Sometimes when you visit smaller towns on vacation it can be more difficult to know what there is to do, but your 2025 vacation on Merritt Island will not be one of those times. You may think you have never heard of the island before, but we at Happy Palm Stays can assure you that you have, as it is home to the area where the space race began, the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. There is more to explore during your getaway on the Space Coast, however, and as such we have created this 2025 preview to Merritt Island, offering sneak peeks at local attractions, tips that will help you enjoy the best meals, and hints that reveal the wonders of many of the events that take place on Merritt Island and the surrounding areas throughout the year. For more things to do in Merritt Island, read below!
Big Things Are on the Schedule
The footprint of Merritt Island is a compact one, but as more people are discovering its natural beauty, more developments are on the agenda, including a new hospital, a new shopping center which is expected to offer a Chipotle restaurant and a Wawa Convenience Store/gas station. We are especially excited about the Wawa, as it offers an elevated selection of foods, sundries, and other merchandise, all chosen to ensure that shoppers have a good choice. The food is always fresh and tasty, and gas prices will be comparable to other gas stations and in some cases can even be priced lower, if only by a few cents. (And in this economy, every penny does count!) And although we don’t have the details as of yet, it is rumored that there will be some new shops and boutiques making an appearance in Merritt Square Mall, making 2025 a year that we are excited to see unveiled!
Merritt Island Events and Festivals
The best way to get to know the place you are visiting is by attending the events and festivals that the locals love and the ones listed below will welcome you to Merritt Island in the best of ways.
Merritt Island Pioneer Day, February 8, Various Locations
Although Merritt Island has been almost continuously inhabited since 800 or 900 BC, we have only been celebrating Pioneer Day for about 13 years, so we have to make sure that event is really special. Offering living history demonstrations, guided trail hikes, live music, tours of historic cemeteries, farmers market vendors, and delicious foods, if you are traveling with your kiddos, they are going to love the children’s games and crafts also offered at this event that holds a special place in our hearts.
Merritt Island Food Truck and Craft Festival, March 30, Shore Lanes
You may have missed this wonderful event, but the Merritt Island Food Truck and Craft Festival, held on March 30, is an annual event we start looking forward to as soon as the last one ends! Lasting just one day, the food trucks and craft vendors open their booths and windows starting at noon, inviting all to explore the culinary delights and the talents of local artisans. The trucks that attend are different every year and may include Mexican food, seafood, or dessert trucks that will make everyone’s day that much sweeter. Live music often accompanies this local event and as the sun shines down on your culinary and crafting adventures, your good mood is about to move on to the next level of happiness and joy!
One-Space, June 21, Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex
When you share your home with the greatest Space Center in the world, you have to imagine that we celebrate the final frontier often, and the One-Space event is an example of how we do just that. For over a quarter of a century, we have designated one night out of the year to celebrate space in all its wonder. Slip into your favorite Star Fleet uniform (Just make sure it isn’t red, because we all know what happens to the red shirts on Star Trek!) and prepare for an evening of space stars as the worlds best scientists, innovators, and astronauts give speeches about their favorite topic (space, of course) in between live art demonstrations, meet and greets with astronauts, and a series of immersive experiences encourage a further love of space. The event starts at 7PM, but if you purchase VIP tickets there are more events and activities that will take place throughout the day, including a Delta Tour in the Rocket Garden.
Rocket Launches in 2025
One thing that most travelers want to experience during their adventures in Merritt Island is an actual rocket launch and although the schedule is constantly changing, at the time of this writing the next launch scheduled will be on the Axion Mission 4, launching on May 29th. Realizing the return to human spaceflight for a number of countries, including India, Poland, and Hungary, this will be each of the aforementioned governments first government sponsored flight in over 40 years. Commander Peggy Whitson will lead the flight with Shubhanshu Shukla piloting the launch, and Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski and Tibor Kapu both serving as Mission Specialists. The astronauts are expected to complete a mission on the International Space Station and if you are visiting Merritt Island on this date, you can experience the most exciting adventure of all, a genuine rocket launch.
New Restaurants Opening in 2025
We’ve already mentioned that a new Chipotle is expected to open in Merritt Island in 2025 but there are a couple of other restaurants that have opened in 2025 already and they are listed below.
First Watch, 795 E Merritt Island Causeway, Open for Breakfast and Lunch Daily
First Watch is a chain restaurant that is located in many states across the US, but this is a first for us, and we are thrilled to be able to add it to our dining repertoire. Known for providing healthy meals that are locally sourced, its menu includes items such as Million Dollar Bacon (You had us at bacon!), freshly made juices, and a yummy breakfast called the Chickichanga, made with cage free eggs, spicy chicken breast, chorizo, green chiles, two types of cheese, onions, avocado, and tortilla, topped with a creamy Vera Cruz sauce that will haunt your dreams in the best of ways for years to come. Hopefully you have a First Watch near you, so you won’t have to fly all the way to Merritt Island every time you have a craving for Chickichangas!
