. For guests who would like to relax and have a quiet stay at the hotel, they offer a heated outdoor pool and nature walk in the morning. They even have NASA collectibles! Also, running out of cash on hand isn’t a problem for guests because the hotel has an accessible ATM.

Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront offers a wide array of rooms and suites that cater to every guests’ needs and preferences:

• Atlantic Coastline 2QN (2-4 pax) – Ideal for families or groups of four vacationing together.
• City View 2 QN Room (2-4 pax) – For groups of four who prefer the city view over the oceanfront.
• City View King Room (1-2 pax) – For couples or two adults traveling together.
• Coastline View King (1-3 pax) – Also comes with a comfortable sofa bed for small families or groups of three people traveling.
• The Oceanfront Room 2 Queen (2-4 pax) – Comes with a perfect view of the Atlantic Ocean!
• The Oceanfront Room King (1-2 pax) – Perfect for couples who love seeing the sunrise or sunset from their room.
• 1 Bedroom Oceanfront Suite (Up to 3 pax) – Comes with a dining area, kitchenette, and a comfortable sofa bed.
• The Atlantic Jr Suite 2 QN (Up to 4 pax) – Comes with a living area and a comfortable sofa bed.
• The Atlantic Jr Suite King (Up to 3 pax) – Offers extra space since it’s twice the size of their regular rooms and comes with a full-sized sofa bed.
• 1 King Mobility Accessible – Features a king-sized bed and a roll-in shower.
• 2 QN Mobility Accessible – Features two queen-sized beds and an accessible bathtub.
• 2 QN Premium Mobility Accessible – Features two queen-sized beds and a roll-in shower.

Price: Private double rooms start at around $139-$159

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The activities we did in Space Coast, Florida

NASA’s Kennedy Space Center

We spent the whole day at Kennedy Space Center – starting at 9 am, we spent almost 8 hours because there was so much to learn and see such as: Space Shuttle Atlantis, the Kennedy Space Center bus tour, the new Heroes & Legends featuring the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, 3D Space Films in IMAX, Astronaut Encounter, Shuttle Launch Experience, Journey to Mars: Explorers Wanted, the Rocket Garden, and so much more!

Check out our video to get a 360 view of the place!

I must say, the most memorable part of our day was when we had lunch with a Nicole Scott, a flight engineer and NASA astronaut. She shared her story on how she became one, what it’s like in outer space, and how it was traveling back to Earth! After our lunch with her, I felt even more motivated to dream the impossible.

If you ever VISIT FLORIDA, I highly recommend including a visit to the Kennedy Space Center. You can reserve tickets ahead of time (we got two admissions and Lunch With An Astronaut tickets) plan your day kach.howe@gtravelgurus.com

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