NASA Tour Update – Apollo 50 | Next Giant Leap – BMW CCA Florida SunCoast Chapter

Kennedy Space Center - Apollo 50 | Next Giant Leap
New Apollo/Saturn V Center Exhibits and Displays For the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, the Apollo/Saturn V Center has been transformed! Interactive challenges on touch-screen displays, a beautiful Moon Tree Garden paying tribute to the Apollo crew and authentic spacecraft, including lunar module 9, bring the Apollo Program to life in new ways.

NASA TOUR UPDATES

Here is the itinerary for the Kennedy Space Center Tour on Aug 16 – 18. There is a lot to see, so the activities have been divided to use our time as efficiently as possible. But first, here is an outline of what there is to see:

The Visitor Center:

There is a lot to see here

The Astronaut museum
The outdoor rocket garden
The Space Shuttle
I-Max Theater
The astronaut experience (You can meet an astronaut: click here to check out the video)
Museum
Gift shop (of course!) and restaurants

The Saturn Five Center:

Museum
Complete Saturn 5 on its side inside the building
Shops and eats

Two additional Bus Tours:

Both tours depart from the Visitor Center and drop you at the Saturn 5 Center

Kennedy Space Center Explore Tour (2 hours)
Cape Canaveral Early Space Tour (3 hours)

It will be difficult to see all of this. This schedule seems to make the best use of our time:

Saturday, 8/17 – arrive at the Visitor Center by 9:00 AM
1. Tour Visitor Center
2. Plan for lunch by 11:00
3. Bus Tour – Cape Canaveral Early Space Tour (12:20 PM reservation, only one available)
4. See some of the Saturn 5 Center

Sunday, 8/18 – Arrive…your choice
1. Tour more of the Visitor Center – depending on your arrival time
2. Bus Tour – Kennedy Space Center Explore Tour (11:00 AM reservation)
3. Late Lunch
4. Saturn 5 Center and/or Visitor Center

There are shuttle buses every 15 minutes to take you back to the Visitor Center

TICKETS: You must buy all of your tickets in advance!!

General Admission ticket(s) – the Apollo 2-Day Daily Admission Pass is suggested:
NOTE: You can buy a single-day ticket and have it validated at the Center for a one day return for $25…not available for senior admission. Click HERE to find out aboutTICKETS & PACKAGES and BUY TICKETS.

Bus Tours: Please buy the type, date and time specified above…
Cape Canaveral Early Space Tour on Saturday 12:20 and Kennedy Space Center Explore Tour on Sunday 11:00

PLEASE BUY YOUR TICKETS ASAP… OR YOU’LL BE ON THE WRONG BUS!

Lunch & the Drive to Cocoa Beach – Friday, 8/16

Lunch:

Meet at the Cracker Barrel (6150 Lazy Days Blvd in Seffner) off I-4, Exit 10, Mango Rd. for lunch at Noon on Friday.
Directions off I-4… Left on Mango then, first left off Mango (before the light), left at dead end to restaurant.

Drive/Tour:

The route to Cocoa Beach will be: I-4 to 417 (exit 62), 417 to 528 (exit 26), 528 becomes A1A direct to the hotel - There are tolls on this route -

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GROUP DINNER (Friday only):

Branos Italian Grill, 3680 N Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach, FL 32931 – (321) 783-6031
Reservations (for 22) are made for 7:00 PM Friday. It’s a 4 ½ block walk from the hotel.

THE HOTEL

The Inn at Cocoa Beach,
3680 N Atlantic Ave,
Cocoa Beach, FL 32931
(321) 799-3460

Plan to arrive by 4:00 PM on Friday, August 16 if possible.
Happy Hour from 4:30 – 6:00 PM at the hotel
Please bring any comestibles you like – wine, beer, cheese, crackers, chips, dip – to share
The hotel offers breakfast with your reservation

Driving from the HOTEL to the KSC:

We will take A1A back across the causeway and make a RIGHT onto N Courtney Pkwy. After a big curve to the right and a big curve to the left the road changes name to Kennedy Pkwy N. We will make a LEFT onto Space Commerce Way. After a left 90° curve, we will make a RIGHT into the Visitor Center.