Retro kitsch and stellar science on Florida's Space Coast

Restoring military aircraft to their original glory, the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum has quite a fleet of beautifully resurrected planes from before WWI to today. They also have an impressive collection of artifacts and memorabilia spanning the same time periods. If you really want a thrill, you can actually go up in one of their restored planes. They have a fully restored WWII Normandy Invasion Veteran C-47 "Tico Belle". They also have airshows and events going on regularly that are a treat for aviation buffs and casual observers alike!

A can't-miss experience at Kennedy Space Center is the bus tour. The facility is huge, and it's actually still used by NASA today, so it's really unique to see a working NASA Space Center. The bus tour is self-guided and included in your admission, and it lets you get to the various exhibits and features. It also cruises past the abandoned, allegedly haunted Launch Complex-34. The decommissioned launch site at Cape Canaveral is believed to be haunted by the ghosts of three astronauts who tragically died there on January 27, 1967. Astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee perished almost instantly after a fire engulfed their Apollo I capsule during training.

The United States Astronaut Hall of Fame was started by the Mercury 7 astronauts and honors the men and women who have risked their lives in the pursuit of space exploration and knowledge. Learn about the people behind famed NASA missions and explore compelling displays that tell their stories. It's pretty inspirational and definitely worth visiting if you're traveling with kids who dream of someday exploring the universe. It's part of the Kennedy Space Center, so admission is included in your ticket!

Brevard Community College's Astronaut Memorial Planetarium and Observatory is a great place to put some of your newly-gained knowledge about the stars and universe to work. Catch a show or film at the Planetarium, and peer through telescopes and into the galaxy and beyond at the observatory. Hands-on exhibits demonstrate gravity, the Earth's rotation, and even let you see a real, live meteorite!

Now, it's time to relax on the beach! Cocoa Beach Pier is a perfectly retro beach and boardwalk that is sure to enchant. The 800-foot pier is great for fishing and offers some cute little restaurants and souvenir shops... and at the far end, there's the Rikki Tikki Tavern, where you can enjoy your fruity drink while watching the waves roll in. You'll also find equipment rentals, killer surfing, volleyball courts, showers, and other amenities. The old-school vibes evoke the era when astronauts were the coolest people in the country and frequented the beaches as they hung out in Florida preparing for training and missions.

A quieter little bit of shore to relax on is the Alan Shephard Beachfront Park, named for astronaut Alan Shephard, who was a crucial member of NASA during the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions. The park offers great views of NASA launches and facilities, and has a nice bathhouse, along with tons of parking. It's also easy to walk to shops and restaurants from the beach as well, so you could set up camp and spend a day here enjoying the beach!