Out of this World Adventure on the Space Coast

I’ve lived in Florida for 20 years, and honestly still can’t believe this was our first trip to Kennedy Space Center. Every time a rocket launch happens (that luckily we can watch from our yard) I tell myself we need to head up. It’s less than a two hour drive from the Treasure Coast.

I knew with a birthday celebration weekend (and no Covid birthday party) it was the perfect time for my five year old who is currently obsessed with planets.

The first question I get about most places we visit is now about social distancing guidelines and if they are enforced. I have found with most larger places or companies, there are more guidelines.

There were plenty of outdoor spaces and distance markers throughout buildings. Masks were required while we were there and I honestly didn’t see too many people trying to get around that. People did remove their masks for pictures, but that can be said for most places.

Because we had never been there I wasn’t sure what to expect. Something I didn’t realize is that the entire complex is made up of different buildings. It’s not just one big place. Make sure you grab a map when you get there so you know where everything is located. There are also different showtimes that you will need to pay attention to, so you don’t miss a program you might be interested in.

I recommend planning your day or a general idea of your day before you get there.

As you can see there are still a lot of different hands on interactive activities, completely up to you if you are comfortable toughing them…but there are sanitizing stations very close to all of them.

One of the kids favorite places was the Planet Play playground. Before we went I wasn’t sure if I would even show it to the kids because of germs, but once we were there and saw the cleaning procedures in place and was able to chat with the staff members about when and how they clean, I was fine letting the boys play. They could have stayed in that location all day if I would have let them.

While there we of course saw the huge rocket booster leading the way to the Atlantis exhibit. Whatever you do, don’t miss this one. Hands down this was my favorite. Before you get to the actual shuttle, there is a short movie to give a backstory, so even if you don’t have much back story — or any — you can get caught up quickly and feel how awesome this moment is.

Spoiler: once the movie is over the screen lifts up to reveal the actual Atlantis shuttle. It’s there and massive. I stood there imagining its journey and the fact that it had been to OUTER SPACE. I might have “nerded” out but I loved every minute of it.

In typical Florida fashion, it started raining while we were there. Just plan on that. But unlike other parks you may visit…a majority of the exhibits and experiences are inside minus a few. The weather didn’t impact the events of the day. In face when we walked out of Atlantis we honestly didn’t realize it had stormed as much as it did.

There are even some fun pop up experiences — like a photo op with an astronaut — keep your eyes open.

There are a few places to eat, if your kids start to get hangry, but pay attention to the times they are open. When we were there, one location wasn’t open and the other closed before the park did. There are also plenty of places to sit outside and eat if that’s something you enjoy doing. We always make sure to take a selection of snacks and bottled water for when we need to take a little break.

Forever Remembered was beautiful tribute to the Challenger and Columbia crews. Each member that was lost has a tribute to them and who they were outside of the space program. Even the boys were drawn in and wanted to learn more about each crew member.