Surfs Up!
When you think of Orlando, Disney comes to mind.
And while it’s certainly entrenched in the tourist industry in Central Florida, there is so much more that the Central Florida area has to offer, far from the artificial areas that cater to tourists.
A short hop to the east of Orlando on the highway known as the ‘Beachline’ lies Cocoa Beach.
You can spend an entire day, or an entire vacation in Cocoa Beach.
You can try your hand at surfing. Cocoa Beach is one of the east coast’s best surfing beaches. Anchored by the huge Ron Jon surf shop, which is less a shop and more of a complex and the Cocoa Beach pier pros and amateurs alike hit the waves every day. Surfboard wouldn’t fit on the plane? No worries, rentals are available for a fair price.
The non-surfers in your group can watch you from the pier and try their hand at salt water fishing; everything you need, poles, bait and tackle is available for rent. When the sun goes down, everyone can nurse their sunburns at one of the several lounges and restaurants on the pier.
What to know where the locals go when Cocoa Beach gets too crowded? Head south on A1A towards Port Canaveral and look for Jetty Park.
Jetty Park not only has one of the best beaches in the area, but because of its proximity to Port Canaveral, you can watch some of the world’s largest cruise ships heading in and out.
After hours, the Port has several great restaurants.
Easy to get to from Orlando, Cocoa Beach is a great day trip, one that won’t take a bite out of your vacation budget.
Next time head north on the Space Coast to learn why the area got its name.
