Anonymous wrote:I can’t stand IHOP. If I’m slumming it, I’ll take Waffle House every time.


Something different to do around Canaveral/Cocoa Beach is to visit Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Lots of birds and gators. I haven’t done it, but bioluminescence kayak tours are supposed to be a lot of fun.

Kennedy Space Center is worth a visit. When you visit, be sure to look up the launch schedule. They are very frequent.

Anonymous wrote:We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn on Cocoa Beach. It’s ocean front and nice enough for its purpose. We ate in the hotel restaurant. Service was slow, but food was decent.

I think the other place we ate was IHOP, because we were so tired from spending all day at KSC and just wanted to eat and go to sleep. IHOP was fine, but you’re probably looking for something a little nicer.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Cocoa Beach area is nicer than Cape Canaveral, but there are some good restaurants in the port including Fish Lips. The Cocoa Beach pier is fun to visit and stroll. Ron Jon is pretty close and worth a visit, if just to browse and be amazed by all the cool surfboards, etc. Coconuts on the Beach is further south down A1A - has a fun vibe, decent food, but if you have small kids with you, I probably wouldn't go there. Simply Delicious is a little cafe that has amazing breakfasts and is excellent for kids.

I guess Ron Jon is fun to visit if you’ve never been before. It’s a huge beach/surf shop. I don’t think they actually sell anything to actual surfers, but do stock just about anything for the beach lifestyle and beach fun. They also sell a ton of t-shirts. I went once, out of curiosity, but was underwhelmed. For a “surf shop,” it felt pretty corporate…kind of the Sam’s Club of surf shops.

Hotels in Cocoa Beach are mostly chains. Hilton Garden Inn is nice. It’s oceanfront and on a part of the beach that isn’t as crowded as the pier area or further south, near Coconuts and downtown Cocoa Beach

Anonymous wrote:The Cocoa Beach area is nicer than Cape Canaveral, but there are some good restaurants in the port including Fish Lips. The Cocoa Beach pier is fun to visit and stroll. Ron Jon is pretty close and worth a visit, if just to browse and be amazed by all the cool surfboards, etc. Coconuts on the Beach is further south down A1A - has a fun vibe, decent food, but if you have small kids with you, I probably wouldn't go there. Simply Delicious is a little cafe that has amazing breakfasts and is excellent for kids.

Anonymous wrote:The Cocoa Beach area is nicer than Cape Canaveral, but there are some good restaurants in the port including Fish Lips. The Cocoa Beach pier is fun to visit and stroll. Ron Jon is pretty close and worth a visit, if just to browse and be amazed by all the cool surfboards, etc. Coconuts on the Beach is further south down A1A - has a fun vibe, decent food, but if you have small kids with you, I probably wouldn't go there. Simply Delicious is a little cafe that has amazing breakfasts and is excellent for kids.