![]() ![]() Seminole Rest, a part of the Seashore, was the scene of many of the first North American encounters among Europeans, Africans and native inhabitants. There's a nice bit of early architecture here in the Eldora State House, on the Mosquito Lagoon, open year round. Other activities you can pursue in the park and its lagoons and dunes include canoeing, boating and swimming, of course. Biologists think there are about 400 Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins in the Indian River Lagoon here. Alligators abound, as well as the manatee and 12 other species federally listed as endangered or threatened. Loggerhead sea turtles come to deposit their eggs here, and are heavily protected when they do so. Wildlife includes the red-tailed hawk, snowy egret, white ibis, great blue heron and bald eagle. Fishing and boating are allowed, check out rules at the information centers or on the parks' websites. If you are lucky and plan ahead, you may get to be here during a space launch, too. Most fun here can be had picnicking on the Seashore's 24 miles of sand (which the NPS says is the longest stretch of undeveloped public beach on Florida's east coast) with portable grills and the like (no open fires), and getting into the water. Fish & Wildlife Service, in cooperation with NASA. Their phone is 386/428-3384.Ī second place to get information is the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Information Center, four miles east of Titusville on Florida Route 402, the southern entrance. It's at the northern end of the two parks. The Canaveral National Seashore Visitor Information Center, operated by the National Park Service in cooperation with NASA, is seven miles south of New Smyrna Beach on Florida Route A1A, just east of I-95 and about 20 miles south of Daytona Beach. I recommend you stop by the visitor information centers to pick up maps and get your bearings. The national seashore itself possesses a dual personality, combining its beaches with the allure of the contiguous Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, a haven for hikers, campers, hunters and those who just like a scenic drive. And the Space Center is next door to the Seashore and its Wildlife Refuge. (If you're looking for Cape Canaveral itself, that's part of the Space Center, with Cocoa Beach as its unofficial capital.) The southwest corner of the park at Titusville is only some 25 miles east of Orlando, so combining a visit here with playtime at Disney World or Universal Studios (to mention only two such venues) is easy to arrange. ![]() You can pull off a perfect trifecta of famous destinations here, if you wish: On this windblown Atlantic coast of Florida you can easily visit the Canaveral National Seashore, the adjacent Kennedy Space Center and Orlando, all just a few miles from one another. ![]()
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