Famous as a surfing and beach destination, Cocoa Beach, on Florida's Space Coast, offers a bounty of opportunities for outdoor recreation and water sports.

A vacation here means miles of beautiful shoreline, spectacular sunrises, and spending time in pristine natural areas with chances to spot dolphins and manatees and see nesting sea turtles. 

Cocoa Beach’s proximity to Cape Canaveral makes it easy to combine a beach stay with a trip to Kennedy Space Center.

Just Beachy


Cocoa Beach is blessed with a sandy smorgasbord of inviting beaches, including Coconuts Beach, Alan Shepherd Park, Sidney Fisher Park, Lori Wilson Park and Robert P. Murkshe Memorial Park. At the center of the fun is the beach at Westgate Cocoa Beach Pier, located at 401 Meade Ave. Colorful, iconic, and infused with a sense of play as well as a strong surfing culture, the Cocoa Beach Pier anchors a popular stretch of sand for families, friends and couples. Soaking up the sun and relaxing is a time-honored tradition-- but so is surfing, and you can join in the fun with a surf lesson. The Pier delivers experiences that include shopping, events and live music. 

It’s Out of This World

The history of U.S. space travel is intertwined with Florida’s story, especially along the Space Coast. Kids will have a blast at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. Among the must-do activities are the Shuttle Launch Experience, the Astronaut Training Simulators and touring the facility with a real-life astronaut. The family will be entertained and inspired and if you time your trip right, they might just get to see a rocket launch. Read more: Kennedy Space Center for the Family

Explore the Cocoa Beach Pier

The Cocoa Beach boardwalk stretches 800 feet over the Atlantic Ocean. Besides giving you a swell view of the beach, it’s brimming with shops, restaurants and boutiques. Don’t miss noshing on a juicy fish sandwich at the Atlantic Ocean Grille.

Discover Ron Jon Surf Shop

The iconic Ron Jon Surf Shop is the world's largest surf shop, encompassing 52,000 square feet. The store, which is one of the top Cocoa Beach attractions, is open 24 hours a day. It offers everything youneed for the beach lifestyle, including bikinis, surf boards, clothing and sports gear. With its fish tanks, glass elevators and flowing waterfalls, it’s worth discovering even if you don’t feel like shopping.

Cycle the beach

There’s something magical about Cocoa Beach. The sand on the wide beach is so hard-packed that bicycle riders can cruise for miles along the Atlantic coast. It’s a true Florida experience and one fit for all ages.

Fun in the Sun

Take your pick from leisurely or extreme adventures at 321 Kiteboarding and Watersports. They offer stand-up paddle board and kayak rentals as well as kitesurfing and surfing lessons.

Meet Dorothy and Toto

Conveniently sited close to Cocoa Beach, the Space Center and Port Canaveral, The Wizard of Oz Museum invites families to step into a fantastical celebration of the cherished American fairy tale, utilizing cutting-edge technology that projects images across the walls and floor. Its Immersive Wizard of Oz Experience reveals the magical land that Dorothy and her beloved companions explored-- a place where a tornado swirls, mice pull the Cowardly Lion out of a field of poppies, and the yellow brick road winds into the Emerald City. This highly rated attraction also offers the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit; a kid-friendly, interactive munchkin room brimming with Oz toys from the 20th century; a guided tour; and a unique collection of rare artifacts from the story’s remarkable history.

Let it Glow

Florida's northern Space Coast offers ideal conditions for bioluminescent kayaking, a peculiar natural phenomenon in which tiny, marine organisms called dinoflagelletes glow, generating cold white light through an internal chemical reaction- like a firefly. The organisms are too small to see, but they can cause the water to glow the color of a fluorescent blue-green glow stick. Any movement excites them and causes them light up, from a swimming fish, swaying sea grass, to the movement of your hand through the water.
"It's like a magical light show in the water. Most people walk away saying, 'I don't even know how to describe this,'" says Mike Mahan, owner of A Day Away Kayak Tours in Titusville. "When you startle a school of fish it looks like bright blue bottle rockets going off under the water."

Conquer the Half Pipe

Cocoa Beach Skate Park is lovingly described by teens as ‘sick,’ and it's one of their favorite things to do in Cocoa Beach. The Park, a friendly, inexpensive haven for kids, boasts two deep bowls and a half pipe, in addition to a grassy area and bleachers where parents can relax. 

Places to Remember