Cocoa Travel and Things to Do Guide

Stretching 72 miles along Florida's Atlantic Ocean Coast, Florida's Space Coast comprises the towns of Melbourne, Cocoa Beach, Palm Bay and Titusville. Although meeting venues on Florida's Space Coast are in an advantageous spot for visiting the Kennedy Space Center or embarking at the Port Canaveral cruise ship terminal, this area also offers groups a superb beach experience accented by exciting attractions and activities.


Air access is a strong appeal for Florida's Space Coast with the Orlando-Melbourne International Airport nearby, Orlando International Airport 35 miles away and Orlando Sanford International Airport 55 miles away. Situated 25 miles from Port Canaveral and 20 miles from Cocoa Beach, the Orlando-Melbourne International Airport, served by Delta Air Lines and US Airways, has eight gates and seven jetways on three runways.


Small to mid-size hotel venues on Florida's Space Coast are available in a variety of beach and suburban settings. Among the offerings are the 296-room Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront, with 10,000 square feet of meeting space; the 270-room Crowne Plaza Melbourne-Oceanfront and the 127-room Holiday Inn Melbourne-Viera Conference Center, with 7,000 square feet of meeting space.


Large group functions can be held at the Space Coast Convention Center in Cocoa, which has a 7,600-square-foot ballroom; the 20,600-square-foot Melbourne Auditorium, which can seat up to 1,336 for events; and the Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts, a 126,000-square-foot facility with a 2,016-seat performing arts hall, a 250-seat studio theater and meeting rooms for seminars, luncheons, sales rallies and other business-related events. For an academic setting, the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne features a 500-seat performing arts center, botanical gardens and outdoor green spaces.


A valued pre- or post-activity for attendees meeting in the area is the easy accessibility to Port Canaveral, one of the world's busiest cruise ports with more than 4 million passengers, where Disney Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line offer a variety of cruise itineraries. Popular activities for spouse programs and after-meeting entertainment include visiting the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and US Astronaut Hall of Fame, seeing at the animals at the Brevard Zoo, shopping at Melbourne Square Mall and enjoying the scenic surroundings at Sebastian Inlet State Park.


Dining venues on Florida's Space Coast range from rustic oyster bars to oceanside bistros and gourmet restaurants.