Hello All in the GRM Hivemind.
It's been a while since I have been on here (life has pushed automotive pursuits to the background), but when I recently found out I was going to have a week in Florida towards the end of January I immediately thought to go here to ask about what to do!
We (my father, brother and myself) are going to be in the Cocoa Beach/Titusville area from January 22nd to the 26th. Currently we have planned to spend up to two days at the Kennedy Space Center, and we have tickets to the BMW Endurance Challenge at Daytona on Friday the 26th. This leaves us with two/two-and-a-half days with which to fill in with some some touristy stuff.
What would you all recommend doing? We are open to a lot of things (learn to surf, sightseeing, hikes, etc.), but would love to hear about some good (not too expensive) automotive themed things to do?
Thanks in advance, I'm looking forward to hearing what you have to say!
If you like seafood (and fritters), Dixie Crossroads is a good place to stop in. In terms of car stuff, can’t think of much that’s right there, other than finding deals on cars w/broken A/C.
That's where I'm from. Not much there besides the Space Center. The Space Coast Regional Airport (formerly Ti-Co) has a nice little air musuem.
If you call my grandpa Ray at Custom Cast and Chrome in Titusville, you can get a tour of a chrome shop.
Cocoa Beach is nice, but touristy. On your way north to Daytona you can stop in New Smyrna Beach, which is amazing. Bonus is that GRM world headquarters is next door in Holly Hill, and so is the Race Place, a crazy awesome slot car shop.
In reply to Javelin :
In reply to eastsideTim :
Excellent, thank you very much for the ideas. Living a long ways away from any good body of water means I would be real interested in trying some good seafood, and that slot car shop sounds like a great diversion!
Thanks!
Martin
Oh yeah, for touristy stuff, there’s always Ron Jon’s and Cocoa Beach Surf Shop. I’m also not sure it’s still there, but there used to be a WW2 trainer you could get a flight in at Merritt Island Airport. It was pretty expensive, but a lot of fun.
Edit: There’s also a decent Cuban restaurant called Cuban Island on A1A south of Patrick AFB, if you find yourself out that way. Not sure it’s worth the trip just for it, but it’s a good place to go if you are nearby.
If you can get there just one day earlier, we have an autocross in Deland on Jan. 21st.
http://www.cfrsolo2.com/
Also, there's a pretty cool muscle car museum in Melbourne.
https://www.americanmusclecarmuseum.com/
The Andretti Karting and Games center is about 45 minutes from Cocoa Beach, and they have a fun, two-level track with pretty quick electric karts. They also have video games, laser tag and a bowling alley. Not a bad choice if the weather doesn't cooperate.
If the weather is nice, a boat tour through Mosquito Lagoon is pretty amazing. Dolphin, sea turtles, otters, all kinds of birds and fish----- it's a wildlife bonanza! Great fishing too, if you are into that.
Also, about 1/2 an hour from Cocoa Beach is Orlando Speed World. They have a dragstrip and a roundy-round bull-ring for late models, modifieds, and other cars. It's always a cultural experience. Pro tip---- wear camo----you'll fit right in!
Also---- the water will be cold in late Jan. (for Floridians at least) If you are planning on learning how to surf, rent a wetsuit. It will also save your chest and belly, as surf wax is more like sandpaper than automotive wax.
Have fun!
Joe Gearin said:
The Andretti Karting and Games center is about 45 minutes from Cocoa Beach, and they have a fun, two-level track with pretty quick electric karts. They also have video games, laser tag and a bowling alley. Not a bad choice if the weather doesn't cooperate.
There's also an Andretti Thrill Park in Melbourne.
http://andrettithrillpark.com/
Totally do the Space Center. We went there this weekend--first time in probably 15 years. How cool was it? Before leaving we upgraded to year-round passes.
We paid the extra money for the Early Space Tour, and it's totally worth it--three hours with a bus and a guide touring some of the original launch sites. Some are overgrown, some are now being used for SpaceX, and some have been preserved. There's a museum out there, too, and this is the only way to visit it.
Here's a picture from Launch Complex 34, one of the stops on our tour:
26114217_10214943910422347_5452238284351192215_n by davidwallens, on Flickr
