Where: Merritt Island, Florida
When: year-round
If you like: history
Why you should go: It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to observe that Florida’s Space Coast is booming, literally and figuratively. Last year the region hosted a record 93 orbital launches, most of them at the hands of commercial spaceflight companies. This year will likely be even bigger, with some 150 projected launches—more than double that of 2023. Now, the days of meticulously planning a trip to see a launch are over. “When we’re launching 150 times a year, you would be hard-pressed to visit the Space Coast and not see a launch,” says Greg Gaddis, senior operations manager at the Kennedy Space Center Spaceport. Perhaps an even more exciting experience, though, is watching a rocket booster land. With a sonic boom, a structure nearly as tall as Florida’s capitol building plummets from the sky and is caught with pinpoint accuracy.
G&G tip: The Kennedy Space Center sits in the middle of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, and terrestrial wonders abound at this beacon of technological innovation. Keep an eye out for bald eagles, feral hogs, and alligators as you tour the complex.
