Cocoa Beach Surfing and Water Sports

From King Kamehameha to Kelly Slater, surfing has always been the sport of kings. Florida’s Space Coast has a number of prime surf-spots suited for anyone from novice to pro. The combination of laid-back local attitude and easy access to most breaks makes the Space Coast one of the best places in the world where visitors can feel at home in local spots as soon as their boards hit the water.

Cocoa Beach Pier

Known as both Canaveral Pier and Cocoa Beach Pier, this cradle of East Coast professional surfing made its name  as the stomping ground of Gary Propper and a number of longboarding contests. Despite the inevitable infiltration of shortboards, the pier remains a longboard haven supported by the regular crew of log aficionados drawn to its long crumbly lines. Each year a couple of contests honor the sport’s heritage of cross-stepping and grace, the most notable of which is the Ron Jon Easter Suring Festival, a decades-long tradition that draws thousands of spectators.

The National Kidney Foundation Labor Day Surfing Festival is the largest event of its kind in the world to benefit charity. The Pier features restaurants and tourist attractions, and you can get your picture taken in a fake fiberglass stand-up tube if the real ocean isn’t cooperating. Like most of Cocoa Beach, the Pier remains a great place to score at high tide, which is when South Brevard’s more critical breaks can doze for several hours. More importantly, the Pier offers surfers the only wind shelter between Sebastian Inlet and Cape Canaveral’s Jetty Park.

Lori Wilson Beach

Lori Wilson Park is located about a mile and a half south of S.R. 520 on A1A in Cocoa Beach. This is south of the Cocoa Beach Pier. There is no fee to park here, and the two parking areas are quite large. Short trails lead past public restrooms, over the boardwalks through a small wooded area and over the dunes to the beach.

The Numbered Streets

Numbered streets begin just south of where Highway A1A splits and Cocoa Beach’s residential area takes hold. From 1st Street north to 4th Street north and 1st Street through 30th Street south, mansions, quaint beach hideaways and family homes line the land overlooking the ocean; however, there’s public access and parking on every block.

The streets offer, in general, another semi-mushy wave that turns on and off with the rest of Cocoa Beach, serving as a better high tide spot than Brevard’s southern coast, while occasionally getting blocked from north swells by Cape Canaveral. Still, there’s plenty of room for surfers to spread out and no scene to drive competitive attitudes. The sandbars are constantly changing, so a bike ride can help to find the best spot, or you can simply look for the most cars.

Additional Watersports

Jet Skis

• Cocoa Beach Jet Ski Rentals

Airboat and Fishing Tours

• Fish Tales Tours
• Grasshopper Airboat Eco-Tours
• Twister Airboat Rides

Kiteboarding/Wind Surfing/Parasailing/Paddle Boarding

• 321 Kiteboarding

• Calema Windsurfing & Watersports

• Cocoa Beach Parasailing

• Sobe Surf

Ron Jon Surf Shop

4151 N. Atlantic Avenue
Cocoa Beach, FL 32931
321.799.8888

This most popular surf shop in the world has become one of the most visited attractions in Florida. With over 52,000 square feet, this multi-level store features a huge selection of boards, bikinis and surfbrand clothing, perfect for anyone in your family. If your a fan of surfing or watersports, you’ll be amazed by the selection, the great prices, and the friendly, helpful staff. The Ron Jon Surf Shop is a must-visit in Cocoa Beach!

Cocoa Beach Surf Company

4001 N. Atlantic Avenue
Cocoa Beach, FL 32931
321.799.9930

This mega surf complex is every surfer’s dream. With a huge surf shop, surfing lessons available, board rentals, a skateboard department, and enormous shark tank, this place has it all! Do you want to stay overnight? The Cocoa Beach Surf Complex also features a beautiful hotel, the Four Points by Sheraton.

Dinosaur Store

250 W. Cocoa Beach Cswy.
Cocoa Beach, FL 32931
321.783.7300
Dinosaur lovers, this is your paradise. Are your kids fascinated by dinosaurs and fossils? Then, you need to take them to The Dinosaur Store. It features an unbelievable collection of authentic dinosaur teeth, dinosaur claws, fossil shark teeth, fossil skulls, trilobites, dinosaur replicas & dinosaur reproductions (castings), amber specimens & jewelry, and meteorites.

Historic Cocoa Village

Stroll through Historic Cocoa Village and catch a show at the playhouse or explore the Florida Historical Library. For a true piece of Florida history, don’t miss out on visiting this quaint district with shops and restaurants!

