2025 is a brand-new year, a present waiting to be unwrapped, and the best gift for travelers is a vacation in Cape Canaveral, Florida, where sunshine, pristine beaches, and all-natural adventures blend right in with modern, space age, and all the comforts of home found in our Happy Palm Stays vacation escape. This 2025 preview to the wonders that await you in our Space Coast town of Cape Canaveral will give you a better idea of what to expect from the gift you are giving yourself in this new year.
The Space Coast Awaits
The Space Coast is a region of Florida known for its contributions to space exploration and the towns that make up the Space Coast are all a part of what will make your 2025 Cape Canaveral visit one you will never forget, so don’t be surprised when you see towns other than Cape Canaveral listed below. All revolving around the stars and planets, many were also important in the space race of the 50s and 60s.
Cape Canaveral Lighthouse, Cape Canaveral Space Station in Cape Canaveral
Unless you are in the military most people won’t get to freely explore the Cape Canaveral Space Station, except for one specific area, the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse, a structure that has been a beacon for seafaring travelers since 1868 and is still active today. Tours, booked at least four days in advance, are the only way to see the lighthouse and you won’t be able to drive your car to your tour. The tours leave from Sands Space History Center, located just outside the south gate of the Space Station and will take up to four hours to complete, but if you have some extra time, be sure to explore what the history center has to offer.
Kennedy Space Center Space Center Visitors Complex, Space Commerce Way on Merritt Island
The Kennedy Space Center was the departure sight for the first human-manned rockets to the moon and today it is a guardian of the past while offering exciting hopes for the future and if you come all this way and don’t set aside some time to explore it, you may not be able to consider that you really did see all that the Space Coast represents. Offering flight simulators, opportunities to meet real astronauts, stroll through a garden of rockets, and explore the history of the space race while learning about the future, there is also some new exhibits and activities coming to the center in 2025, including a new launch viewing and exhibit area, offering a new theater show (Earth Information Center), an interactive rocket building exhibit, and a test fire simulation in which visitors will get to experience the simulated sounds and sensations of a rocket’s ignition. This last activity can be a little intimidating for the tiniest travelers in your group, and you may need some quiet time after, something that can be enjoyed in the new shaded courtyard that offers animal play sculptures, climbable sculptures of sea turtles, alligators, even an eagle’s nest for added whimsy.
American Space Museum and Space Walk of Fame, 308 Pine Street in Titusville
The town of Titusville is recognized as one of the best towns on the Space Coast for viewing rocket launches and for being home to the American Space Museum and Space Walk of Fame. Featuring exhibits of artifacts donated by astronauts, space workers, NASA, and contractors, the museum offers an authentic peek into space exploration. Pay homage to the woman of space, meander through the Space Shuttle Gallery, and explore the Space Walk of Fame, an outdoor plaza that celebrates the contributions of the nation’s astronaut heroes.
Special Events on the Space Coast
The best way to get to know the area you are visiting is by attending the special events that are loved by all those who attend and this list of special events will add an extra layer of excitement to your Florida vacation experiences.
Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival, January 22 through 26, Various Locations Throughout the Space Coast
Held annually in January, birdwatchers from all over the world try never to miss the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival, one of the largest bird watching events of the year. There will be field trips, workshops, speeches prepared by some of the most well-known naturalists in the business, this celebration of the natural side of the Space Coast is a worthy event to attend. And even if you don’t see yourself venturing beyond an amateur interest in the activity, the photographic workshops that will take place during this event will ensure that the photos you take of your own bird or wildlife watching activities will be the best you’ve ever taken.
Beach N’ Boards Fest, March 12 through 16, 299 E Cocoa Beach Causeway in Cocoa Beach
Cocoa Beach is one of the top surfing cities on the East Coast, known for being the home to surfing great Kelly Slater and its consistent waves, and the Beach N’ Boards Fest celebrates the sport as the best of the best compete against each other on sea and on land in surf and skateboard contests. Food trucks will be on hand to ensure that hungry guests and competitors can keep up their energy levels, volleyball games will be played, and on certain dates, sea oats will be planted. No, you didn’t read that wrong, sea oats are important to the dunes, the coastline, and to the wildlife that feed off them and surfers appreciate their importance, hence, the planting of the sea oats at this surf and skateboard event.
