5 stellar space experiments in Florida

Most travelers to the Space Coast in Florida center their routes on the Kennedy Space Center visitor complex, especially this month, as the United States celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission that landed the first humans on the moon. But this stretch of over 70 miles off the Atlantic coast, east of Orlando, offers exceptional experiences beyond Cape Canaveral.

"It's a water world here," says Charlie Mars, NASA's chief engineer for the Apollo Lunar Landing. "It's a place of true natural beauty that has always been so." (Learn more about the history of Moon exploration.)

"The space segment itself, since the 1950s, has had some ups and downs," said Mars. But now that we have the [launches]it's starting to really get back on track. People just want to see other people get into the space. (Find out why Ron Howard thinks space tourism is important.)

Come off a rocket and stay on for a lot more. By browsing a collection of space mission monuments at the edge of a river or observing sea turtles nesting on a night beach, the Space Coast is replete with moments conducive to the rise of the mind.

Titusville From the Kennedy Space Center, on the other side of the Indian River, this bunch of burgers dating back to around 1964 sport the same signage that attracted space workers during the Apollo Days to a hearty meal served on board a car. One of the last companies of the day, Moonlight Drive-In, was named to honor the Apollo missions. It is open only a few days a week (call before leaving). People come for the retro vibe and hearty dishes like plates of fried shrimp, chili dogs and hand-soaked shakes.

Titusville Consoles of the shuttle shooting room that launched Columbia, the training suits used for Apollo missions and shuttle missions, as well as an exhibition dedicated to female astronauts, are among the artifacts given in this museum in downtown Titusville, founded in 2001. "We have long been preserving the history of space, here on the coast, "says Mars, chairman of the museum's board of directors. "We're also focusing on the workers, the guys and the girls who were in the trenches – the cafeteria workers, the janitors and the other people who were working for the space program – not just the people in the room of control. "(Meet the first woman sent into space on a commercial spaceship.)

Titusville It takes about 10 minutes to wander from the American Space Museum to the east, in this pretty park overlooking the Indian River, which is home to such landmarks as Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle programs. Place your hands on the bronze footprints of famous astronauts such as John Young and Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr., among many others. Space View Park is one of Space Coast's most popular launch sites, as it is just across the river from Cape Canaveral.

If you're into paradise for a busy beach by the ocean, pack a beach bag for the day and head to Canaveral National Seashore. The longest undeveloped beach on the east coast of Florida, it stretches some 24 kilometers north of Titusville. In June and July, register for turtle monitoring programs led by forest rangers to observe loggerhead turtles, green sea turtles and other species that ruminate to lay their eggs on beaches completely free of pollution light. "We have about 200 nests per night [during this period]Our success rate is about 80 percent, you'll see a turtle, "says Laura Henning, Canaveral National Seashore's Chief of Interpretation and Visitor Use. The southern end of the national coast is about as close as the public can get it to watch a rocket launch during the day, said Tom Bartosek, Florida's Space Coast Tourism Office. "When you are so close to the goal, not only do you see it and hear it, but you feel the launch too," he says. (Discover more places to spend holidays with baby turtles.)

Cocoa Beach: After dreaming of stars, you may want something more down to earth. Unwind at Rokki Tikki Tavern in Cocoa Beach Pier, a tiki open-air bar located at the end of a 200-meter-long jetty, overlooking surf-driven waves. Try the Florida Sunshine State lager at the tap, brewed at Cape Canaveral by the Florida Beer Company.

Terry Ward is a Florida based travel writer. To follow her
Instagram or
Twitter.