Victory Casino Cruise Line

Victory Casino Cruises is a Las Vegas-style casino experience on the Atlantic Ocean. It features 5-hour casino cruises departing from Port Canaveral at terminal B2.  Enjoy over 600 of Florida’s loosest slots and the best selection of casino table games, including all of your favorites like Craps, Blackjack, 3-Card Poker, Roulette, and a sports book to bet on your favorite team!

You won’t go hungry at their Atlantic Cafe or select your favorites from their à la carte menu.

With four decks of gaming excitement and party fun, live entertainment at Dolphin Deck bar, and weekend DJ dance parties featuring the V-Girls in Club V, Victory is the perfect adult night out.

Melbourne Greyhound Park and Club 52 Poker Room

Are you looking for world-class greyhound racing and a live poker room? Look no further than the Melbourne Greyhound Park. Featuring 45 tables of live non-stop poker action, the Club 52 Poker Room has Texas Hold ‘Em, 7 Card Stud, Omaha Hi-Lo, and more. If poker isn’t your game, press your luck on the fastest dogs in the world or other simulcast gaming events such as Jai-Alai and horse racing.

The Melbourne Greyhound Park also has a restaurant and a comedy club for additional entertainment options. It’s the perfect place for an adult night out. To learn more, visit their website at www.mgpark.com

Sea Turtles

Among the world’s largest reptiles and inhabiting earth for 150 million years, sea turtles have long intrigued people, figuring prominently in the mythology and folklore of many cultures. Of the eight species of sea turtles in the world, five species are found in Florida: Leatherback, Loggerhead, Green, Hawksbill and Kemp’s Ridley.

The Space Coast could also be called the Turtle Coast as our beaches attract the second largest population of nesting Loggerhead sea turtles in the world. Green and Leatherback sea turtles also nest here. The area is so important to sea turtle nesting that the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge was created by Congress to preserve this turtle nesting habitat. Named for Dr. Archie Carr, a world renowned scientist who inspired efforts to save sea turtles, the refuge was established to ensure that these turtles will continue to have a place to lay their eggs.

If you are fortunate enough to see a nesting sea turtle, there are some very important things to keep in mind.

1. Never approach a turtle that is emerging from the ocean or shine lights on her or she will go back into the ocean and won’t nest.
2. Once she has started to lay her eggs, she can be viewed from a safe distance. Don’t disturb her or shine lights on her.
3. Let her finish laying her eggs and go back to the sea without interference so that she may one day return.

 
Sea Turtle Preservation Society

321-6761701

www.seaturtlespacecoast.org

Cocoa Beach Birding

With its diverse habitats and favorable climate, the Space Coast is among the best birding locations in North America. Featuring numerous captivating and colorful birds, easily seen and identified with a field guide, this area appeals to novice birders as well as experts. Birdwatching is an activity that can be enjoyed by families, groups and individuals. Easy and inexpensive, it requires minimal equipment, skill or physical fitness.

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is a designated gateway to the East Section of the GFBT, where visitors can find detailed information and materials. Comprised of 140,000 acres of salt marsh, freshwater impoundments, brackish estuaries, hardwood hammocks, pine flatwoods and scrub, the Refuge remains unsurpassed as a refuge for endangered wildlife. It supports more threatened and endangered animals than any other refuge in the continental U.S., including the Florida manatee, Bald Eagle, Wood Stork, gopher tortoise and eastern indigo snake. Over 6,000 alligators call it home.

Birding a variety of habitats on the Refuge can be exceptionally rewarding, particularly from November through March. Impoundments and saltmarshes offer the most diversified viewing opportunities. One of the most popular areas of MINWR, the world renowned Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, offers visitors an opportunity to observe birds and wildlife without leaving their vehicles. Peacock’s Pocket, Gator Creek, Shiloh Marsh, Biolab and L Pond Roads offer more opportunities to bird and photograph from a vehicle. MINWR offers more than 40 miles of drivable dike roads. Within hardwood hammocks, you’ll find excellent birding for warblers and other songbirds during migrations.

For more information: 321-861-0668       www.fws.gov/merrittisland/

Additional Birding Areas

• Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
• Pine Island Conservation Area
• Port Canaveral
• Lori Wilson Park
• Ulumay Wildlife Sanctuary & Ais Indian Site

Additional Eco-Tourism in Cocoa Beach

Animal Adventures

• Brevard County Zoo
• Jungle Adventures

Kayaking & Canoeing

• Kaboord Sanctuary
• Fin Expeditions Kayaking
• Calypso Kayaking
• Adventure Kayak of Cocoa Beach, Inc.

