Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach, Destination Guide, Florida, Go

1-Day in Cocoa Beach: Explore The Space Coast & Cape Canaveral Cruise Port – Florida

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Cocoa Beach, FL 📍

On our most recent cruise with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, we set out to explore The Space Coast, our first port of call with Odyssey of the Seas, and we’re sharing a few highlights from our visit to the town made infamous on I Dream of Jeannie – Cocoa Beach!

Aerial view of a coastline with sandy beach and clear turquoise water under a clear sky, showcasing a line of buildings and resorts along the shore.
Aerial View of Cocoa Beach with Port Canaveral to the North

Located on a barrier island along the Atlantic Ocean, Cocoa Beach is the quintessential old-school beach town. Here, life moves a bit slower and is less hectic than many of the other popular east coast Floridan shore points but it is still packed with plenty of restaurants, shops & experiences.

Although we’ve cruised out of Canaveral many times over the years, and even overnighted once way back in 2016 at the lovely Holiday Inn Club Vacations Cape Canaveral Beach Resort, this was our very first time actually getting out to see what Cocoa Beach itself has to offer. We didn’t book an excursion through Royal Caribbean for this port stop (in fact, we had no excursions booked on this cruise itinerary whatsoever), so we set out to do everything on our own.

Here are some highlights from our sunshine-filled December day in Port Canaveral/Cocoa Beach with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines:

A scenic view of a beach with golden sand and blue ocean in the background, featuring grass and wooden walkways leading to the shoreline, with overlay text promoting Cape Canaveral Cruise and Cocoa Beach.

Getting Around in Port

We arrived to Port Canaveral via Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas at 11:00 a.m. on a Tuesday in December. We were welcomed to the Sunshine State with a full sun-filled day (seriously not a cloud in the sky), but the high was 63 degrees Fahrenheit, and there were wind gusts up to 24 mph. We dressed in layers and headed out for a sun-filled day of exploring.

From Port, there are several ways to make your way to Cocoa Beach proper and since we didn’t have our own transportation, we had to be creative.

Exterior view of a cruise terminal with a large ship in the background under a clear blue sky, featuring a police vehicle parked nearby.

The first thing we considered was renting a car for the day through the popular ride share service, Toro. Toro works with a network of local car owners to provide vehicles for the duration of your visit via a drop-off & pick-up service at a designated location. Previously, we rented cars in Orlando and returned them in Canaveral prior to our cruise through one of the big-name rental car agencies which can be more costly and restrictive as far as pick-up and drop-off locations. We’ve used Toro many times, and their services are seamless but we knew for our time in Cocoa Beach we didn’t want to rely on four wheels.

The second option we considered was standard ride share with Uber or Lyft. The ride from Port to Cocoa Beach would be around a 15-20 minute ride in total one way. In addition, there are a host of taxis and guides waiting in Port once you step off the ship who are willing to take you anywhere you’d like to go.

Ultimately, we decided we’d prefer cruising around Canaveral, Cocoa Beach and the surrounding area via two wheels with A1A Outdoor Bike Rentals. They offer everything from beach cruisers to mountain bikes, tandem bikes, and e-bikes. We arranged an Uber pick-up from Port to take us to A1A Outdoors where we grabbed our beach cruisers and explored as much of Cocoa Beach as we could during our time in Port.

Map of Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach area highlighting points of interest and attractions including parks, restaurants, and recreational sites.

From the A1A Outdoors bike shop, there is a paved pathway that guides walkers, runners, and cyclists to and from Cocoa Beach. When it was time to head back to the ship, we made our way back to the bike shop, dropped off our bikes, and grabbed another Uber back to Port.

Sandy pathway leading to the beach, surrounded by palm trees and greenery, with a clear blue sky in the background.

We rented two beach cruisers for $20.00/USD each which came with one six-foot cable bike lock & key to share. We chose the beach cruisers because these are the only bikes that are allowed to be ridden on the sand, and the beach is located just two blocks from the A1A Outdoors bike shop. In our opinion, this was the best way to get around town.

Once we arrived in Cocoa Beach, we used our Cocoa Beach & Cocoa Village Discovery Map to plan our day.

A smiling couple posing for a selfie in front of a decorated Christmas tree on a sunny day at the beach, with palm trees in the background.

Given our visit was around the Christmas season in December, Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach were both all dressed up for the holidays so we couldn’t resist grabbing a picture of the oceanfront Christmas Tree on the corner of A1A and Minutemen Causeway.

A panoramic view of Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach, showcasing the coastline with the ocean in the background.

Lori Wilson Park

If you’re looking for free things to do while in Cocoa Beach, then consider a visit to the stunning Lori Wilson Park.

A person sitting on a wooden boardwalk leading to the beach, looking out at the ocean under a clear blue sky.

One of four free-oceanfront parks, the well-maintained Lori Wilson Park offers free public parking, clean restrooms and lifeguarded beach access. The park itself was peaceful with both open lawn-areas as well as an elevated boardwalk leading guests through the lush mangroves and to the ocean dunes.

