Home of NASA, “I Dream of Jeanne,” and the best surfing on Florida’s Atlantic Coast, Cocoa Beach is a top destination for beachgoers and folks who just love to play outdoors. Here on the Space Coast, you’ll find hikes the kids will love as well as more challenging trails and some of the best birding in Florida.
Dicerandra Scrub Sanctuary
One of a string of scrub preserves that sprinkle the Space Coast between Titusville and Fellsmere, Dicerandra Scrub protects a sliver of scrub – only 44 acres – atop the Atlantic Coastal Ridge in an area otherwise fully surrounded by subdivisions. It is home to the rare Dicerandra Thinicola, also known as Titusville balm, a [...]
Enchanted Forest Sanctuary
Its not rocket science: the first and finest of the Brevard County EEL (Environmental Endangered Lands), Enchanted Forest Sanctuary in Titusville is a fabulous destination for family hiking. From the moment you step out of your car at the trailhead, you realize this is a magical place. It has a little bit of everything, including [...]
Erna Nixon Park
Although Erna Nixon Park is just down the street from one of the busiest shopping malls on the Space Coast – Melbourne Square – it transports you right out of suburbia and back into the wilds of Florida’s past. Primarily a boardwalk, the interpretive trail that is the main feature of this Brevard County Park [...]
Hal Scott Preserve
Vast prairies and seepage bogs, a historic crossing of the Econlockhatchee River, and a campsite set under a live oak canopy—it’s all within minutes of the Orlando International Airport. I fell in love with these broad, open prairies on my first visit, and have sent many friends here since. The preserve’s grasslands host a stunning [...]
