Help with planning an awesome day at Cocoa Beach

[Capt_BJ]

as a local I drive by quite frequently

never been tempted to stop ...... it is small even for a travel agency . . . place I use has several times the square footage in one office ... and multiple offices <not allowed to say who>. But they don't run a popular web site .....

My opinion ....

Yes if coming from Orlando and heading to Ron Jon you pass right by .....

 

[R&RsMom]

Another possible activity: my daughter got a surfing lesson, including the surfboard use, for my grandkids ( 8 and 11 at the time). About 2 hours, and they had a blast.

 

[Capt_BJ]

YES ... think I mentioned this as a 'pier' activity but a lil digging can find more options. I have a local contact that does private lessons and I'm sure there are others. I'll NOT mention MY local cuz he recently stiffed a referral . . .

 

[honestyseasy]

One year while visiting Cocoa Beach on a cruise, my mom and I booked a catamaran tour on the Intracoastal waterways. It was about 3 hours long and the small, intimate tour took us past lots of the coastal area. We watched water birds, manatees, even saw dolphins! Your kids may like it and it's very affordable.

 

[emsstacey]

Simply Delicious for breakfast- don't over order- the portions are huge!!

Hang out at the beach, go to Ron Jon's.

For shopping- cocoa village is better but a bit of a drive.

For dinner- Grill's at Port Canaveral is our absolute favorite!!! I dream about their mahi!

The Fat Donkey is also good ice cream!

 

[vakamalua]

Always check to see if there's a rocket launch on one of the days you might be there. Last week on the 17th, we drove down for the launch of a Space X rocket that was carrying a military GPS satellite. It launched at 12:09 pm (on the dot); we watched it from Jetty Pier Park in Port Canaveral ($16 per car admission; must buy online in advance). It was thrilling to see the fire & smoke & hear the roar of the engines as the rocket lifted off & watch it disappear. A must do.

You can make a day of it at the JP park--beautiful beach with restrooms, picnic tables. The cruise ships (DCL, Carnival) were parked right next to the park. There's a number of restaurants to choose from next to the ship terminals just before you reach JP Park.

 

[fla4fun]

I just this minute got back from a week at Cocoa Beach. We did some shopping at Cocoa Village (my sister gets her hair cut at a salon there), hung out at the beach watching the cruise ships come in for supplies and go back offshore, ate out (went to Zarrellas for Italian, Azteca II for Mexican, Thai Thai Cape Canaveral for Japanese/Chinese/Thai, and Dunes at the newly reopened Doubletree Cocoa Beach for breakfast and burgers). I did not want to come home!

 

[Eileen Murphy]

Hi, all! The Disboards folks are always super helpful, so I'm hoping y'all can help me plan an awesome day on Florida's Space Coast. It will be just DH, DD (14), and DD (11) on an upcoming Tuesday. We're "renting" a car via Turo and heading out from CBR early in the am and coming home as late as we want (we get the car until 11 pm). Here's what we'd like to do:

1. Go to the beach
2. Do some touristy shopping
3. Have a great lunch and/or dinner at an amazing local place (not too $$, but we can drop some $ on dinner)

So. What's the best beach for tween/teen girls? Where is the best shopping? And where to have lunch and/or dinner?

Not sure if you have gone to Cocoa Beach yet? Just an FYI, the rip currents are very bad on cocoa beach! Is going to cape Canaveral beach area I would recommend this. Several people have died recently because of the currents. Last week I got pulled down and had a real hard time getting back to shore. Btw, I live here and feel much safer in Canaveral beach!

 

[ramee]

I was just down there visiting family that had just moved there. I suggested the Grill to them!

We went to the dinosaur store and Kennedy.

 

[JaxDad]

I was just down there visiting family that had just moved there. I suggested the Grill to them!

We went to the dinosaur store and Kennedy.

I was going to mention the Dinosaur Store as well. It was pretty cool. We stayed in that area, so walked there, as well as Nolan’s Irish Pub, Lighthouse Cove Adventure Golf, and the obligatory Ron Jon’s.

 

[ramee]

I was going to mention the Dinosaur Store as well. It was pretty cool. We stayed in that area, so walked there, as well as Nolan’s Irish Pub, Lighthouse Cove Adventure Golf, and the obligatory Ron Jon’s.

yeah. The dinosaur store wasn’t much, but it was pretty relaxing as far as outings go. There were only a few other people when we went.

Those other two places look like a good time, too! I’ll put them on the list

 

[grantclaire]

One does not need to go "out of my way" as it is literally on the way to everything there is in Cocoa Beach. We passed it every single day we were there. Worth stopping in to say hello to Theresa or even just grabbing a selfie if you are a DISBoards fan.

Great stop, maps and advice. Water and gift for Disboard members!

 

[GreatLakes]

We have family in Melbourne so we go often. I'm definitely not an expert and we spend very little time at the beach but I do have a few restaurants we really like.

Squid Lips
Grills

And if you are looking for a walkable area with a lot of little shops and restaurants head to Cocoa Village. We really like that area.