When people think of central Florida, they think of Orlando, but Florida has so much more to see and do. On the Atlantic coast, Titusville, Florida, is one of those places that has a multitude of exciting and educational things to do.
About Titusville, Florida
Titusville is in Brevard County, Florida, and has close to a population of 43,000, spread over 30 square miles. From shopping to outdoor sports, Titusville is close to all of the action. It’s just a bridge away from Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, Canaveral National Seashore, and Kennedy Space Center. Within minutes you can be at Daytona International Speedway or Port Canaveral and it is the best place to watch rocket launches.
10 Unique Experiences in Titusville
Ancient Burial Ground at Windover Archeological Site
2201 Michigan Ave., Cocoa, FL 32926
If you’re interested in the past, visit Windover Archeological Site and National Historic Landmark near Titusville. The muck pond is a ¼ mile square site where 168 people were found preserved at the bottom of the pond. After DNA was taken from the remains, it’s estimated that they were from the Middle Archaic period (6000 to 5000 BC).
You can visit the site, walk through a reconstruction of the burial dig, see original items that were found with the remains, and check out interactive learning stations. All of the excavation work has been done since the discovery in the early 1980s. The price of admission is $9 for adults and $5 for children.
Canaveral National Seashore
Apollo Visitor Center, 7611 S. Atlantic Ave., New Smyrna Beach, FL 32169
Starting in Titusville and heading north, Canaveral National Seashore is a 24-mile-long beach that is open to the public. It’s a nature lovers paradise with more than 1,000 plant species and 310 bird types. This is also a great location to watch rockets being launched from the Kennedy Space Center.
The cost to get into the park depends on your mode of transportation. Pedestrians or bikes are $10 for seven days. Vehicle Entrance is $20 for seven days, and motorcycles are $15 for each bike for seven days. There are five days a year that have free entrance fees.
American Space Museum and Space Walk of Fame
308 Pine St., Titusville, FL 32796
The American Space Museum and Space Walk of Fame is a non-profit museum filled with artifacts and memorabilia from astronauts and the NASA space program. Many of the items are one of a kind. The Space Walk of Fame honors workers and astronauts of the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Shuttle Programs.
The STEAM shop is a great place to pick up projects for children for fun centered learning around science, technology, engineering, art, and math. Admission into the museum is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and military, $5 for students, and free for youth 12 and under. You never know who you’ll meet from the space program the day you visit.
Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum
6600 Tico Road, Titusville, FL 32780
Located at the Space Coast Regional Airport, the Warbird Air Museum is a historic look at world-class aircraft restorations and rare military aircraft. The museum was founded in 1977 by a group of plots, veterans, and aircraft fans. There are close to 50 planes on display.
Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and military, $10 for students (13-18), and kids 5-12 are $5.
The museum also offers free STEM programs for local middle and high school students.
American Police Hall of Fame and Museum
6350 Horizon Drive, Titusville, FL 32780
The American Police Hall of Fame walks visitors through the storied history of law enforcement. Established in 1960, this was the first national law enforcement museum and memorial. Inside the museum, there is a chapel honoring those who lost their lives in the line of duty. There are interactive activities for children and adults. From an electric chair to a line of police cars past to present, the history of law enforcement is on display.
There is also a state of the art, 24-lane, shooting range that offers classes for the public and law enforcement personnel. The museum also gets involved with the community during Police Week and support families of fallen officers.
The entrance cost is $13 for adults, $10 for military and seniors, $8 for ages 4 to 12, and law enforcement officers are $2. Family survivors are free.
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
Space Commerce Way, Merritt Island, FL 32953
The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is an amazing complex of space memorabilia, rockets, pictures, displays, and interactive activities. If you’ve ever been curious about space travel, this is an amazing place to visit. There are two IMAX theaters and bus tours to the spaceport. There are opportunities to climb into actual rockets used for space travel.
The bus tour takes you closer to the launch pads and into another building, America’s Spaceport, filled with space rockets and other exhibits, like moon rocks. And the Hard (Moon) Rock Café.
The center is always looking for ways to improve the experience and attract more people and has recently added the Play Planet Activity Center. Kids explore the solar system in a fun, colorful way. They can also climb, and slide through wormholes while parents relax and enjoy space trivia.