8th National Kidney Foundation Bicycle Bar Tour of Hope, May 16, Port Canaveral
Our favorite activities are the ones that get us outside to play and if we can do a good deed while playing even better, making the 8th National Kidney Foundation Bicycle Bar Tour of Hope one of our favorite events. Riding from Port Canaveral to Cocoa Beach and back along our beautiful bike paths is fun on its own, but the eight stops at local drinking holes make it even more titillating! Tickets cost $25 in advance or $35 on the day of the ride and your ticket includes eight drinks, one at each stop. Additionally, the proceeds of this worthy activity, of course, will benefit the National Kidney Foundation, which wraps up the good deed part of the story. A1A Beach Rentals, 6811 N Atlantic Avenue, offers bike rentals, so you won’t need to pack your own.
Rocket Launches in 2025
Did you know there were almost 70 launches last year!? So many of our guests were able to witness a launch from their property or the beach – truly something everyone should experience once it your life. Next Spaceflight is an app (it also has a website) that tells you when all the launches are scheduled, and when you have the dates, you can possibly time your visit to coincide with a launch, they are currently listing launches through April on their schedule. Weather conditions, technical difficulties, and other issues may arise, delaying or cancelling the scheduled launch altogether, but at least you will have an opportunity to experience a rocket launch in person, an adventure you will never forget. Playalinda Beach in Cape Canaveral offers the best spots for viewing rocket launches in town, but you may want to arrive a few hours ahead of a scheduled launch because NASA does restrict traffic coming in for security reasons and they won’t chase you out if you are already there.
New for Dinner in Cape Canaveral
Even though your Happy Palm Stays home or condo does offer a fully equipped kitchen, you will still want, no, need to experience a taste of the Space Coast and we are quite excited about some of the new restaurants that are opening in 2025 on the Space Coast, and we’ve listed a few of them below.
Destination Downtown Food Hall, 8801 Astronaut Boulevard in Cape Canaveral and 2 N Atlantic Avenue in Cocoa Beach.
Destination Downtown Food Hall, located at 8801 Astronaut Boulevard, is destined to be one of your favorite places to eat. Offering seven different food and beverage vendors in one location, this food hall echoes the way people would eat centuries ago, while keeping the idea and presentation modern and new. Featuring indoor and outdoor seating, and providing a family friendly dining experience, we are eagerly awaiting the day we can check out everything it has to offer, but everyone will have to wait. Cape Canaveral’s Destination Downtown Food Hall is still in the planning and permitting stages, the one being built in Cocoa Beach is scheduled to have its grand opening in late spring/early summer, just in time for your summer vacation in paradise.
Dirty Birds Tiki Bar and Grill, 142 Minuteman Causeway in Cocoa Beach
There hasn’t been an opening date announced as of yet, but we have it on good authority it will be sometime in 2025, perhaps around summer as well, and honestly, we can’t wait until Dirty Birds Tiki Bar and Grill opens. Taking over the space that was once known as Area 142, the new owners are promising a laid-back beachy vibe, tropical drinks and island food and we can’t find one thing wrong with any of the above. We do know that the former restaurant at that business offered a large outdoor stage and an oasis of fun in the middle of downtown and we suspect those traits will carry on into Dirty Birds and we are waiting with excitement for the new adventures that lie ahead.
Some Things Are Meant to Stay the Same
We love the new and different, but there are some things that should always stay the same. The warmth of hospitality, the comfort of furniture that is plush, soft, and inviting, and the joy you get when you stay in any of our Happy Palm Stays sanctuaries, those qualities will never change. Offering ocean views that have soothed the hearts of humans since the first human stepped foot on the first sandy beach, locations that are close to everywhere you want to be, and filled with amenities that just make travel life better and because our Cape Canaveral retreats are built to be an important part of your vacation experience, they will never let you down. The wonders of these spaces have to be experienced to be believed, but we will give you a peek into what your vacation life will look like in our Happy Palm Stays retreats next.
Fits Like a Glove
We hate when our guests FEEL like guests, we want everyone who stays in our seaside escapes to feel at home from their first steps inside to the sad moments at the end of the stay when they must return to real life. There are no rules to vacation life, with the exception of one hard requirement; you MUST have the best time of your life during your Florida journey to Cape Canaveral and the best vacations begin and end “at home.” Comfortable sofas face both the views of the water that will take your breath away and our modern and updated televisions; take your pick as to which you enjoy more. Fully equipped kitchens, tranquil and restful bedrooms, and balconies that hang over the sea, providing ringside seats to frolicking dolphins, fiery sunrises and sunsets, and the sheer and stunning beauty of Mother Nature and all her watery accomplishments. Add in the community amenities in our condos, resort pools, hot tubs, and more or the private pools, barbecue grills, and more in our standalone Space Coast vacation homes, and your 2025 preview to a Cape Canaveral vacation is complete. Contact us to reserve your favorite Cape Canaveral condo rental today!
