There is something really special about carving out some time to enjoy something new and different. On a recent trip to Disney World we decided to take a day and visit a place we had never gone before. We looked for National Parks close to where we were and settled on Canaveral National Seashore. We are so glad we made this decision because we had an absolute blast exploring this beautiful shoreline. This was number 24 in our epic quest to visit all 419 National Park sites.

Canaveral National Seashore is on the Atlantic Ocean side of Florida. It is about an hour drive from Orlando and two hours from Jacksonville. There are two separate entrances to the seashore, and you can’t drive down the coast the whole way. One entrance is near Titusville and the other is by New Smyrna Beach. The quickest way to get in between the two is by taking Highway 1 but you can also take the Kennedy Parkway which takes you through the lagoon side of the park.

There is a $15 fee per vehicle to enter this park. Because we have the America the Beautiful Annual Pass we were able to get in free. This pass is $80 for the year and allows you to get into any park for free. This covers your whole vehicle at parks where you are charged by vehicles and up to four adults at sites that charge per person. It really is a great deal.

Canaveral National Seashore

Canaveral is actually a barrier island much like the Outer Banks of North Carolina. On one side sits the Atlantic Ocean along 24 miles of shoreline. On the other side is Mosquito Lagoon. Both of these areas have an abundance of wildlife. You can see bald eagles, red-tailed hawks, sea turtles, otters, alligators, manatees, and many more species. This is an undeveloped area so animals are able to thrive. You don’t find secluded areas like this too often on the beaches of Florida. No houses or businesses for miles and miles. It is a beautiful place.

Canaveral National Seashore was originally set aside as a buffer zone for the John F. Kennedy Space Center run by NASA. It became a National Seashore in the 70’s and along with nearby Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is a great place to visit while also checking out the space center. It is a great place to check out rocket launches, though NASA has the authority to close it down during any of their testing or launching.

Playalinda Beach Entrance

The Playalinda Beach entrance is located in Titusville. You can get your National Park stamp at the gate here. This is the area that is closest to the Kennedy Space Center. Highway 402 goes from the entrance to the beach and dead ends at beach access 13. Along the way there are numerous areas where you can pull your car off to check out the space center and the surrounding nature. This is the entrance to go to if you are there for a launch. The park will close their gates when they are at capacity, so if you are going make sure you get there early.

Once you get to the ocean the road takes a 90-degree left turn and heads up the coast. There are 13 different beach access points at Playalinda Beach. One thing to be aware of is the last access point, 13, is a nude beach. We were laughing when we read that warning sign but we were grateful that it was there. This beach is far from the others and you will not have an issue going to the other access points. When we went we saw a bunch of surfers and the waves were pretty big.

Because this is such a primitive area there are no places to get food. If you are coming for the day, make sure you pack a cooler full of food. Also, there are bathrooms at the parking areas. However, there is no plumbing so they are like port-a-potties in buildings. Typical National Park bathrooms. They were clean and well-maintained. One last thing is that cell-service is pretty much nonexistent here. That is a good thing sometimes though.

Kennedy Parkway runs behind Mosquito Lagoon at the Playalinda Beach access. This is a really peaceful drive that gives you some great views of the lagoon and has some boat ramps. About halfway at up the parkway at Haulover Canal there is a manatee observation deck. This is a great spot to check out nature and take your time going through the park.

Apollo Beach Entrance

The main area of Canaveral is the Apollo Beach access area. The visitor’s center is located at this entrance. This is another really great visitor center run by the National Park System. The Rangers were super helpful and knowledgeable. Always start at the visitors center. We went to this entrance second because of where we were coming from, and we missed out on some things because of that.

We try and do the Junior Ranger book at every park we go to. Silas (we) enjoy collecting the badges from the different places we visit. This one was a really great one. Something we had (got) to do was take a bag and fill it with trash. It was a cool thing the park did to let us help keep things clean.

There are two roads at this access. The main one is Apollo Beach Road which takes you down the shoreline to the various beach access points. The other is the Eldora Loop Road which takes you for a little drive by Mosquito Lagoon. This is the only right turn on property and it loops right back to Apollo Beach Road.

Eldora

Eldora was the first place we checked out after the visitors center. To get there simply head down the Eldora Loop Road. Eldora was a farming community on the Mosquito Lagoon. Isolation and storms forced the community to fold but there is still a couple of buildings that have been rehabilitated.

The Eldora State House is the oldest remaining building from the community. The National Parks have done a great job in turning this into a museum. The house is beautiful and a great place to enjoy the rocking chairs on the front porch. We had a great time talking with the people on staff in the house. They were extremely friendly and helpful. There are a ton of great exhibits as well as a video you can watch that tells you about the history of the area.

Our favorite part of the our time in Eldora was the short hike to the house. The best part of the walk was the super old live oaks that were all around. The trees there are so unique and super beautiful. They have so much character. And the Spanish moss hanging off of them made them that much cooler. There is a really great pier where you can look for manatees and take a break. It is a good thing to pack some insect repellant here.

Turtle Mound

Turtle Mound is an ancient Native American site of the Timucuan people. This mound is over 50 feet high and can be seen seven miles out in the ocean. The mound is made up of oyster shells. There are a lot of different ideas of what it was used for, but most people agree that this was a dumping place for empty shells. You can get there by hiking trails and you can walk to the top. There is a boardwalk that takes you around the area. There are some great views of the surrounding area from here.

Apollo Beach

We spent the majority of our time on Apollo Beach. We had so much fun relaxing here during the afternoon. This beach is really great. The sand is darker and more coarse here with a pretty big mix of crushed up shells. It is not uncomfortable to walk on, but it is not the soft, white-sand beaches you might picture when you think of Florida.

There is absolutely nothing on the beach except for a boardwalk through the dunes, a bathroom, sand, and a couple of people. Make sure you pack all you need for the day. It is a great place to go to escape from the crowds. If you are looking for a relaxing day at the beach, it is worth the $15 to not deal with crowds. There are a ton of shells at this beach and we had a lot of fun shelling. We found some really great shells and loved hunting them down.

A huge thing at Canaveral is the sea turtle nesting areas. From April to October leatherback, kemp’s Ridley, green, and loggerhead turtles use this area as a place to lay their eggs. The parks system and volunteers have made great efforts to do all they can to ensure that the eggs are protected. There are a some great ways that you can become educated and even help through the park system.

We had a blast (get it) at Canaveral National Seashore. It was a great place for us to spend a relaxing day at the beach. We loved the solitude in the middle of busy central Florida. It was a great place to get away without having to get too far away. What are some places you like to escape to? Where do you go to get away from it all?

Want to check out some other National Park sites? Check out our trips to Fort McHenry, Yosemite, Mammoth Cave, and Booker T. Washington.

Pin it for Later!