Canaveral National Seashore, Florida

December 2023

When we arrived at the southern end of the Canaveral Seashore it was chilly. We were tired from traveling all day, hungry, and frustrated after a bit of a rental car ordeal. We took off our shoes and walked out into the sand and immediately felt like we were finally on vacation. It was a very relaxing and uncrowded beach. You could see far down the beach in both directions. While we did not encounter any nude sunbathers, the sign made my travel buddies giggle... a lot. Too cool to swim, but we enjoyed dipping our toes in the water.

We explored Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and drove through the Black Point Wildlife Drive. The volunteers at the refuge were very knowledgeable and helpful. We didn't have time to tour Kennedy Space Center but we hope to in the future.

We had dinner at Preacher Bar. It had good food and service, a casual atmosphere, and a lot to look at. We had basically been living off vending machine snacks for 24 hours so sitting at a table and eating chicken pot pie and fish and chips with a few large glasses of ice water felt like exactly what we needed.

We stayed at Spring Hill Suites Cape Canaveral Cocoa Beach by Marriott. It was excellent! Very clean with a comfortable bed and large bathroom. We enjoyed the complementary breakfast that had a large variety of fresh options. We'd recommend this hotel for sure!

We all agreed this was a welcomed change to the Orlando area we typically see when in Florida and we would like to explore more of the National Parks in this area in the future.