A stone monument with a plaque marking Lori Wilson Park, listing funding sources from the U.S. Department of Interior, State of Florida, and Brevard County, set in a grassy area with palm trees in the background.
A young girl walking on a wooden boardwalk surrounded by greenery, wearing a pink sweatshirt that says 'ON THE BEACH' and blue leggings.
A wooden walkway surrounded by lush greenery leading towards a clear blue sky.
A wooden boardwalk leading through dense vegetation towards a bright opening, featuring a sign that reads 'Adopt-A-Shore' with details about litter control commitments.
A wooden boardwalk leading through lush vegetation towards a clear blue sky.
View from wooden stairs leading down to a sandy path through beach grass, with the ocean visible in the background.
Sign welcoming visitors to Brevard County Beaches, detailing rules and regulations, surrounded by greenery.

We enjoyed the calmness of the surroundings at Lori Wilson Park while walking through the lush mangroves and of course, as Jeannie Fans, we visited the historical Cocoa Beach marker honoring the classic TV Show.

Aerial view of Cocoa Beach with waves and sandy shoreline, featuring the text 'EAT' and the phrase 'Cape Canaveral Cruise Port | Cocoa Beach' on top.

Coconuts on the Beach

If you’re looking for an authentically-Cocoa Beach oceanfront bar with local beer, fantastic food and the friendliest faces you’ll ever meet, then Coconuts is the spot for you!

Colorful beachfront building decorated for the holidays, featuring a Christmas tree and tiki statue, with a clear blue sky.
Outdoor dining area with wooden tables and chairs, featuring colorful railings and a thatched roof structure in the background.
An empty outdoor dining area featuring light wooden tables and chairs, with a vibrant tropical mural in the background depicting palm trees and flowers.
View from an outdoor dining area with wooden tables and chairs, overlooking a beach and palm trees under a blue sky.
Menu for Coconuts on the Beach featuring appetizers, drinks on tap, and bottles and cans. Includes options like Bud Light, Kona Big Wave, and various cocktails. Lists food items such as Bang Bang Shrimp and Fiesta Chicken Stack.
A person holding a plastic cup of beer with a beach and ocean in the background, featuring grass and a lifeguard station.

Seriously, from the host to the bartenders and everyone in between, Coconuts’ Staff were all so very kind and welcoming to us!

Travel Tip: rent beach chairs from Coconuts & spend the day enjoying incredible food, drinks & 6-miles of the soft sand beaches of The Space Coast

A sandy pathway leading to a beachside restaurant with palm trees and sunny skies.

Our lunch at Coconuts was sublime thanks in part to the views but mostly to the incredible food (those Conch Fritters are Key West level 🤤) and the fabulous service we received from our waitress Hailee!

A cat sitting on a wooden ledge, gazing out at a coastal landscape with ocean and tall grass under a clear blue sky.
Menu for Coconuts on the Beach featuring appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, and burgers.
A spread of various seafood dishes on a wooden table, featuring thinly sliced raw fish with dipping sauce, fried seafood balls with a wedge of lemon and sauce, crinkle-cut fries in a basket, and a bowl of seasoned shrimp with dipping sauce.

We even made friends with a sweet local beach kitty who stopped by to say ‘hello.’

A close-up view of seashells scattered on sandy beach, with text overlay reading 'SEE CAPE CANAVERAL CRUISE PORT COCOA BEACH'.

The Beach

Another free thing to do in Cocoa Beach is of course – the beach! Cocoa Beach is famous for their sand and surf (after all it is home to the Florida Surf Museum) so this is a must-see on any visit to the area. Here, you will find over six miles of beachfront with countless access points from north to south. (I’m a Jersey girl, so I appreciate a free beach when I find one – Janine) The sand is soft, the water is clear, the beach was clean and the shelling on our visit was everywhere!

Located under a 1-hour drive from Orlando, Florida and the Vacation Kingdom of the World (aka Walt Disney World), Cocoa Beach is famous for their miles of sandy coastline (6+ to be exact). Here, visitors can bask in the famous Florida sunshine & find their perfect spot in the white sand with 40+ free beach access points located throughout.

Aerial view of a coastline with gentle waves lapping at the sandy beach, lined with buildings and greenery under a clear blue sky.
Aerial View of Cocoa Beach & The Areas South

The beaches of Cocoa are family-friend with lifeguards on duty and during our visit in December, the beaches were crowd free – a rare site. It was the perfect setting for those long walks on the beach that we love. We were just missing our pup, Gucci, who would absolutely love it here!

View of a sandy path leading to a beach with gentle waves under a clear blue sky.
Close-up view of sandy beach with a variety of seashells scattered on the ground, including small and medium-sized shells, alongside tire tracks and distant figures walking by the shore.

We walked several miles along the white sand oceanfront with the warm Florida sun on our backs and met more friendly faces along the way.

If you’re visit to Cocoa Beach & the Cape Canaveral area includes an overnight stay, read our review of The Holiday Inn Club Vacations Cape Canaveral Resort here (about 1/4 of the way through the blog post).

Sign for Cape Canaveral Beach Resort, featuring palm trees and a cloudy sky.

Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the ship. Although our ship didn’t leave port until 8:00 p.m. that evening, we had a dinner reservation at CHOPS Steakhouse for 5:30 p.m. that we absolutely did not want to miss!

View of the Odyssey of the Seas cruise ship against a clear blue sky, with palm trees in the foreground.

We may not have been ready to say goodbye to Cocoa Beach, but we certainly can’t wait to return.

Let us know if Cocoa Beach is on your bucket list in the comments below & safe travels ♡

The comments, opinions, and views set forth on this site are the reflected personal positions of the site’s creators.  This site is not an affiliate of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and all opinions are our own.  The comments, opinions, and views set forth within this site are not the official positions of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and they do not reflect the Company’s position.

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