Why now is the time to go to Florida’s Space Coast for an out-of-this-world holiday

Spectacular new rocket launches, the sprawling Kennedy Space Centre and surfing lessons await on the Sunshine State's east coast

Florida Space Coast offers the perfect blend of sea, surf, sunshine and space. Photo: Daniel Hull

It is best known for its sunshine, beaches and theme parks, but Florida also has sparkling attractions for tourists with stars in their eyes.

Once the sole vestige of Nasa and the American government, space travel is beginning to open up to the wider public – albeit only members of the public who have deep pockets. Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, SpaceX, Space Perspective, and Nasa itself are all shaking up space travel like never before.

On Florida's Space Coast, on the Atlantic less than an hour from Orlando, 72 orbital flights launched from Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Centre in 2023. The privatisation of space travel means that a growing number of spectacular rocket launches are also taking place, giving visitors more opportunities to see one with their own eyes.

But the Sunshine State's Space Coast now has more to offer. There are lots of attractions to entertain the whole family. The Kennedy Space Centre Visitor Complex, America’s tribute to the world beyond our planet, attracts about 1.5 million visitors each year to marvel at how and why man goes into space.

In the early 1960s, the Apollo space programme was used by American politicians to demonstrate its technological advances and power to the world. The Soviet Union had previously led the way in space, including getting the first human, Yuri Gagarin, up there in 1961.

At the Apollo/Saturn V Centre, reached via a short bus ride, visitors can relive the tension and anticipation of the control room in December 1968, when the first manned space flight from the Kennedy Space Centre took place aboard the largest rocket ever flown, watched by the largest ever TV audience at the time.

The Saturn rockets – originally constructed for use as ballistic missiles in war – burnt millions of litres of liquid hydrogen fuel while carrying astronauts on dozens of missions throughout the 1960s, and several are on display at the visitor complex.

Riding simulators including one that 'transports' users to Mars, marvelling at rockets and hearing first-hand about life in space at the ‘meet an astronaut’ presentation, are some of the Kennedy Space Centre’s must-do activities. For families with younger kids, the indoor, air-conditioned play area is a winner and a welcome relief from the heat outside.

Off-limits to the public but viewable from a distance via a bus ride, the Vehicle Assembly Building here has the largest doors in the world, one quirk of being home to space rockets. The building is so large, according to tour guides, that it can form its own weather patterns and could even rain inside.

From space to surfing

Away from the space attractions, the Atlantic coast of mid-Florida has lots more to offer, with fantastic surfing, beach walks and airboat trips among some of the most popular activities.

At the School of Surf in Cocoa Beach, I decide it's time to try to catch a wave. My instructor, Seth, is what one might describe as an archetypal surfer dude: blonde hair, tall and lean, and totally chilled. My first concern, however, isn’t how to ‘pop’ or stand on a surfboard, or what to do if a rip current pulls me out to sea. I want reassurance about an issue a friend warned about the night before: sharks.

“Oh, don’t worry about the sharks,” Seth says. “If there are any, we’ll give them a wide berth and let them go on their way.”

It's not the most heartening shark advice, especially when, as if on cue, I think I see a small shark in knee-deep water in front of us while Seth runs through some instructions. But because he is chilled and is also going to be in the water alongside me, my chances of being bitten or eaten are halved. Or so I think.

Out on the surfboard on what feel like huge waves, I feel a rush of adrenalin taking over. After a while I get over thoughts of sharks and rip currents and start to focus on what I’m here for: trying to stand upright on the board. Each time, after riding a wave back to shore, Seth offers advice. “The board went up at the front because you were a bit too far back,” he says.

Over the course of an hour, I manage to stand upright on every attempt, though never for very long. At one point, I get clobbered by the board when on the wrong side of the wave, even though the training video warned about exactly that. But this exercise is all about learning.

Florida may not be a surprising new travel destination. But for a sun holiday with some science and space thrown in, it's a great place to visit.