A Guide to the Kennedy Space Center and Canaveral National Seashore

We spent a month in southern Florida recently. On the way home we looked at a map and decided to stay in Titusville, Florida. We had never heard of the town but it was a great choice.

Where to stay

We are experienced campers so we can usually tell by a description what the campground would be like. That was true of our terrific find, Manatee Hammock. It is located at 7275 U.S. Highway 1 in Titusville. They can be reached at 321-264-5083. Manatee Hammock has 147 R V sites, 30 tent sites and a 197-foot pier. From that pier we could clearly see the space shuttle, Endeavor, scheduled to lift off February 7, 2010.

The spaces were somewhat close together but not annoyingly so. There were so many trees in between the sites and we were not back to back with our neighbor. Too bad that the oranges were frozen!

The campground has a small but pretty looking pool area, a recreation room although nothing was in it, a super clean bathroom, and in general a wonderfully maintained campground for a stay in the area.

We only paid $25.00 a night. Since Manatee Hammock is a county park you cannot live there but you can stay up to 180 days. A couple of negatives were the slight smell of sewer and of course the train in the background that 99% of campgrounds at which we have stayed have. That is because they are often built on inexpensive land i.e. where a train track might be.

Where to go and where to eat

You will want to spend time at the Canaveral National Seashore. It is about an hour from Titusville but it is worth the drive. On the way we ate at Balliamo Italian Steakhouse located at 2976 S.Ridgewood Ave, Edgewater, Florida. We just lucked into it. Lunch was an $8.00 special which came with bread - ½ a sandwich, soup or salad, and friesor potato salad.

The 24-mile beach is beautiful. You will be given a folder containing a map of the area when you go through the gate. It will cost you $3.00 unless you are over 62 and have bought a $10.00 passbook. The folder will tell you which part of the beach you might want to go to. For example, Apollo Beach is the first parking area you will get to. There are restrooms and a boardwalk there. Playalinda Beach is one of a few with handicapped access.

There is a six-mile scenic self-guiding drive called Black Point Wildlife Drive in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which is on the way to the seashore from the campground. Both the seashore and the refuge have short self-guided trails. We stopped at Turtle Mound Trail. The mound is made up of harvested oyster and clam shells discarded in heaps by Native Americans. The view is beautiful. You will be walking on a boardwalk over the mound.

We stopped at what was the town of Eldora. The town is no longer there but one house that survived the weather is called the Eldora State House, which is open to the public. There is also an Indian mound there that goes back about 5,000 years ago.

Plan on spending an entire day (or two) at Kennedy Space Center. Your ticket will get you into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, which you can go to the second day. You can get there via Routes 3 and 405. We were there years ago but the Center was redone in 1995.

One highlight included the bus tour. You have to do a bus tour. I would not suggest spending an extra $10.00 per person for a guided tour. The only thing it seems you will gain is a visit to the space shuttle pad. On this day it may have been worth it since as I said above, Endeavor, was there. The bus dropped us at several locations where we could spend as much time as we wanted and then get on another bus. Each stop had restrooms, snacks, and a souvenir shop. One stop included a 75-step observation tower (There is an elevator.) where you'll get a wonderful view of various buildings and the launch pads. We spent about three hours on the tour and then visited the rest of what Kennedy Space Center offered. There were 2 presentations at the IMAX theaters both of which were excellent and concentrated on moon landings.

There are live mission briefings and a beautiful space in which an Astronaut Memorial was made. You might want to go on Shuttle Launch Experience. There are height restrictions and for people who are pregnant or have injuries you can enjoy the experience without motion.

Finally you won't have to worry about eating - there are several sit down cafes and stands. We ate at Orbit Café, which was affordable, quick, and decent.