|
Kennedy Space Center Visitor
Complex ~
www.KennedySpaceCenter.com
East of U.S. 1, five miles south of Titusville, on
State Road 405
(321) 452-2121
Get a behind-the-scenes look at NASA’s space
program, space shuttle and rocket launches, tour
restricted areas, see the shuttle launch pads, walk
under the Saturn V rocket, explore the Rocket
Garden, experience “Mad Mission to Mars 2005,” IMAX
films, including “Apollo 13,” and visit the
Astronaut Hall of Fame featuring astronaut mementos,
historic spacecraft, hands-on activities, virtual
moonwalk, G-Force simulator, land a space shuttle
and sit at a mission control console.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily.
Maximum access admission to both: $33 adults and $23
for children ages 3 to 11.
APHF Shooting
Center ~ www.aphf.org
6350 Horizon Drive, Titusville
(321) 264-0911
A state-of-the-art indoor pistol range with 24 lanes
and equipment rental if needed. Prices vary.
Hours: noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday; noon
to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Children’s Science Center ~
www.ArtAndScience.org
1520 Highland Ave., Melbourne
(321) 254-7782
Children can explore space through The Cosmos: Enter
this darkened room and look up to see a glowing
representation of the December night sky over
Brevard County. They also can explore Earth,
weather, Florida and more. Admission: adults, $5; 60
and older, $3; school-age children, $2; younger than
2, free; after 1 p.m. Thursdays, free. Price
includes admission to Brevard Museum of Art and
Science.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays;
1 to 5 p.m. Sundays.
Andretti Thrill Park ~
www.AndrettiThrillPark.com
3960 Babcock St., Melbourne
(321) 956-6707
Features four race tracks, bumper boats, miniature
golf, laser tag and a game room.
Hours: 2 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m.
to midnight Saturday; noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. Prices
vary.
Blue Heron Adventures ~ www.BlueHeronAdventures.com
Cocoa Beach
(321) 799-3740
Guided kayak nature tours of the Thousand Islands of
Cocoa Beach in two-man kayaks.
Hours: Two tours a day, 9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Monday
through Friday.
Cost: adults, $25; children younger than 9, $15. See
bird life, dolphins and manatees.
BCC Astronaut Memorial
Planetarium & Observatory ~
www.brevardcc.edu/planet
Clearlake Road, Cocoa
(321) 634-3732
Domed theater offers shows and movies about
astronomy and natural science. Exhibits include a
scale replica of the Hubble Space Telescope and a
moon model.
Single-show admission (planetarium or movie):
adults, $6;seniors/students, $5; children 12 and
younger, $4. Combination-show admission (planetarium
and movie): adults, $10; seniors/students, $8;
children 12 and younger, $6. Laser show admission:
$6. Triple-combination show admission (laser show,
movie and planetarium): $14. Gift shop, Science
Quest Exhibit Hall and International Hall of Space
Explorers.
Hours: Two 3 p.m. matinees Wednesday, 6:30 to
10¤p.m. Friday and Saturday. Rooftop observatory
hours: 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Paradise Funplex ~
www.ParadiseFunplex.com
555 Fortenberry Road, Merritt Island
(321) 454-7777
Features a 10,000-square-foot indoor skate area for boards
and blades; 30,000-square-foot outdoor skate area
for bikes, boards and blades; 18-hole miniature golf
course; softball and Little League batting cages.
Hours: 1 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 1 to 10
p.m. Friday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to
9 p.m. Sunday. Prices vary.
On The Edge Rock Climbing Gym
~
www.OnTheEdgeRockClimbing.com
200 West Drive, Melbourne
(321) 724-8775
The 10,000-square-foot facility features several
climbing walls, as high as 40 feet, cardio and
weight-training equipment. Suitable for the beginner
to the advanced.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10
a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday. Prices
vary.
STORY: Visitors Flock To
Expanded Brevard Zoo
www.BrevardZoo.org
Expedition Africa Introduces
Rhinos,
Giraffes
Having completed its long-awaited Expedition
Africa last year, the ambitious Brevard Zoo
will celebrate its 10th birthday in March.
Then, on the first full weekend of each
month, beginning in April and running
through December, the zoo will provide extra
programs to support its conservation mission
through education and participation.
Located off Wickham Road in Viera just east
of Interstate 95, the zoo drew 300,000
visitors last year.
The new 10-acre Expedition Africa features
white rhinos Howard and Max, who graze in
tall grass. An elevated platform allows
guests to view the entire habitat and feed
the giraffes.
Other highlights are a 1-year-old jaguar
named Xinca, quartered in the Latin
America exhibit. Xinca resides with many
species of monkeys, capybaras, tapirs and a
giant anteater. Also striking are the llamas
and rheas, and macaws mimic children’s
whistles.
Two-hundred-fifty-pound crocodiles languish
at the entrance to the Native Florida
exhibit, and visitors can feed whitetailed
deer Annie and Flame. Guests can check out
the otters frolicking in their pool and
public feedings of the alligators, including
13-foot monster Humphrey. The exhibit also
features red wolves, a fox, a bald eagle,
bobcats and a red-tailed hawk.
Kayaking is available through a restored
wetland, and four-hour eco-tours of the
nearby Indian River Lagoon can be arranged.
The Australia Loop is highlighted by its
free-flight aviary, home to eclectus
parrots, kookaburras and cockatiels. Guests
are invited to feed the birds. The exhibit
also has Indonesian fruit bats, muntjacs
(tiny deer from China), cassowaries,
dingoes, wallabies, kangaroos, snake-necked
turtles and emus.
The Paws On petting zoo provides up-close
encounters with deer, goats, a miniature
horse and chickens. Also available is the
Cape to Cairo Express, a
wheelchair-accessible train that chugs
across wildlife preserves. Riders will see
impala, gazelle, duiker, and horned oryx.
The train stops at Lemur Island, where
creatures await treats from the conductor.
The zoo has 11,200 household memberships.
Family or grandparent memberships are $55
each, with single-parent memberships going
for $45. Students and seniors can purchase
annual memberships for $40. Family
memberships give parents and all kids
younger than 18 living at home free
admission for one year. The grandparent
membership allows grandparents and up to six
grandchildren to visit the zoo for a year.
Membership at the zoo allows free admission
to more than 125 zoos across the country,
including the Jacksonville Zoo, Sanford’s
Central Florida Zoo, Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo,
Miami Metro Zoo, Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher
Park and Tampa’s Florida Aquarium.
Admission to the Brevard Zoo for non-members
is $9, adults; $8, seniors ages 60 and
older; and $6, children 2 to 12. Group rates
are available for 15 or more, and the
pavilion park can be rented for company
parties.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For
information, call 254-WILD.
|
|
