About Cocoa Beach

Accommodations

Cocoa Beach offers a relaxing, fun and sun oriented getaway with a variety of condos, vacation homes, hotels, and resorts. Choose an accommodation near any of Cocoa Beach's local attractions that offers comfort while making the most of the beautiful beaches and attractions at affordably priced rates.

View our Cocoa Beach Vacation Rentals or Cocoa Beach Resorts

Activities

Astronaut Memorial Planetarium features star shows, a 3-story IWERKS movie theater and laser shows. The building also houses an observatory, a hands-on demonstration hall and a museum honoring space explorers. The Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex is your gateway to space, you can ride the all new "Shuttle Launch Experience," climb aboard a full-size shuttle replica, tour the launch area and the Apollo/Saturn V Center, see IMAX movies, and authentic vintage spacecraft. Space Coast Stadium was built in 1993 and serves as the Spring Training facility for the Washington Nationals as well as the facility for the minor league affiliate, the Brevard County Manatees.

Events

Springfest is an annual May seafood festival that features non-stop entertainment, carnival rides, special shows and lots of fresh seafood. The annual Beach Fest, held every Memorial Day Weekend at the Cocoa Beach Pier, attracts thousands to Cocoa Beach. This family event includes a wide variety of family activities including sand sculpture demonstrations, military exhibits and the Military Beach Sports Championships. The Space Coast art festival takes place Thanksgiving Weekend.  Join us for one of the premier art festivals in the Southeastern United States. The occasional Shuttle launches from the nearby Kennedy Space Center draws visitors from around the world to watch it live.

Water Sports

The Atlantic Coast beaches of Cocoa Beach and Merritt Island are perfect for swimming, surfing, deep sea fishing, parasailing, or catching up on your tan. You can also find powerboat and sailboat rentals, as well as jetski rentals. The warm Gulf of Mexico waters are inviting for snorkeling and scuba diving.

Golfing

Cocoa Beach and the entire Space Coast of Florida are blessed with some of the finest golfing opportunities available. Play a round of golf, practice at the driving range, shop at the pro shops or relax in the comfortable surroundings.

History

Cocoa Beach was founded by fishermen very early in Florida's history with the first families arriving in Cocoa around 1860. A post office was established at Magnolia Point two miles north and the first commercial building in Cocoa was erected in around 1881. First plats of the new settlement were made in 1882 under the name "Indian River City" on land owned by Captain R. A. Hardee. The name Indian River City was unacceptable to the U.S. Postal authorities who claimed it was too long for use on a postmark The town was renamed for the nearby cocoa refining plant.