1.7 million people stop at Kennedy Space Center each year. Some come for summer camps, some attend rocket launches, and others want to be a part of space history, walking where famous astronauts have walked and still visit.
Space Shuttle Atlantis Exhibit
One of the most exciting parts of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is the Space Shuttle Atlantis Exhibit. It’s informational, interactive, and very inspiring. When the curtain reveals the actual Space Shuttle Atlantis that flew into space right in front of you, your heart will beat a little faster and your imagination will run wild. To be that close to a part of space history is amazing. There are many different displays about the space shuttle program and to get back to the ground floor you must go down a two-story slide. This is a not to be missed attraction. It is part of the admission to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
Daily Admission is $57 for adults and $47 for children ages 3 to 11.
NASA Vehicle Assembly Building
Although you can not tour this building because it was undergoing renovations, and then was rented for the next space project, you will go by it on the way to the spaceport at Kennedy Space Center when you take the bus tour. Some information says special groups might get tours of the building, but you’ll want to call or do some research before you strike out for that specific tour.
The Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) was used to erect the rockets that would go into space. The building itself is enormous, the flag on the outside is seven stories high and each red stripe is 9 feet wide. The blue section is roughly the size of a regulation basketball court. The building is so large that it has its own weather system inside, iIf it got too humid, it would develop clouds and rain. There is now a massive air conditioning system that keeps that from happening. The space shuttles would roll out of the massive doors and down a track to the launch pads, ready to head into space.
Even if you can’t tour the building, being that close to one of the largest buildings in the world is a treat in itself.
Bioluminescent Kayak Tour with BK Adventures
485 N. Washington Ave., Titusville, FL 32796
Florida has a bioluminescent bay that is right in Titusville. BK Adventures will take you and your party on the water to see this phenomenon up close. There are five different options for boats, from stand-up paddleboards and family rafts to traditional kayaks to clear kayaks; there’s no excuse to miss this unique experience. BK Adventures’ owner is Ram BK, which stands for Bishwokarma, the group of people he is descended from in Nepal.
There are two different types of bioluminescence in Florida. One is a type of plankton, that you can paddle through, and it lights up. The other is glowing Comb Jellies, they’re jelly-like sea creatures that glow in the water. You can choose which tour you’d like.
The prices vary from $72 to $55 depending on which boat you use. When booking, pay attention to the phase of the moon, and time of year. When the moon is full, it’s harder to see the plankton.
BK Adventure also offers bike tours, tours of dolphins and manatees as well as tours of the Florida springs.
Get a Brew at Playalinda Brewing Company
5220 S. Washington Ave., Titusville, FL 32780
Playalinda Brewing Company – Brix Project is in Titusville, the second location for Playalinda Brewing. Located in a former lumberyard, it has a production and distribution brewery in this location, with at least 20 brews on tap at any time. It also serves craft cocktails, which sets them apart from breweries that only serve beer.
They also create delicious food served indoors or outdoors. Seating is first-come, first-serve. It’s a great place to stop after a fun day exploring Titusville. You can also take home some merchandise from the brewery.
Explore Pritchard House Museum
424 S. Washington Ave., Titusville, FL 32796
This was added to the US National Registry of Historic Places in 1990 because of its Queen Anne architecture. The house was built in 1891 and has a “conical corner tower”, which is one of the characteristics of this type of home. It also has a wrap-around porch and scrollwork trim.
James Pritchard moved to Titusville around 1886 after his sugar cane crops were destroyed during a hard freeze and began selling real estate. In 1888, Pritchard organized the first bank in Titusville, which closed in 1928, during the Great Depression.
Captain Pritchard was an industrious man who owned and ran many different businesses. There’s a lot of history in the house about the family, and it’s filled with local antiques from the time period.
Tours are conducted daily and are approximately 90 minutes long. Each person is asked for a $10 donation. The gardens are beautiful with brick walkways meandering around the house. Special events and weddings are often held in the gardens.
Titusville is the gateway to the Space Coast. There’s so much to do and see. The Space Program and its history are part of who we are as Americans. Many of us remember where we were when the first man walked on the moon, or when the Challenger exploded after takeoff.
You can tour all of the great museums and then take some time exploring nature at the national seashore or go kayaking at night to experience paddling in bioluminescence plankton. Set your RV GPS to Titusville, Florida, to enjoy some fun in the sun.
