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Florida

Spaceships & Surfboards: Cocoa Beach With Your Grandchild

Program No. 22825RJ

Hang ten and blast off as you take surfing lessons, explore the Indian River Lagoon, strap into a space shuttle experience and chat with a real-live astronaut on the Space Coast.

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6 days

5 nights

14 meals

5B 4L 5D

Check-in, Registration, Orientation, Welcome Dinner

Cocoa Beach, FL

Kennedy Space Center Field Trip, Meet An Astronaut

Cocoa Beach, FL

Surf Lessons, Free Time, Surfing Lecture

Cocoa Beach, FL

Space Center, Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, Animal Show

Cocoa Beach, FL

Kayaking, Mini Golf

Cocoa Beach, FL

Program Concludes

Cocoa Beach, FL

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At a Glance

Hang ten and blast off to Florida’s Space Coast. On this extraordinary adventure, you and your grandchild will learn to ride the waves together in one of the best surf spots in the East — Cocoa Beach, home to the legendary Ron Jon Surf Shop. Then head to Kennedy Space Center for an out-of-this-world experience. Come face-to-face with rockets and shuttles, watch larger-than-life 3D IMAX® films and strap into a shuttle experience designed by astronauts. From Florida’s lagoons and sparkling coast to the exciting new frontiers of outer space, explore three very different habitats with your grandchild by your side.

Activity Level

Keep the Pace

Walking up to two miles a day, two-hour surf lesson and kayaking 3-4 miles for 3 hours.

Best of all, you’ll…

At the Kennedy Space Center, chat with an astronaut and learn about life in space from someone who has been there firsthand!
Take a surfing lesson with your grandchild from one of Florida’s best surfing schools.
Kayak together around the harbor islands as you watch for wildlife like manatees, and see some wildlife up close during a live animal show.

General Notes

Due to the nature of this program, listening devices are not available.

Featured Expert

All trip experts

Emerson Fales

Emerson Fales is a Miami native who enjoys being outdoors in Florida. When not leading programs, he is a middle school substitute teacher and high school girls' soccer coach. He has spent as much time kayaking, biking, and walking around Miami and Florida as possible since becoming a group leader in 2009. He enjoys showing people the natural wonders and human-caused eccentricities of Florida.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Emerson Fales View biography

Anita Allen View biography

Anita Allen grew up in Indiana and now lives in Coral Springs, Florida. She earned her BA in zoology and MAs in environmental science and geography. She worked for many years in environmental protection and water management along with assisting with sports specialty travel groups around the world. Anita now leads groups for Road Scholar in Florida. When not leading groups, she enjoys running, kayaking and taking photographs.

Suggested Reading List (5 books)

Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop

You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.

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Spaceships & Surfboards: Cocoa Beach With Your Grandchild

Program Number: 22825

Cocoa Beach, Florida (Then and Now Series)

by Wade Arnold

Cocoa Beach welcomes millions of visitors every year, but the city has always managed to keep a small town atmosphere. In 1940, it was a cozy little waterfront town with less than 50 people. A few years after World War II, America's space race began, and the city was never the same.

A History of the Kennedy Space Center

by Kenneth Lipartito

This first comprehensive history of the Kennedy Space Center, NASA's famous launch facility located at Cape Canaveral, Florida, reveals the vital but largely unknown work that takes place before the rocket is lit.

The Florida Wildlife Encyclopedia

by Scott Shupe

In Florida Wildlife Encyclopedia, nationally known naturalist Scott Shupe has collected information on all the native wildlife that reside in the Sunshine State. The fifth in a series of state wildlife encyclopedias, this book will be a handy, usable, layman’s guide to Florida’s native wildlife.

The History of Surfing

by Matt Warshaw

Matt Warshaw knows more about surfing than any other person on the planet. After five years of research and writing, Warshaw has crafted an unprecedented history of the sport and the culture it has spawned. At nearly 500 pages, with 250,000 words and more than 250 rare photographs, The History of Surfing reveals and defines this sport with a voice that is authoritative, funny, and wholly original. The obsessive nature of this endeavor is matched only by the obsessive nature of surfers, who will pore through these pages with passion and opinion.

Go for Launch! An Illustrated History of Cape Canaveral

by Joel W. Powell

From the first Bumper V-2 launch in 1950 to the Atlas V vehicles of today, more than 55 years of Cape Canaveral history is captured in this exhaustive collection of photographs celebrating the development and evolution of one of space exploration's most famous and significant facilities. Detailed maps and historical aerial photographs reveal the famous launch complexes and basic infrastructure of this storied base station, while missile and rocket tests are featured in never-before-seen images with descriptive captions. The bustling daily activity of thousands of employees at the Cape is captured on film, providing a behind-the-scenes look at rocket launches. Information on the current generation of space launch vehicles, trivia on various rockets and satellites that have flown out of Cape Canaveral, and amusing anecdotes are also included.

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Spaceships & Surfboards: Cocoa Beach With Your Grandchild

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At a Glance

Best of all, you’ll…

General Notes

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