Hiking & Biking

• Canaveral Marshes Trail
• Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
• Pine Island Conservation Area
• Rotary Park, Merritt Island

Dining

With more than 1,400 restaurants in the surrounding Space Coast area, you’ll never go hungry in Cocoa Beach!  Whether you’re looking for upscale, grag and go, or outdoor dining, you’ll find the perfect dining ambience in Cocoa Beach. Choose from a variety of cuisines such as steahouses, fresh seafood, tapas, mouth-watering Southern BBQ or East Indian fare. Here is a list of restaurants we recommend while visiting Cocoa Beach:

American Cuisine

• Coconuts on the Beach
• Gregory’s Steak & Seafood
• Shark Pit at Sheraton Five Points
• Surf Bar & Grill
• Ulysses Prime Steakhouse

Barbeque

• Slow & Low Barbeque Bar & Grill

Caribbean

• Roberto’s Little Havana

Italian

• Brano’s Italian Grill
• Silvestro’s Authentic Italian Cuisine
• Italian Courtyard

Mexican/Tex Mex

• Taco City
• La Fiesta

Seafood

• Fat Snook
• Grills Seafood Deck & Tiki Bar
• Miliken’s Reef
• Pompano Grill
• Rusty’s Seafood & Oyster Bar
• Sunset Cafe Waterfront Cafe & Bar
• Florida Seafood

Nightlife

After enjoying one of our delicious restaurants in Cocoa Beach, our nightlife choices will keep the party alive into the late hours of the night.  The Space Coast offers everything from standup comedy at Groucho’s, traditional pints and darts at Dog ‘n Bone British Pub, smooth jazz at Heidi’s Jazz Club, or chill out at Coconuts on the Beach.

• Coconuts on the Beach
• Groucho’s Comedy Club
• Heidi’s Jazz Club

Port Canaveral Cruise Lines in Cocoa Beach

Whether you’re staying a few days after your cruise or arriving early, you’ll find ample things to do and family-friendly hotels in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Stay a little longer to explore everything that the Space Coast has to offer. Port Canaveral is one of the busiest cruise ports in Florida. You’ll find the following major cruise lines that sail out of Port Canaveral:

• Carnival Cruise Lines, Inc.
• Disney Cruise Line
• Norwegian Cruise Lines
• Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines

 
Cocoa Beach has everything you want in a pre or post stay after your cruise from Port Canaveral. You’ll enjoy the quiet and serene beaches, NASA tours, exceptional wildlife, and world-class surfing. Book a reservation at one of our beautiful hotels today!

Book Now

Cocoa Beach is world famous for their pristine, large beaches. As the surfing capital of the East Coast, Cocoa Beach boasts some of the best beaches in Florida and the East Coast. Whether you’re looking for intense watersports or just need a place to relax and have fun in the sun with your family, Cocoa Beach has it all. With the longest beach in Florida and three of “Florida’s Ten Best Beaches,” as declared by Southern Living, the area offers whatever you and your family desires.

We recommend the following beaches for those visiting Cocoa Beach:

Alan Shepard Park (North and South) – 211 E. Cocoa Beach Cswy, Cocoa Beach

Cherie Down Park – 8492 Ridgewood Avenue, Cape Canaveral

Cocoa Beach Pier – 401 Meade Avenue, Cocoa Beach

Lori Wilson Park – 1500 N. Atlantic Avenue, Cocoa Beach

Sidney Fischer Park – 2200 N. Atlantic Avenue, Cocoa Beach

Bring your coolers, sand toys, and lawn chairs, because these beachside parks are the perfect place to for a cook-out and relaxing in the warm Florida sun. You’ll find lifeguard stations keeping the waters safe at the Cocoa Beach Pier, Shepard Park, Lori Wilson Park, Minuteman Causeway, and Jetty Park. For more information, visit Space-Coast.com

Museums, Attractions & Nature Centers

Located between the temperate and sub-tropical climate zones, Florida’s Space Coast is known for its mild weather. However, an occasional cold front does push through in winter, and our seasonal afternoon thunderstorms (not to mention heat) can sometinmes turn outdoor activities into a bit of a challenge. Schedule your outdoor fun during mornings in the summertime, spend the afternoon relaxing at one of ouer many outstanding and attractions and have a great time learning why we call the Space Coast your Gateway to Discovery.

