10 Reasons Why You Should Visit the Kennedy Space Center

It’s no secret we’re big fans of the Kennedy Space Center. The Florida home of One Small Step For Man has been a major tourist attraction for 55 years, and it is still getting better year by year.

There are very few places in the world where you can get an up-close encounter with the past, present AND future of the space programme, and this historic Atlantic coast site is pretty much the best of the best, especially as it has just opened a thrilling new exhibit called Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has been at work here since 1962, while its history as a military base goes back even further, to 1949. Today, there are multiple companies all working in conjunction with NASA, and the Space Center is the busiest it’s ever been.

But that is only one explanation why the KSC’s Visitor Complex is a truly compelling, and even emotional, place to visit. We have 10 more reasons why you shouldn’t miss this absolutely superb presentation of space flight heritage. Let’s count them down…

Reason 10

You’ll see a whole lot of the real Florida countryside and wildlife on the drive from Orlando. Most of the KSC is actually situated in and around the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, a 140,000-acre preserve that’s full of native birds, small mammals and, yes, alligators. Keep your eyes open on the signature bus tours and you might even see a gator or two in the canals and ponds that dot the Center’s landscape.

Reason 9

Those bus tours also provide the best possible overview of the areas beyond the Visitor Complex. They are all part of general admission and leave the Complex every 15 minutes or so, travelling around several iconic sights, such as the massive Vehicle Assembly Building, the colossal Crawler transport and Launch Pad 39A that sent Apollo astronauts to the Moon. Tours are fully narrated and provide in-depth insight into the Space Center’s working areas.

Reason 8

It’s not JUST a bus tour. While it does, indeed, offer an excellent vantage point from which to soak up the expansive views of the active parts of the Center, it also provides access to the awe-inspiring Apollo/Saturn V Center, where you disembark and can easily while away two hours exploring the achievements of the Apollo programme, including a heart-pounding recreation of the first Moon landing and a close-up of a mighty Saturn V rocket, which remains the most powerful machine ever assembled.

Reason 7

When you need to give your feet a rest (and there’s a LOT to walk around here), the IMAX Theater is a fantastic place to sit and enjoy two immense big-screen presentations. Here, you can see the 40-minute 3-D movie Asteroid Hunters, narrated by Star Wars actor Daisy Ridley, with a cutting-edge look at asteroids and their relevance to Earth, and Journey To Space, an in-depth review of NASA’s accomplishments, current activities and future plans, narrated by Sir Patrick Stewart.

Reason 6

Did you know there is an Astronaut Hall of Fame? Of course you did! And it is right here inside the Heroes & Legends exhibit, a fabulous testament to the men and women who have risked their lives to advance the cause of space exploration. This fascinating presentation salutes the early pioneers through artifacts, memorabilia and back-stories of the astronauts themselves, including the EVA 23 documentary about Italian Luca Parmitano’s near-fatal space walk from the International Space Station.

Reason 5

Don’t forget your wallet, because the KSC boasts the biggest Space Shop in the world, and it is full of must-have souvenirs, apparel and gifts that you will definitely want to take home with you. Head upstairs and you can even walk across the original Apollo 11 gantry that Neil Armstrong and Co. traversed at the start of their historic Moon mission in 1969.

Reason 4

The food’s pretty good, too. There are plenty of places to grab a quick snack or drink, plus four full sit-down dining opportunities, including the Orbit Café, where they even grow some of their own fresh produce, and the new Space Bowl Bistro in the Gateway complex, which features ultra-tasty build-your-own protein bowls. Even better – all the plates and bowls in the cafes are made from recycled pulp, while the cutlery, straws and plate lids are bio-based and fully biodegradable.

Reason 3

The futuristic Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex opened on June 15, 2022, and provided another new interactive adventure within the Visitor Complex, presenting current and future space exploration ventures, including NASA’s commercial partners such as Space X, Boeing, United Launch Alliance, Sierra Space and Lockheed Martin. It also features Spaceport KSC, and four simulated journeys into deep space to explore the likes of Mars, the moons of Saturn and Jupiter, and the distant Trappist-1 system.

Reason 2

The hardware of space exploration remains eternally fascinating, and the signature Rocket Garden presents a truly unique spread of rockets and rocket paraphernalia that put the ‘how’ of space flight into sharp perspective. As well as the inherent power that they represent, there is also a sense of small-scale daring that makes you wonder how any of the early astronauts had the courage to strap themselves into capsules that make small cars seem like limousines.

Reason 1

Perhaps the highlight of the KSC, though, remains Space Shuttle Atlantis, a towering exhibit and monument to the achievements of the 30-year Shuttle programme that far surpassed its expected operational lifetime. The preamble and ‘big reveal’ of Atlantis usually makes audiences gasp, and there is no disguising the close-up impact that it represents. It also includes the clever Shuttle Launch Experience, another simulated journey into space, and the highly moving Forever Remembered display that memorialises the crews of the two shuttle tragedies.

And there’s more, too, like the daily Astronaut Encounter, the fun Planet Play indoor playground for children 2-12, the immersive STEAM learning experience of LEGO Build to Launch and the Astronaut Training Simulators. In fact, you might struggle to fit everything in to a one-day visit (which is why he KSC now offers a two-day ticket, so you can come back for a second visit).

It all makes for a wonderfully elaborate and inspiring attraction that is a true one-off. We highly recommend it.

For more info, look up KennedySpaceCenter.com.

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