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Cocoa Beach Travel Guide

The "Space Coast," the area around Cape Canaveral, was once a sleepy place where city dwellers escaped the crowds from the exploding urban centers of Miami and Jacksonville. But then came the NASA space program. Today, the region produces and accommodates its own crowds, especially hordes of tourists who come to visit the Kennedy Space Center and enjoy the area's 72 miles of beaches (this is, after all, the closest beach to Orlando's mega-attractions) and excellent fishing, surfing, and golfing.Thanks to NASA, this is also a prime destination for nature lovers. The space agency originally took over much more land than it needed to launch rockets. Rather than sell off the unused portions, it turned them over to the Canaveral National Seashore and the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (www.nbbd.com/godo/minwr), which have preserved these areas in their pristine natural states.A handful of Caribbean-bound cruise ships also depart from the man-made Port Canaveral, and the number has grown slowly over the years. The south side of the port is lined with seafood restaurants and marinas, which serve as home base for gambling ships and the area's deep-sea charter and group fishing boats.

The first non-native settlement in the area was by a family of freed slaves following the Civil War. In 1888, a group of men from Cocoa bought the entire tract of land, which went undeveloped until it was bought out in 1923 by a member of the group—Gus Edwards, Cocoa's city attorney. At that time, Edwards' total holdings included approximately 600 acres and he had stopped practicing law to devote all his efforts to developing the area.

The Town of Cocoa Beach was established on June 5, 1925. Gus C. Edwards was elected[citation needed] as Mayor and served as a commissioner along with J.A. Haisten, and R.Z. Grabel. On July 27, 1925, Cocoa Beach held its first official meeting at the Cocoa Beach Casino, and adopted the City Seal.[9] A little less than a month later, plans for a pier became official. By 1939, the town had 49 residents.

During World War II, Cocoa Beach experienced money shortages for employees, and money to fix roads. On June 29, 1957, the town of Cocoa Beach incorporated into a city. In September, 1959, the city voted to add more sidewalks, improve the streets in residential areas and the main streets, and to pave more roads. In 1965, Cocoa Beach High School requested that Cocoa Avenue, the street that the school was located on, be changed to Minutemen Blvd., in honour of the school's mascot, the Minuteman. Over the next couple decades, the school would come to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, and was ranked the 46th best high school in America in 2006.

Cocoa Beach started its major growth during the 1960s (1000% population increase from 1950 to 1960)[7] due to America's space program. NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center is located approximately 15 miles north of the town. Many people moved to Cocoa Beach due to their jobs involving the space program, and in search of new opportunity.

After manned space flights, the town held parades in honor of the astronauts. Many of the homes in Cocoa Beach are built on dredged mud and sand from the Banana River. After NASA's Apollo program came to an end, and before the Shuttle program was in full swing, the town suffered from layoffs. At one point, in 1975, unemployment was 14.3%.[8] Many families lost their jobs or simply moved away. People could not sell their homes and some walked away from them.

Cocoa Beach was the setting for the 1960s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie, although only one episode was actually filmed there (Jeannie's wedding).[citation needed] Also, Cocoa Beach High School was used as the school in the 2000 movie Race to Space.

Activities

COCOA VILLAGE :Historic Cocoa Village features many variety and specialty shoppes, clothing boutiques, antique stores, arts & crafts dealers and galleries, gourmet food shops and more. Stroll down the tree-lined streets and experience the old charm of Florida. Located just off SR 520 in Cocoa. (321) 631-9075.

GIFT SHOPS - Need a new t-shirt or want to send a unique Florida gift back home? The gift shops at the Cocoa Beach Pier have a unique variety of tropical Florida gifts, local crafts, and a great selection of beach gear.

Restaurants and Bars:The Pier has several establishments for your dining and drinking pleasure. If you prefer fine dining or just a place to kick back and put your feet up, we got you covered.

Fishing:Where else can you fish over 800 feet over the Atlantic Ocean? We are open daily for your chance to catch the big one. For your convenience we have bait available as well as rod and reel rentals.

Live Music:The pier offers a eclectic selection of live music. Be sure to check our upcoming schedule of events to see what's happening. The pier is also home of the famous Friday night "Boardwalk Bash" where the locals convene to sip on cocktails and revel in the ocean breezes while listening to the best in live entertainment. Stop by and relax a while.

