Kennedy Space Center

[Jim Kosinski]

How long is the drive to Kennedy Space Center.Is it worth it?

 

[thepwa]

About an hour, and I'm not crazy about it.

But I think I'm jaded because I live in the DC area and have the Air and Space museum near me.

I'm sure that following this, many more will say how great it is, so don't take my word for it. I just thought it was disappointing.

Unless, of course, a rocket is being launched. Or a Space Shuttle. Then, push others out of the way to get there!

 

[wdwmouse]

Hi! Our family loved Kennedy Space Center. DH and I and our two boys went two years ago and then I took the boys back again (at their request) last year. They were 16 and 11 last year. It really gives you an appreciation for our space program, without being boring.

One thing we discovered was, if you stop at the Astronaut Hall of Fame on your way to the Center, you can get tickets there and have the place pretty much to yourselves. People tend to go past it to the Center and stop back on their way out. There are hands on things to do there, which both my kids enjoyed.
The Space Shuttle Launch Experience at the main Center is really cool.

Last summer, we did the Up Close Tour and Lunch with an Astronaut. It was excellent, especially the tour.

I think the ages of any kids that go would make a difference in your enjoyment. My boys were the perfect ages.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Drive, is not bad... can be done in less than an hour.

Is it worth it???
I think that is a subjective question.

Are you all big NASA buffs????
I think that is really a key question.

We had free passes.
We all thought that if we had to pay the fourty something dollars each to get in, plus add on extras, like the up-close bus tour to see the Space Shuttle areas... That it was not worth it.

We arrived fairly early.
They directed us to the bus tour first, but we thought it might be a good idea to take DS on the Shuttle Launch Experience Ride before any lines might form (never was any lines!) When we finished that, we grabbed an early snack/lunch, and wanted to to the Up Close (Space Shuttle) tour, since DS would have some connection to that. (and not the historical Saturn stuff, etc....)

Well, that is when we found out that this bus tour was not covered by the passes we were given. Just the standard tour.

At this point, even though we had arrived fairly early, it was getting too late to take the regular bus tour (two hours long) and still have time to do the IMAX 3D.

Especially since they were cutting the last showing because they were using the theaters for playing the new Star Trek IMAX. (at regular theater IMAX prices. About $15.00 each.) Again, not included in your admission. The lady working at the Movie ticket counter said that she hadn't even seen it because they didn't even give her any discount.

So, knowing that DS might enjoy the IMAX, we took DS to the the IMAX 3D about the Space Station. (it is the recommended one). We ended up not doing the bus tour at all.

So, After the Shuttle Launch Experience, Lunch, the IMAX presentation... we just checked out more of the exhibits on the way out.

IMHO, I wanted DS to see Kennedy... but, was it worth what the total cost would have been if we had been paying, along with extras. NO. IMHO, it was not worth it.

This was the one day of our trip where we didn't see any real rain at all.
And, I was wishing that we had spent the day the River Island area at our resort, Universal, or many other options.

So, like I said...
Whether this is worth it to you is a subjective question!

If you go, I am sure that you will enjoy!

 

[Frothy]

We loved it too and one of the best sites I've seen is from the company we rent a home from:

http://www.sayyestovacationhomes.com/nigelworrallatkennedyspacec.htm

 

[gjw007]

As others note, it is about an hours drive. Whether it is worth it or not is subjective. I live in the DC area and like the Air & Space but the Cape provides a different perspective than does the Air & Space which covers the broad spectrum of aviation and flight whereas the Cape is strictly space.

If you are fan of rockets and space travel, then you owe it to yourself to go at least once. If you are a casual traveler, in the area because of the theme parks, compared to the theme parks in Orlando, you will be disappointed as you may be expecting something along those lines but the Cape is more history than thrill rides. If you think of a trip to the Cape along the lines of a trip to museums and if you like museums, you probably will like the Cape.

I enjoy going to the Cape but then again, I was a kid in the sixties and would see the news clips of the various launches and I have always enjoyed rockets and space exploration projects.

 

[quikkime]

I gonna trevel there!!!

 

[AR81]

We were also interested in doing this one day especially because my dad will be going with us this trip (he hardly ever goes) and I thought he would enjoy it. I figure my argument with the kids is that they are spending 9 full days doing amusement parks wouldn't hurt them to spend one day doing some educational! But honestly, it looks interesting on the website but I have never been. I was thinking getting there early when it opens and then leaving around 2-3. Do you think that is enough time to see the main exhibits/tours? Then after that we will go to Cocoa Beach and eat dinner at the Pier and spend 2-3 hours on the beach. I am hoping there will be places where the guys can fish and we can relax, play and swim at the beach. I hope this day turns out how I am planning/imagining it.

 

[tednvon]

Hi, yes, you can do a nice tour in the time frame you outline.
We went this winter and I found it to be pretty humbling. We took nieces and nephews that were teens and they seemed enjoy it.
A great deal of the exibits focus on the early years of the program and the moon missions.
If you do the tour by bus out to Launching area and then back to the huge indoor area where the Saturn rocket and space module are on display you could do about 4-5 hours and not be rushed. If there is a Shuttle on the lauching pad you get a pretty good view from about a mile away. Also in the same walking area as the Saturn exibit when you return by bus from the launch site is a full size Space Shuttle mock up that you can tour in about 20 minutes. Very interesting.
Then figure about 1/2 hour to the Cocoa Beach public beaches from the parking lot. Kennedy Space Center is very isolated.
Once at Cocoa Beach you will seen some great little restaurants out on Piers, plenty of swimming area for miles, and folks fishing by the dozens off the far end of the pier. As I recall they charge to fish, but you can rent gear.
We saw a few folks fishing from the beach in February but there were no swimmers then as the water was too cold.
I think your dad would love it, especially the old Apollo and Saturn Space Center Exibit that is really amazing. It focuses on all the early Space exploration, the triumphs and the tragedies are both shown. The sheer size of the exibit is amazing.
We did not do the IMAX or the Rocket Garden and we did about 4-5 hours...

Enjoy...Ted

 

[AR81]

Thanks for your response and sharing your experience. I've made up my mind and will stop second guessing myself. I think it definitely sounds worth it to at least try once. It will definitely be a good break/change of pace in the middle of our trip from all the parks. Thanks again for your advice...