Only an hour’s drive from Orlando, Cape Canaveral is one of busiest cruise ports in Florida, and a perfect home base for your Florida adventure.
Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Known as Cape Kennedy from 1963 to 1973, the City of Cape Canaveral is a beach community of 1.9 square miles.
Hugging the Atlantic Ocean between Miami and Jacksonville, Cape Canaveral is about 50 miles east of Orlando and Orlando International Airport (MCO), and about an hour’s drive south of Daytona Beach. Port Canaveral, the only deep-water port between Fort Lauderdale and Jacksonville, is located on the north side of the city, along with Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, a very busy U.S. Coast Guard station, the U.S. Naval Ordinance Testing Unit (NOTU), and Kennedy Space Center. Patrick Air Force Base is just seven miles south.
These landmarks make Cape Canaveral a strategic military location and the center of America’s space program.
There are so many things to do in Cape Canaveral, like sail to an exotic Caribbean port on a luxury cruise ship, or stay in a posh hotel like the Ron Jon Cape Caribe Resort.
Your Cape Canaveral vacation could include fishing, boating or surfing on the Atlantic Ocean; trying your luck on a gambling cruise or touring Kennedy Space Center. Later, you can relax and enjoy Port Canaveral’s waterfront restaurants and nightlife.
Cape Canaveral is just north of Cocoa Beach and east of Merritt Island, it has warm inviting beaches, rolling surf and year round sunshine. Cape Canaveral is one of the friendliest communities of northern Brevard County.
The estimated 10,500 residents of Cape Canaveral are able to choose affordable housing from an attractive mix of beachside and mainland properties. Tourism and the space industry are two of the top job sectors for the residents of Cape Canaveral.
Things to Do in Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral is just the start of an adventure packed vacation on the Space Coast. Nearby Cocoa Beach offers many other fun activities such as the Cocoa Beach Pier. Another great place to visit is Jetty Park where you can fish, go camping, watch the cruise ships or just hang at the beach.
Port Canaveral
If you’re looking for fun you’ll find it at Port Canaveral, the Port has many great restaurants and clubs, this place is a blast. You’ll also find thrilling activities like fishing, boating and gaming opportunities. If relaxing in the sun and being by the water sounds like a plan try one of the public parks within the Port or enjoy one of the bike paths. Port Canaveral also hosts several festivals and tours of visiting vessels throughout the year.
Kennedy Space Center
Visitors can tour the historical site at the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex. You’ll get an opportunity to tour NASA’s launch and landing facilities, ride the Shuttle Launch Experience, participate in the Astronaut Training Experience (ATX), view interactive simulators and live shows. Rockets are also on display and you may even meet a NASA Astronaut. There are also Space Shuttle displays, Historical NASA exhibits, IMAX movies, launch viewing and more.
Explore the Outdoors
Canaveral National Seashore is a 58,000 acre park located on a barrier island you can access through New Smyrna Beach to the north and through Titusville to the south. Canaveral National Seashore was created by an act of Congress in 1975 and is home to more than 1,000 plant and 310 bird species. The park has 24-miles of beaches which is the longest stretch of undeveloped beach on the east coast of Florida.
The Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge provides a range of seven different habitats, from coastal dunes, saltwater estuaries, freshwater impoundments and marshes, to dunes, hardwood hammocks, pine flatwoods and scrub. Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge a major destination for birders from all over the world. There are over 320 species of birds that have been documented here. Hundreds of thousands of migratory birds use the refuge for the entire winter season or as a temporary rest stop, which creates excellent birding opportunities.
Places to Stay in Cape Canaveral
With so many great places to stay in Cape Canaveral you’ll have a hard time choosing. There are places to fit every budget and style, depending on the season, they offer everything from the traditional Holiday Inn Express to the beachfront Cape Winds and Royal Mansions Resorts. There is a Days Inn near the Kennedy Space Center which gives you a foot in both the beaches of the Space Coast and the tourist attractions of Orlando. The Marriott has a Residence Inn here and close by in Cocoa Beach you’ll find familiar names like Quality Suites, the LaQuinta Inn and the Comfort Inn and Suites.