mona

This is our first trip to Florida and we have one spare day. Is this a very touristy
attraction or do you get a real sense of the history? Is it worth the cost of admission?
Thanks for any input.

joesorce

Depends on where you are going in Florida and how far away from Kennedy you are.

If it's Orlando, I'd say it's definitely worth it, especially with kids maybe 6 to 12 years old.

Really interesting, I think it is the "sleeper" attraction in Florida, much better than you'd expect.

peg

KSC is fascinating and worth the price, especially if you grew up during the glory days as I did. It would be great for kids too. Tell us more--where are you going in FL? Do you have kids? Agree with other post that that might affect my opinion on its worth for you.
For instance, if you're spending the rest of your time at Disney, a day at one of our beautiful beaches might be a better break... Also, if you go to KSC, Merritt Island Preserve, just adjacent to KSC, is very interesting and beautiful. Worth at least a drive through, but depending on when you're going, watch out for mosquitoes. They're beyond brutal in the swampy areas during summer. Let us know more, and we'll tell you more.

rachel

Just returned from 3 days at Disney and 1 day at the Space Center. We were a little suprised at the price of admission ($26.00 for adults-anyone over 11)) but we really enjoyed it. Our kids, boys, one almost 12, the other 15, also enjoyed it. We toured it the day we arrived in FL when we knew we wouldn't get a full day in Disney. We didn't feel it was touristy, but more historical, musuemy. we spent about 4 hours there but did not get to see everything. I dont know when your trip is planned but there is a launch scheduled for sometime in June. It is not open to the public on launch days, and I dont know how many, if any, days before or after a launch. It looks like it would be really neat to be in the area around a launch though

al

For me it was totally worth it, but only you can really answer that one. If you're interested in NASA and the space program you'll find it fun and educational. If you're not, then skip it. Call the hotline (321-867-4636) to see if there will be any launches during your visit.

mona

Thanks for the info. We are arriiving in Orlando on a Saturday (6/01/02)and don't want to hit the theme parks on the weekend.
We thought we could spend the day at the space center and have dinner on the beach. Since we will have plenty of tourist stuff planned, I was hoping for more of a museum atmosphere. We have 2 days planned in the Clearwater, St. Pete area, so we won't be cheating ourselves of the beach. I didn't want to pay to see a big gift shop, but would enjoy a tour of our travels into space. Kids 9 and 14 are used to museums and educational displays. We figured if we went the first day, it wouldn't have to compete with the thrill of the theme parks. Thanks for your help.

S

Space Camp is officially 20 years old this summer. But don't expect find Space Camp in Florida.

travellyn

I agree with posters above that KSC is definitely worth the trip. It is very interesting in itself, and there are also many visitors from other countries, making it even more interesting. I liked KSC better than Disney. Make sure you try some of the super-cold ice cream pellets if they still sell them.

peg

Hi again Mona - with kids that age, definitely go to KSC, you will all enjoy it. It's not cheap (but a lot less than WDW), but you can get $2.00 or 10% off (I think) coupons at hotels or in local visitor guides. Definitely more museum-like, it is really interesting, and you can easily spend 4-5 hours there. And I again suggest taking that drive through Merritt preserve. Stop at the visitor's center, watch their very interesting short video about the area, and they can also tell you how to get to an area where there is a manatee "colony" - really cool, right off the road. Have a great time! Let us know how you liked it.