Story originally appeared on Checking In Travel Blog by Holiday Inn Club Vacations.
Relaxing beach vacations make the ultimate couples getaway.
And when you live in Florida, you’re just a short drive away from some of the most beautiful beaches in the country, including the clean, crystal-clear shores of Cape Canaveral.
My husband, Brooks, and I recently celebrated our second wedding anniversary and wanted to do something super special, so we ventured on over to Cape Canaveral. (Because big celebrations call for amazing beach vacations, am I right?)
Why Cape Canaveral?
After living in Central Florida for almost 10 years (and having plenty of romantic Orlando date nights), we wanted to go somewhere completely new (specifically by the beach), but we also didn’t want to go anywhere too far from home.
Cape Canaveral was the perfect staycation because it was just a hop, a skip and a jump away from our home in Orlando. So, we booked a long weekend stay, packed up the truck and took a super quick, one-hour road trip over to the Space Coast together.
Staying at Cape Canaveral Beach Resort
Since I work on the Corporate Brand team here at Holiday Inn Club Vacations, we stayed at our very own Cape Canaveral Beach Resort, and we had an incredible time.
Its literally just a short walk away from the beaches of Jetty Park, and there’s honestly so much to do on property. And since I’m very familiar with our resort-wide Safe Travels program, we knew we were in good hands safety measures-wise.
If you’re planning to stay at a beach resort in Cape Canaveral, it really helps to have a resort that 1) has thorough safety measures in place, 2) is right nearby all the action and 3) has enough action at the resort itself for when you’re not exploring out and about.
A two-bedroom villa at Cape Canaveral Beach Resort
Cape Canaveral Couples Getaway Ideas
When you want to make the absolute most of your time together at one of the best beaches in Florida, check out these Cape Canaveral couples getaway recommendations, coming at you in t-minus 3…2…1.
1. Explore new worlds at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
If you’ve never been before, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is a humongous outdoor park with several buildings, or indoor exhibits, that you can walk through.
One of my favorite exhibits was the outdoor Rocket Garden featuring old shuttles and rockets. There are plaques that give you each one’s history so you can walk through the garden on your own, or they also have walking tours that’ll give you more in-depth info on each rocket.
There’s just something really neat about standing underneath these massively tall pieces of history, holding my husband’s hand and feeling like our lives are one teeny tiny puzzle piece in a huge universe with so much that’s yet to be explored.
We started our day at Kennedy Space Center all the way in front of the park and worked our way to the back where the Atlantis building is located. I honestly wish we would’ve started with Atlantis because it was the coolest, best part of the whole place in my opinion.
The Space Shuttle Atlantis pre-show was definitely one of the best parts. I won’t reveal too much, but it was so powerful and moving, and I 100% had tears in my eyes after it ended (it was breathtaking!).
Once you walk inside, it’s like a huge museum with tons of cool exhibits. They have simulators, telescopes, slides for kids. And the inside scoop on space-living.
Wondering how astronauts sleep? How they eat? Want to see where they work out? Or even go to the bathroom? You’ll learn all that and more in Atlantis.
They also have the Space Shuttle Launch Experience, which simulates what it’s like to be in an actual space shuttle. I’ll admit was a little bummed because we decided not to wait in line for it.
(We had been there for a few hours already, so we were hungry, ready to leave soon, and the experience had a 45-minute wait time.) Even more reason to come back soon though!
I will say that when we visited Kennedy Space Center, many of the exhibits and tours were closed due to COVID-19, so we definitely want to come back when more things are open.
It was really nice to see that the place wasn’t totally jam-packed (we went around 11 a.m. on a Saturday), masks were required, and they had temperature screenings. We felt totally comfortable during our visit.
Overall, it was a great experience and I’m so glad we went before checking into the resort. My husband and I both love going to museums in new places and learning new things together, and Kennedy Space Center far exceeded our expectation
2. Relax on the beach at Jetty Park
We visited on a cold, winter weekend, but that did not stop us from going to the beach a handful of times during our Cape Canaveral couples getaway.
There’s a private boardwalk that leads from the resort right to the beach. It’s about a 10-minute walk from the main building with cute signs along the way for kids (and adults) to learn about sea life.
I especially loved all the little animal prints stamped into the concrete along the way (it’s the simple things in life!).
We really enjoyed just walking the path and sitting on the beach watching boats go by. AND DOLPHINS! Even though I live in Florida, seeing dolphins is something that will never get old for me. I was over the moon.
Pro Tip: If you’re staying at Cape Canaveral Beach Resort, pack a picnic for the beach! The resort villas have kitchens, so you can easily make some sandwiches or even a little charcuterie snack and head to the beach for a romantic picnic on the shores.
