Beaches & Wildlife Refuges

To the north of the Kennedy Space Center, Canaveral National Seashore is a protected 13-mile stretch of barrier-island beach backed by cabbage palms, sea grapes, palmettos, marshes, and Mosquito Lagoon. This is a great area for watching herons, egrets, ibises, willets, sanderlings, turnstones, terns, and other birds. You might also glimpse dolphins and manatees in Mosquito Lagoon. Canoeists can paddle along a marked trail through the marshes of Shipyard Island, and backcountry camping is possible November through April (permits required).

The main visitor center is at 7611 S. Atlantic Ave., New Smyrna Beach, FL 32169 (tel. 321/867-4077, or 321/867-0677 for recorded information), on Apollo Beach, at the north end of the island. The southern access gate to the island is 8 miles east of Titusville on Florida 402, just east of Florida 3. A paved road leads from the gate to undeveloped Playalinda Beach, one of Florida's most beautiful. Though illegal, nude sunbathing has long been a tradition here (at least, for those willing to walk a few miles to the more deserted areas). The beach has toilets, but no running water or other amenities, so bring everything you'll need. The seashore is open daily from 6am to 8pm during daylight saving time, daily from 6am to 6pm during standard time. Entry fees are $5 per motor vehicle, $3 per pedestrian or bicyclist. National Park Service passports are accepted. Backcountry camping permits cost $10 for up to six people and must be obtained from the New Smyrna Beach visitor center. For advance information, contact the seashore headquarters at 308 Julia St., Titusville, FL 32796 (tel. 321/867-4077 or 321/267-1110).

Canaveral National Seashore's neighbor to the south and west is the 140,000-acre Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, home to hundreds of species of shorebirds, waterfowl, reptiles, alligators, and mammals, many of them endangered. Pick up a map and other information at the visitor center, on Florida 402 about 4 miles east of Titusville (it's on the way to Playalinda Beach). The center has a quarter-mile boardwalk along the edge of the marsh. Displays show the animals you may spot from 6-mile Black Point Wildlife Drive or from one of the nature trails through the hammocks and marshes. The visitor center is open Monday through Friday from 8am to 4:30pm, Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 5pm (closed Sun Apr-Oct). Entry is free. For more information and a schedule of programs, contact the refuge at P.O. Box 6504, Titusville, FL 32782 (tel. 321/861-0667).

Note: Those parts of the national seashore near the Kennedy Space Center and all of the refuge close 4 days before a shuttle launch and usually reopen the day after a launch.

Another good beach area is Lori Wilson Park, on Atlantic Avenue at Antigua Drive in Cocoa Beach (tel. 321/868-1123), which preserves a stretch of sand backed by a forest of live oaks. It's home to a small but interesting nature center, and restrooms are available. The park is open daily from sunrise to sunset; the nature center, Monday through Friday from 1 to 4pm.

The beach at Cocoa Beach Pier, on Meade Avenue east of Florida A1A (tel. 321/783-7549), is a popular spot with surfers, who consider it the East Coast's surfing capital. The rustic pier was built in 1962 and has 842 feet of fishing, shopping, and dining overlooking a wide, sandy beach (see "Where to Dine"). Because this is not a public park, there are no restrooms other than the ones in restaurants on the pier.

Jetty Park, 400 E. Jetty Rd., at the south entry to Port Canaveral (tel. 321/783-7111), has lifeguards, a fishing pier with bait shop, a playground, volleyball court, horseshoe pit, picnic tables, a snack bar, grocery store, restrooms, changing facilities, and the area's only campground. From here, you can watch the big cruise ships as they enter and leave the port's narrow passage. The park is open daily from 7am to 10pm; the pier is open 24 hours for fishing. Admission is $5 per car, $7 per RV. The 150 tent and RV campsites (some of them shady, most with hookups) cost $18 to $36 a night, depending on location and time of year. No pets are allowed.

Baseball

The Washington Nationals play spring-training games at Space Coast Stadium, 5800 Stadium Pkwy., Viera (tel. 321/633-4487), located south of Cape Canaveral and north of Melbourne. Tickets are $5 to $20. The stadium also hosts minor-league action from the Brevard County Manatees, an affiliate of the Nationals.

Eco-Tours

Funday Discovery Tours (tel. 321/725-0796) offers a variety of day trips, including dinner and sunset cruises, airboat and swamp-buggy rides, dolphin-watching cruises, bird-watching expeditions, and personalized tours of the Kennedy Space Center and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Reservations are required.

Fishing

Head to Port Canaveral for catches such as snapper and grouper. Jetty Park (tel. 321/783-7111), at the south entry to the port, has a fishing pier equipped with a bait shop (see "Beaches & Wildlife Refuges"). The south bank of the port is lined with charter boats. Try deep-sea fishing on Miss Cape Canaveral (tel. 321/783-5274, or 321/648-2211 in Orlando), one of the party boats based here. All-day voyages departing daily at 8am cost $60 to $75 for adults (the higher rates include two cans of cold beer with your bait and tackle!), $45 to $60 for seniors, $40 to $55 for students ages 11 to 17, and $30 to $45 for kids ages 6 to 10.

Golf

You can read about Northeast Florida's best courses in the free Golfer's Guide, available at the tourist information offices and in many hotel lobbies.

The municipal Cocoa Beach Country Club, 500 Tom Warringer Blvd. (tel. 321/868-3351), has 27 holes of golf and 10 lighted tennis courts set on acres of natural woodlands, rivers, and lakes. Greens fees (including cart) are about $51 in winter, dropping to about $44 in summer.

On Merritt Island south of the Kennedy Space Center, the Savannahs at Sykes Creek, 3915 Savannahs Trail (tel. 321/455-1377), has 18 holes over 6,636 yards bordered by hardwood forests, lakes, and savannas inhabited by a host of wildlife. You'll have to hit over a lake to reach the 7th hole. Fees with a cart are about $50 in winter, lower in summer.

The best nearby course is the Gary Player-designed Baytree National Golf Club, 8010 N. Wickham Rd., a half-mile east of I-95 in Melbourne (tel. 321/259-9060), where challenging marshy holes are flanked by towering palms. This par-72 course has 7,043 yards with a unique red-shale waste area. Fees are about $90 in winter, dropping to about $50 in summer, including cart.

For course information, go to Golf.com or the Florida Golfing website, or call the Florida Sports Foundation (tel. 850/488-8347) or Florida Golfing (tel. 866/833-2663).

Surfing

Rip through some occasionally awesome waves (by Florida's standards, not California's or Hawaii's) at the Cocoa Beach Pier area or down south at Sebastian Inlet. Get outfitted at Ron Jon Surf Shop, 4151 N. Atlantic Ave. (tel. 321/799-8888), or learn how to hang 5 or 10 with Cocoa Beach Surfing School, 150 E. Columbia Lane (tel. 321/868-1980). The school offers equipment and lessons for beginners and pros at area beaches. Be sure to bring along a towel, flip-flops, sunscreen, and a lot of nerve.