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Featured Travel Article: Cocoa
Beach, Florida
Made famous as the hometown of
Major Anthony Nelson (Larry Hagman) and his Jeannie (Barbara Eden) in the 1960's
hit comedy series 'I Dream of Jeannie', Cocoa Beach (Florida) has much to offer
as a vacation destination. It is a center of alluring natural beauty, beaches,
nightlife, the nearby Kennedy Space Center, and numerous theme parks all within
a short traveling distance from the town. Staying in Cocoa Beach is also very
affordable compared with many FLA alternatives. The range of accommodation and
restaurants range from the up market to sand-in-your-shoes casual.
Cocoa Beach
In town, you can shop till you
drop in the quaint boutiques of Historic Cocoa Village, or in one of the
expansive malls. Choose from a vast array of restaurants in town for your after
hours dining experience. Cocoa boasts European, Italian, Oriental, Middle
Eastern, Mexican/Cuban cuisine all in the gamut from inexpensive to luxury
dining.
Travel to the Astronaut
Memorial Planetarium & Observatory, located on the Brevard Community
College's Cocoa Campus, 1519 Clearlake Rd, Cocoa. This is Florida's largest
planetarium, and features a 3 story IWERKS movie theater, laser shows, and of
course a planetary star show. The show is created using the world's only tandem
team of a Digistar planetarium projector and a Minolta Infinium star projector.
Once all the activity has
sapped your energy, then spend a few days relaxing on the soft sands of Cocoa
Beach, and spend a quiet evening watching the sun go down on the Banana or
Indian rivers.
Port Canaveral
Port Canaveral plays host to
two of Disney Cruise Lines' new cruise ships. These classically styled cruise
liners embark passengers for 3 and 4 day adventure vacation cruises which can
include visits to Disney's own world famous theme parks.
If you're into fishing, you can
spend the day fishing for the ocean's finest seafood from the jetty itself. Or
if deep-sea fishing is more your thing, many charter tours are available
traveling out to the deep blue of the Atlantic. Alternatively, there are airboat
tours which will take you out to view the ancient cypress forests by air.
For the evenings, Port
Canaveral plays host to a floating tiki bar, a vast array of sumptuous seafood
restaurants, and a wide selection of casual taverns.
Port Canaveral offers three
camping parks for vacationers which cater to recreational vehicles and tents,
including one with oceanfront camping.
NASA's Kennedy Space Center
Situated in the middle of the
Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, the Kennedy Space Center is known as one of the
seven wonders of the modern world. The visitor complex features interactive
exhibits, an art gallery, bus tours and a rocket garden. Here you can step on
board a full-sized replica of the shuttle orbiter and hear the personal story of
space exploration told at the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame and U.S. Space Camp.
Memorabilia is on display from the original Gemini and Mercury Seven astronauts.
You can also and get a behind-the-scenes look at the operations of NASA's Launch
Status Center. Visit the five-story IMAX theater which features films with
footage shot by NASA astronauts during their space travels.
Besides the high tech, the
Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, which is host to the Kennedy Space Center, is
also known as the country's best breeding ground for the endangered bald eagle,
and includes a diverse range of other native wildlife.
Theme Parks
A multitude of theme parks are
all within a short traveling distance from Cocoa Beach. The closest ones include
the Funntasia Fantasy Golf center (mini-golf), Traxx at Jungle Village
(go-karts, miniature golf, and more..), and Jungle Adventures, known as the
largest gator farm in Florida.
Travel a little further a
field, and you can visit the Walt Disney World Epcot Center, the House of Blues,
the Universal Studios FLA, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and a wide array of
water parks including Wet N Wild and Water Mania.
For more vacation information, visit the Cocoa
Beach website.
A Free Vacation Deal is also available at Cocoa Beach:
Click
Here for the Details
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