How to have a blast at Kennedy Space Center

Most of the time when people think about visiting Orlando it’s all about Mickey Mouse or Harry Potter. And while I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the theme parks, I needed a change of scenery. So, I booked a road trip and I went to Kennedy Space Center just a couple days after Space X launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral.

I booked my trip through Florida Dolphin Tours which included transportation and my entrance ticket to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. While the drive was not scenic, my tour guide Stewart played a DVD about NASA and told us about the wild animals that lived on the Space Center’s property.

Below I have laid out an ideal itinerary plan to make the most of your time at Kennedy Space Center.

Itinerary for the Kennedy Space Center:

Many people make the mistake of starting their day with an IMAX movie but little do they know that all the films shown in the IMAX theatre can be found on YouTube. Frankly it’s best to skip this entirely or leave it for the end of the day.

Atlantis:

Once you have gone through security, head on over to the $1 million home of the Space Shuttle Atlantis. The exhibition began with a short film about the history of Atlantis, which concluded in an awe-inspiring way (no spoilers here!). Then she appears, Atlantis, the world’s first reusable spacecraft. Our tour guide explained, in great detail, about the engineering, the construction, and the specialists that flew in space shuttle.

The Atlantis building houses interactive displays, astronaut training simulators, a memorial to those lost during the Challenger and Columbia missions, and the Shuttle Launch experience. The launch experience is a simulation of the space shuttle’s eight and a half-minute launch into orbit. I would allocate anywhere between two to two and half hours to see and experience everything in the building.

Bus Tour:

Next, I would take a Kennedy Space Center Bus Tour that provides access to the restricted areas of NASA’s operational facilities and space flight operations. The tour lasts forty-five minutes and took us around the vehicle assembly building and the newly renovated launch pads. The vehicle assembly building is the largest single story building in the world and is the future home to the Space Launch System. The new launch pad 39A was the main launch site for many of the Apollo missions and is now home to Elon Musk’s Space X operations.

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Apollo and Saturn V:

The bus dropped us in front of the Apollo and Saturn V center which houses the full Saturn V rocket (the largest rocket ever flown), countless memorabilia of legendary astronauts and a moon rock. Here I learned the history of Apollo 8 and the firing room, I watched the first man to land on the moon (was not born to see this live) and I remembered those who were lost in Apollo I. At this point in time, I would recommend taking a break and eating at the Moon Rock café. They serve a variety sandwiches, burgers, soups and more.

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Journey to Mars:

Exit through the gift shops, hop on a bus and head back to the Visitor Complex. At the Visitor Complex, see a live performance of Journey to Mars, which occurs every thirty minutes. I believe that this was intended to be targeted towards children but you can honestly learn a lot about the Mars rovers and why scientists are interested in studying Mars.

Meet an Astronaut:

Check the gift shop’s schedule to meet a real astronaut. They even have a Q &A session but please refrain from asking them how do they go to the bathroom. You will learn about it in the Atlantis building and they get that question a lot.

Heroes and Legends:

Next on the agenda is the Heroes and Legends building that celebrates the early space programs, houses the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame and shows a documentary film on the legendary astronauts that paved the way for the space program.

Rocket Garden:

I ended my day by taking a stroll around the Rocket Garden and learning about the rockets from the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs.

At this time, I met up with my tour group and went back to Orlando where Stewart showed us Night at the Museum.

Thoughts about the Kennedy Space Center:

This was an eye-opening and education experience for me and a perfect place for people of all ages. If you are headed to Orlando in the future, please make sure to save a day just for this.