If you're more of a 'land lover' Cocoa Beach is a great place to just sit and soak up some rays, play volleyball or take a nice long stroll and enjoy the view. There are nets already set up and Seadogs, located at the end of Cocoa Beach Pier has all you'll need for a day at the beach. Whether its suntan lotion a boogie board or beach chair, Seadogs has you covered.


Cocoa Beach is a neat little beach community located on Florida's Space Coast.

Cocoa Beach FL is just east of Orlando Florida and the closest beach to Orlando located on Florida's Central East Coast. You can day trip to the beach while visiting Disneyworld. To most Cocoa Beach is a hidden Gem. There is a great pier with lots of activities. The Cocoa Beach Pier is the heart of activity in Cocoa Beach.
Cocoa Beach is known as an East Coast surfing destination. Ron Jon has its largest retail surf shop in Cocoa Beach Florida. Pretty good surfing at cocoa beach as well as surfing lessons, mostly done through Ron Jon. Also popular is body surfing and boogie boarding. Every Easter Ron Jon hosts an Easter Surf Festival at Cocoa Beach Florida.

Cocoa Beach Activities

Attractions

American Police Hall of Fame and Museum:The APHF (founded in 1960) is the nation's first national police museum and memorial dedicated to American law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. The Museum, through interactive displays, simulators and nearly 11,000 artifacts, educates the public about the history and current trends of American law enforcement. Featured at the Museum is a state-of-the-art 24 lane indoor gun range and is open to the public six days a week. Helicopter rides are also offered at the Museum.

Andretti Thrill Park:Attractions include 4 Go-Kart Tracks, Minors Pro-golf, Bumper Boats, Wild West Train, Laser Tag, Playground, Batting Cages, and Kiddie Area. Andretti Thrill Park also hosts the Space Coast's largest arcade, offering attendees video games with over 200 player positions. The arcade offers virtual reality, combat, redemption games, racing, shooting and more.

Astronaut Memorial Planetarium & Observatory: Florida's largest planetarium features star shows, a 3-story IWERKS movie theater and laser shows. The building also houses a fully accessible observatory, a hands-on demonstration hall and a museum honoring space explorers from around the world.

Brevard Zoo: Stroll through Latin America, Native Florida and Australia featuring over 400 animals including alligators, giant anteater, marmoset, jaguar, eagle, river otter, kangaroo, kookaburra and more. Also features a train ride and beautiful exotic birds in a free-flight aviary. Explore the "Paws-On" interactive learning area, an adventurous playground, and get up close and personal with a wide variety of friendly, domesticated animals.

Cocoa Beach Pier: This is a historical landmark in Cocoa Beach, stretching 840 feet over the Atlantic Ocean, and features a wide array of restaurants, boutiques, and gift shops. Fishing is allowed on the pier, and rentals are available.

Cocoa Beach Park: Cocoa Beach is home to a masterpiece skatepark in Florida, home base of Team Pain. This buttery smooth park is no exception to Team Pain's rule of building great parks. It's got a crazy bowl section and a street course.

Ron Jon Surf ShopCoined "One Of A Kind," Ron Jons is the world's largest surf shop, and has everything you need for fun in the sun. Not actually a theme park, just a "must see" attraction in Cocoa Beach.

Cocoa Planetarium: The BCC Planetarium & Observatory is located in nearby Cocoa, FL and offers a range of fun and educational activies for the whole family. Sky Shows, movies and top notch laser shows make the Planetarium a must-see for Cocoa Beach visitors. Other features include the StarLab, art gallery, Science Quest exhibit hall and gift shop.
The Cocoa Beach Pier is located on Meade Avenue, just of the A1A and is a historical landmark on the Space Coast. Established in 1962, the pier provides beach go'ers with a variety of restaurants, bars, live music, beach sports, rentals and much more.
Cocoa Beach supplies miles of beautiful sandy beaches perfect for basking in the sun, playing a game of beach volleyball or simply building a sand castle. The beach access points have ample parking and parks and gardens are peppered throughout the area.

Events & Festivals

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