Cape Canaveral

Understand

Cape Canaveral is part of a region known as the "Space Coast", since most of the manned United States spacecraft are launched from the Space Coast. The city sits at the northern end of a barrier island on the Atlantic coast of Florida, south of the geographical cape. Falcon 9 (pictured above), the first rocket to land its first stage, takes off from the Kennedy Space Center. The visitors' complex of the space center is found across a waterway, to the west.

The northern part of the city, known as Port Canaveral, is one of the U.S.' main ports for cruise ships.

Get in

By plane

• Melbourne Orlando International Airport (MLB) in Melbourne is the nearest large airport at 27 mi south via I-95 or US Hwy 1 (30 min drive).
• Larger airports are Orlando International Airport (MCO) 38 mi west on via FL-528; and Daytona Beach International (DAB) (63 mi north) which are 45 min to 1 1/2 hr drive.

By train

The nearest Amtrak station is Orlando Health/Amtrak station in Orlando, 50 miles west. There are no Amtrak Thruway connections from Cape Canaveral.

By car

Cape Canaveral is at the eastern end of Florida State Route 528 from Orlando. Interstate 95, a primary north-south route on the Atlantic Coast, intersects FL-528 near Cape Canaveral.

• Martin Andersen Beachline Expressway connects Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Village to its junction with I-4, south of Orlando, near Walt Disney World, at 48 mi west, via Orlando International Airport. Locally FL-528 ends at its intersection with US Hwy 1 in Cocoa Village. From its intersection with US 1, the road continues across the causeway as FL-A1A, into Port Canaveral/Cape Canaveral as Astronaut Blvd (FL-A1A) where it curves south through Cape Canaveral and into Cocoa Beach as Atlantic Ave (FL-A1A) (the main thoroughfare). It crosses over I-95 at exit 205.

By ship

Get around

By bus

• Space Coast Area Transit is the local Brevard County bus service. It is a cheap way to get around and is wheelchair accessible. The website provides maps and timetables. Buses travel to most sites and places of interest. $1.50 per ride, or $42 for a monthly pass.

* Bus route 9 serves as the main bus route through Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach between King George Blvd & N Atlantic Ave in Cape Canaveral (to the north), to SR-A1A & S 13th in the south of town, via Shephard Park at Ocean Beach Blvd (SR-520) as the main begin/end point of the route.

By car

The city, as a barrier island, is fairly compact and can be crossed in a few minutes by car. The main road in the area is the main causeway, which turns south to follow the barrier island toward Cocoa Beach. Ridgewood Avenue follows the majority of the beach.

Go next

• Cocoa Beach is the next town serving as the southern extension of Cape Canaveral along Atlantic Ave (FL-A1A), south of Barlow (5800 block).
• Kennedy Space Center is the primary space center in the United States, home to the launch of several notable rockets, including Apollo 11 (the first one that went to the moon). The precinct contains several exhibitions, and there are regular tours.
• Space - The launch facility is a gateway to low Earth orbit and beyond, although extremely expensive.
• Disney World is 1½ hours by car due west in Lake Buena Vista south of Orlando