Kennedy space centre worth visiting?

**Esmeralda** · 01-05-2010, 05:46 PM

Hell yes.

**Kate** · 01-05-2010, 05:55 PM

Who are you flying with? Virgin do trips there, you can book it online or go to the welcome meeting and book it.
Some of my family did it when we all went in 2008, they all really enjoyed it but said they wouldnt do it again

**Tony G** · 02-05-2010, 06:13 PM

Granted, I'm a bit of a space nut but KSC has been the best day in my last three trips to Orlando.

My sister and nephews agreed with me, which I really didn't expect - they're the least technical people I know but it serves to attest that you don't need to be a techie to enjoy KSC. Leaving the confines of the Earth is an amazing feat and the amazement soon infects all that visit.

**FantasiaLady** · 04-05-2010, 12:23 PM

Originally Posted by Tony G

Granted, I'm a bit of a space nut but KSC has been the best day in my last three trips to Orlando.

My sister and nephews agreed with me, which I really didn't expect - they're the least technical people I know but it serves to attest that you don't need to be a techie to enjoy KSC. Leaving the confines of the Earth is an amazing feat and the amazement soon infects all that visit.

thanks Tony this answers a question I was giong to ask about people who arent scientific going to KSC.

Is there enough there to last a whole day?

**chief** · 04-05-2010, 07:47 PM

i wasnt really looking forward to the planned kennedy trip, its not really my cup of tea, in fact i only did it for the boys [dh as well]
wow i had no idea how fab it would be, it was just so exiting i cant explain it it was a brilliant day out. we got on one of the coaches and did the tour around, we saw the shuttle that was going to take off on the 6th april. how brilliant. i say its definatly worth a visit, it only needs to be 1 day of your holiday and its one of the cheeper places to visit. im so glad we went.

**Tony G** · 04-05-2010, 07:48 PM

Originally Posted by FantasiaLady

Is there enough there to last a whole day?

Most certainly. I'd recommend a tour to start the day - that's a real treat as the tour guides are very adept at commenting on the nature and human aspects as well as the techie bits. I've tried both the 'NASA Then & Now' tour and the 'NASA Up Close' tours. I enjoyed the 'Up Close' tour, but the 'Then and Now' bored me at the start as it involved looking at dozens of missiles. It's redeeming feature is that you see the launch pad where the tragic Apollo 1 fire occurred.

I'd say it's probably best to begin with the standard tour (included with the price of admission). It takes a few hours, by which time you are returned to the main visitors centre (having seen the excellent Apollo centre on tour).

At the main centre, there are two IMAX movies to catch, the Rocket Garden, which is a display of loads of different model rockets, a walk-on shuttle exhibit, a memorial to lost astronauts, a tribute to early spaceflight and, of course, the unmissable Shuttle Launch Experience. I should mention that the Space Store is somewhere you can lose hours in!

If you manage to zoom through everything and get finished before 6pm, on the way back, visit the Astronaut Hall of Fame, which is on a separate site close by. It's a fascinating museum of actual items from space exploration and has some really cool exhibits (read: rides) for the more adventurous visitor.

Finally, don't forget to allow for travelling time and try to get there at around 09:40, to allow you to get tickets and clear security before the tour busses begin at 10am (may change seasonally). When driving there, the road takes you over the most beautiful bridge. On my first visit, I nearly drove off the road, it was so distracting!