3. Go fishing off the jetty
Our marriage is all about compromise. I like to be wined and dined and Brooks likes to, well, go fishing. Our weekend getaway didn’t allow for much time to fish (and it was really windy anyway), so the compromise was walking to the jetty to watch other people fish.
It was about a half-hour stroll from the resort to the beach and then over to the pier. You can also access the pier from the main entrance of the park, so you don’t need to lug all your gear through the sand.
We went around mid-morning and there were a lot of people already there fishing, so I would recommend getting there early to get a good spot. The water was windy and choppy, and it was between tides, so it didn’t look like people were catching much of anything that day.
Usually, though, we heard that you could expect to catch a variety of fish on the jetty: snapper, sheepshead, snook, jack, whiting, trout and the list goes on.
And when the days done, you can take your catch and whip up a delicious (and romantic?) home-cooked meal in your full villa kitchen.
4. Find the perfect spot to watch a rocket launch
You don’t have to go very far to watch the rocket launches at Kennedy Space Center. You can check their website for the schedule, and once you know your date and time, just take a stroll to the beach!
The resort actually had a website that told us when rocket launches were scheduled and how/where to view them.
The best spot to watch that big orange ball of fire rocket right into the sky is definitely the beach. If you’re at Jetty Park, all you need to do is look toward the pier, closer to the shoreline.
Unfortunately, during our weekend stay, the rocket launch that was scheduled kept getting pushed back, so it was a no-go for us. I think this is one of the experiences that makes Cape Canaveral SO unique and fun though, so we’ll definitely be back to try again.
5. Plan a date night out for dinner
Since it was our anniversary, I did a lot of research on Cape Canaveral restaurants to find something special. I looked into a ton of places, but we ultimately ended up picking Gregorys Steak and Seafood Grille because it had an after-dinner comedy show on Saturdays.
The food was good, the service was great, and the comedy show was a lot of fun. But the best part? Drinking a glass of wine and just talking about how much we’ve grown over the years and how much we have to look forward to in the years to come. (Happy tears were firing on all cylinders.)
I will also say that two different people recommended Florida Fresh Grill to us as well. We didn’t get a chance to go, but it’s on my list for next time!
6. Hang out at the resort together
Cape Canaveral was a lot of fun, but the most fun Brooks and I had on our couple’s getaway was right at the resort. I planned an entire day for us to just sit back, relax at the resort and soak in all the amenities.
We played two rounds of mini golf, mostly because Brooks lost the first time and wanted a rematch. (Spoiler: He lost again.).
We ate lunch and had drinks by the pool at the on-site restaurant, Cape Grill & Bar. I got the grilled chicken sandwich with fries (and a vodka cranberry on the side) and Brooks got the grilled chicken wrap. Everything was really good, and we got to sit by the pool and sip on our drinks while we waited for our food.
There was also live entertainment with music and a gentleman playing steel drums. Really set the beach vacation vibe.
Then we ventured into the lazy river. Now, keep in mind, it was in the 40s when we visited. But the pools are heated, and I still had a great time laughing when Brooks couldn’t dodge the water buckets overhead.
When we got out of the lazy river, we were freezing cold (I’m talking 2.7 Kelvin cold), so we jumped straight into the hot tub. It warmed us right up and we stayed there talking for a long while.
We had every intention of heading out to the Cocoa Beach Pier for dinner that night, but we were having so much fun talking to each other and other people in the hot tub, we actually just ordered a pizza poolside and went right back in.
With all our originally scheduled plans for the night out the window, we had the best time meeting and talking with some new hot tub friends (from a safe distance).
I love good conversations, especially with new people on vacation, so that was my favorite part of the whole trip.
Planning Your Cape Canaveral Getaway with Safety in Mind
We had so much fun on our Cape Canaveral couples getaway, and Id highly recommend Cape Canaveral Beach Resort as the perfect home base for all your romantic, couple-y adventures.
With a virtual check-in line, masks required throughout the resort (except at the pool), villa door seals and hand sanitizer literally everywhere, we felt totally safe and comfortable the entire time at the resort.
In the interest of being 100% honest and real though, it’s worth noting: not everywhere in Cape Canaveral was like our resort in terms of safety measures.
We realized very quickly that there is not a mask mandate in Brevard County (where Cape Canaveral is), and we definitely noticed there were many places not requiring them and people not wearing them. My best advice is to call/check ahead of time wherever you’re going to see if they require masks.
All in all, our anniversary vacation was a success! Good food, great experiences and lots of quality time spent with my other half.
If you’re planning a trip to Cape Canaveral, I hope our recommendations help you decide on the
best ways to connect with your special someone, too.
Story originally appeared on the Checking In Travel Blog by Holiday Inn Club Vacations .
All information is subject to change. This article is a curated guide and is neither sponsored nor
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