Brevard Zoo

Brevard Zoo offers a variety of activities like kayaking, riding the train, and feedings include alligators, otters, and vultures. The zoo is home to 550 animals representing morethan 165 species from Florida, South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. If you can’t get enough of the zoo or are simply a nature enthusiast, consider taking one of the Zoo’s many guided outdoor adventure tours throughout the Space Coast.

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The Dinosaur Store and Museum

The Dinosaur Store and Museum proudly presents our new state-of-the-art facility, located in Cocoa Beach, only a stone’s throw from the ocean. It is the new home to one of the most incredible collections of fossils and minerals in te world, including authentic shark teeth, dinosaur eggs, meteorites and amber specimens. The mighty Allosaurus skeleton rules the center stage as the awesome giant marine reptile skeleton is displayed flying above.

Visitors will have loads of fun as they experience the newest attraction, Adventure Zone, located inside The Dinosaur Store. Children and families can dig and uncover fossils in the Egyptian ruins, pan for minerals at the sluice, control the movement of dinosaurs and (don’t tell the kids) learn while they are playing.

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Ponce Inlet Lighthouse

At 175 feet, this is the second tallest lighthouse in the U.S. and the tallest lighthouse open to the public. With a glorious shining beacon, maritime museum and lens restoration facility, the Lighthouse offers a tremendous opportunity to learn of our great maritime heritage.

Marine Science Center

Adjacent to the Lighthouse, the Marine Science Center is a rehabilitation center for injured sea turtles and an import marine and estuary environmental education center. The Center features sea turtle tanks, exhibits, nature trails through maritime hammock , and boardwalks over coastal dunes.

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Harry T. &  Harriet V. Moore Memorial Park and Cultural Center

This park highlights the lives of the Moores and their unique contributions to the early civil rights movement. Dedicated to preserving African-American history, the center is a repository of artifacts and historical document and features a timeline of strategic events of the pre-civil rights era beginning with slavery.

North Brevard Historical Society

The North Brevard Historical Society features exhibits of historical clothing, printing presses, Indian artifcats, shells, earthenware and historical books. Arrangements can e made for a member of the NBHS to accompany a walking tour of Downtown Titusville,

Enchanted Forest Sanctuary

This premier property preserves a significant sample of the natural communities originally found in this region, including xeric oak scrub, mature hardwood forests, wetlands and pine Flatwoods. The Education Center showcases universal design, providing accessibility to outdoor natural areas for all people, regardless of age or ability.

Jungle Adventures

Jungle Adventures offers a boat cruise around an island for a close-up view of native Florida wildlife. A tour of the Native American village reveals a fascinating look at Florida’s first inhabitants. The endangered Florida panther, alligators, snakes ad other Florida animals are featured daily during four wildlife shows.

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Kennedy Space Center

Experience an exhilarating and educational look at the incredible feats accomplished by America’s space program. Hop aboard the newest journey, the Shuttle Launch Experience with immerses visitors in the sights, sounds and feelings of a Space Shuttle launch. Get a close look at the most famous launch pads in the world, first built for NASA’s Apollo missions and presently used by the Space Shuttle fleet.

The Observation Gantry near Launch Complex 39 offers the best all-around view of the Space Shuttle launch pads, the gigantic Vehicle Assembly Building and the well-traveled crawler-way over which so much history has passed. The Saturn V Center brings back to life the awesome spectacle of the largest vehicle ever flown and the moon landing.

Astronaut Hall of Fame

Experience exhibits dedicated to our nation’s astronauts, including the world’s largest collection of personal memorabilia and realistic astronaut training simulators.

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U.S. Space Walk of Fame

This attraction features exhibits commemorating America’s space programs, such as the Mercury and Gemini missions. A popular area for viewing launches, the beautiful riverwalk features educational and interpretive stations, public art, plaques, sculptures and bronze statues.

Space View Park

Space View Park is located less than 15 miles directly across from the launch pads.  The park is the only walk that honors America’s astronauts and the men and women behind the scenes that make up the amazing space exploration crew.

This park provides:

• Live audio feed direct from NASA control room.  Visitors will be able to listen as they sit on the river’s edge with no obstruction of the shuttle and listen to the launch process from the park.
• Walk through history of space from the Chinese discovery of Rockets in 3rd century BC to Space Station Freedom.
• Compare your handprints to those of the mercury Astronauts.
• Amazing view of the shuttle launch pads.
• Picnic areas/Shelters, Restrooms.

Location: 5 miles North from HWY 50 off of US-1 on Broad Street on HWY 406 (Garden Street) off of Indian River Avenue

Valiant Air Command and Warbird Musuem - View Website

Astronaut Memorial Planetarium and Observatory - View Website