Saigon Pho Banh Mi & Boba, 97 E Merritt Avenue, Opening April, 2025
Word on the street is that this family owned Vietnamese restaurant is destined to be the hottest spot on the island, and we are waiting with bated breath for it to open! Offering an expansive menu of Vietnamese favorites, we really are looking forward to trying their Saigon Sizzling Pan and explore all the different flavors of bobo offered, and we know that once its doors open, this is going to become our new obsession!
Balibar Wines & Grinds, 110 McLeod Street
We can already feel our heart rates slowing, the noises in our brain quieting, and our soul beginning to relax and that is in spite of the coffee served at Balibar Wines & Grinds. It’s the wines we love in this newly opened wine and coffee shop (although we will never turn our noses up at coffee, either) featuring a Balinese style wine bar and a beer garden in addition to its coffee house. Also serving craft cocktails, charcuterie boards, dessert, small plates and an overall vibe of peace and tranquility, this is the perfect spot to visit when you just want to sit, sip, and savor a quiet Florida day.
New on the Space Coast
Merritt Island may be the exciting epicenter of the Space Coast, but the surrounding towns, such as Cocoa Beach, Cape Canaveral, even Titusville and Melbourne, all add to the rich wonders of the area and are so close to our Island Home that if you didn’t explore beyond our city limits, you wouldn’t experience an authentic Space Coast getaway. The places we have listed below are new and worth visiting.
Mystic Lobster Roll Company, 109 Brevard Avenue in Cocoa
We love the taste of a fresh lobster roll and we can honestly say that Mystic Lobster Roll Company offers the tastiest in town, providing a Maine experience that will help you cool down a little during the warmest months of the year. Also offering live entertainment, Mystic is new to Cocoa Village but has been a favorite to visit while exploring Cape Canaveral. This is a chain restaurant, but it doesn’t taste like one, and when you step inside for the first time you will feel like family!
Air Dot Show Tour, July 12 & 13, Lori Wilson Park in Cocoa Beach
We keep our eyes turned to the skies quite often on the Space Coast and the Air Dot Tour Show, featuring the USAF F22 Raptor Demo is another reason why this is so! Offering acrobatic performances, parachute teams, and really cool demonstrations of emergency rescues, the skies come alive on these two days in July, so be sure to stop by if you are here during that time. Also offering a variety of VIP experiences, including personal viewing spots on the beach, catered lunches, and private boxes for up to 6 people that includes an umbrella, chairs, and a private parking spot.
Southern Tide, The Avenue Viera, 2261 Town Center Avenue Suite 105 in Melbourne
Isn’t it so much fun exploring new shops while traveling? We live here and most aren’t new to us, but will probably be for you, adding an extra element of joy to your vacation experience. Southern Tide, however, located in the Avenue Viera shops, is a new one and we are already addicted to their merchandise, offering a clothing with a coastal flair. This is the spot to pick up a brand new sundress, those comfortable khaki shorts that you never want to take off, and linens and accessories for your home as well.
The Blueberry Farm to Table Experience, May 3, 4400 Bouganvilla Drive in Mims
The Blueberry Farm, located just outside Titusville, is offering its Blueberry Farm to Table Dining Experience in May, offering a gourmet meal prepared entirely with farm to table ingredients. This meal is destined to wow your taste buds, and will include Florida wines, local brews, and stunning views of the blueberry farm that will be in full bloom. Offering a great way to celebrate an anniversary and offering the chance to explore and learn all about the simple but many-layered blueberry, there will be dancing, flower arranging lessons, and of course, the best meal you have ever tasted!
At Home on Merritt Island with Happy Palm Stays
Coming home to your Merritt Island sanctuaries every night of your stay will bring you adventures of the most comfortable kinds. Our Happy Palm Stays properties on Merritt Island are spacious townhomes designed for families and offering a long list of luxury amenities that will make you consider staying in at least one day during your visit so as to be able to enjoy them all! A community pool is heated during the cooler months, and a hot tub is, of course, hot all year round, and the barbecue area is popular, especially with guests who have had a successful day of fishing. Also offering a fitness center, boat slips, and a prime riverfront location, your time spent outside will be as much fun as your time spent inside is comfortable.
State of the Art Televisions, Beach Gear, and Happy Dreams
All the comforts of home await you inside these charming spaces, and because we know that guests want to be entertained, our interior amenities will never let you down. Offering closets filled with beach chairs, umbrellas, coolers, and boogie boards, state of the art televisions that will also be in the bedrooms, and comfortable beds topped with the softest of linens, guaranteeing that every night’s sleep will be filled with happy dreams. Reserve your favorite Merritt Island sanctuary today and enjoy these Merritt Island activities!
