Off topic question for people who know Florida....

[Fluffysmom]

Hi, I'm going to Orlando in June, and want to see the Atlantic ocean for the first time.  Looking at the map, the most direct route takes me to the Kennedy Space Center.  While this might be very interesting, I'm hoping to just walk on the beach, maybe visit a nice town for breakfast or something.

So, for people who know the area, which way should I go, north or south of the space center?  Do you know of any nice places to visit?

Thanks,

Kathy

[Fluffysmom]

Cool, thank you for the tips!  

Sanibel; I'll get there some day.  And Captiva, you say? OK!

Kathy

[rendean]

I will call my sister-in-law as soon as my hubby returns with my Mother's Day gift..a new cell phone. Until then I don't have long distance calling available.

The island with shells is Sanibel Island which is absolutely gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!!!  Sanibel is on the Gulf side as is Ft. Myers beach which is nice but can't hold a candle to Sanibel and Captiva.

I'll let you know the name of the restaurant. The people in town are friendly and will be more than happy to answer any and all questions. BTW, there is a grocery store along the main road as well for refills on drinks, ice,, etc.

TTYS,
Ren

[Fluffysmom]

Thank you all so much for telling me where to go, lol!  This is wonderful advice.

Coco Beach sounds like the place to go.  I would like to visit the Kennedy Space Center, but I don't think there is enough time to fit that in, or the drive to the Gulf Coast.  Unless, of course, my roommate lets me take the rental car while she's in her convention....

Of course, we Oregonians grew up being used to playing in water that is so cold that it changes the color of your skin. As kids, we loved it anyway.  It will be nice to wade in warm ocean water.

I hope I can find a few shells as mementos of my first trip to the Atlantic/Florida.  I heard a few years ago of an island off the coast of Florida, possibly on the Gulf side, where there are amazing shells.  I hope to visit there someday; maybe my roommate will have a convention in Florida again.

You all make it sound so alive and interesting; I'm getting more excited, despite the forecast highs.  I may be testing my heat intolerance a little, but we'll take a cooler with ice and cold water, make sure the car has good air conditioning, etc.

Of course, I'll be posting pictures, most likely!  My roommate will have to take her laptop for work.

Ren, I'd like to hear the name of that restaurant if you talk to your sister-in-law.  If not, I'm not too shy to ask complete stranger's about the good places to eat in town.

Thanks again, everyone!

Kathy

[Eyesnlegs]

Well as someone from across the deep blue, I have only been to the US 3 times and each time was to Florida. No - not for the theme parks as most tourists but to stay at a friends villa on the Gulf of Mexico at a place called Englewood about 20 mins north of Venice.

We did over 3,000 miles around Florida on the first visit alone and spent the 4th July 2000 at a local church picnic where they made my family so welcome it was untrue.

Anyway, all this is to say, listen to Lulu, she is right and Kennedy Space Centre was wonderful, I wish we were as proud of our heritage as you guys, I left there proud to know Americans! Saturn V is immense!!!

We did visit some theme parks for the kids but they decided themselves that they preferred to spend time immersed in the local culture and American history, which suited us.

The beaches on the Gulf are amazing too, we didn't make it down over the Everglades but keep promising ourselves that we will soon. So enjoy your trip the place is spectacular and so diverse as you travel further south.

Pat

[rendean]

I  grew in FL and make regular visits back. Cocoa Beach is a wonderful litte town that used to be booming back during the 60s and 70s when space travel was novel. There's even a Ron Jon shop there if you need anything beachy.

Most of the beaches you access by parking at small public parking spaces that are nestled in among the beach houses. The beach is gorgeous and you can walk along the shoreline with meeting  only a few scattered folks for miles. Not much in the way of seashells, etc but lots of beautiful scenery and the wonderful sound of the ocean.

I'd ask in town about the best place to eat. We usually take a picnic lunch then eat dinner at a restaurant that is down near the end of the strip..I forget the name but can find out from my sister-in-law if you'd like.

Enjoy your trip!

Ren

[essdipity]

Yes, the Atlantic beaches can be very wide, with nice powdery sand and lots of opportunities for shell hunting. The Gulf beaches across the state are very nice too. But the big difference is that on the Atlantic side there is real thundering surf, whereas on the Gulf side it's more bloop than anything. The water is *warm* in FL.

ess

[Lulu54]

and to answer your question - go SOUTH.

[Lulu54]

Ess has told you exactly right - if you want a beach go to Cocoa Beach or Jupiter.  Very nice stretches ther.  Be prepared to fall in love with a totally diffeent kind of beach then you have on the west coast - you can actually walk on these and wade in the water without worrying about hypothermia.

Kennedy Space Center is well worth the stop if you are intersted in that part of history.  

Titusville is on the Indian River and not accessible to the Atlantic.  

Have you seen the Gulf of Mexico?  It is about 90 minutes to the west.......... well worth the drive to that area too if you can squeeze both trips in.

enjoy!
Lu

[essdipity]

Not from FL, of course, but I've been there many times. It's quite a trek from Orlando in the middle of the state to the Atlantic. Your best bet would be to rent a car.

The area of FL you mention is marketed as the Space Coast. There are miles and miles of beaches, including a huge national seashore park that's almost entirely wilderness. I'm not sure what you'd have to do to actually get into the Space Center, which has endless very well guarded approach roads, but if you want to go there, absolutely look into it in detail first and don't leave it to chance. The actual center is visible from the national seashore beach as some odd looking buildings recognizable from the many TV shots we've seen, though it's all tiny in the distance. I once watched from a hill near a highway overpass as a manned flight was launched. It's an unforgettable sight.

If you're more interested in the Atlantic beach aspect of things, you might try Coco Beach. That's a real town and not just a wilderness area. Titusville is the town with the closest approach to the national seashore, but it's on an inland river and not the Atlantic.

Hope this helps.

ess