A day trip to Kennedy Space Center from a house in Orlando
Kennedy Space Center's visitor complex is an hour or so east of Orlando on the Space Coast, close enough for a day trip from any of our homes, with Cocoa Beach ten minutes beyond it.
01Kennedy Space Center
The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on Merritt Island is where the Space Shuttle Atlantis hangs in its own building, where the Rocket Garden stands the early launch vehicles on end, and where the bus tour goes out to the Apollo/Saturn V Center with a real Saturn V laid on its side. On launch days the complex sells viewing tickets, and the launch schedule is public.
It is a full day, and the drive is part of it: the Beachline (State Road 528) runs straight east from Orlando to the coast. Cocoa Beach and its pier are a few minutes past the complex, so a launch morning can end with the afternoon on the Atlantic.
Any of our homes works as the base; the east-of-downtown homes are a few minutes closer to the Beachline. The table below has every home's time to the complex, the pier and the airport.
Atlantis Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex 2 · Gzzz · CC BY-SA 4.0 · resized from 4728x2514
Cocoa Beach Pier at Sunset · Cathylaurenzi · CC BY-SA 4.0 · resized from 4032x1960
02What happens here, and when
- Announced by the launch providersRocket launchesKennedy and Cape Canaveral launch through the year; the visitor complex sells launch-viewing tickets when a launch is scheduled.
- Through the yearVisitor complex programsAstronaut talks, the bus tour and seasonal exhibits on the complex's own calendar.
Dates come from the organizers' own announcements; where a season has not been announced yet, we say so. Check the venue before you book around one date.
03Every home, by drive time to Kennedy Space Center
- 1 Fruit Tree Home 71 min
- 2 City and Stadium Sanctuary Vibes 71 min
- 3 Game Day Getaway-Downtown Orlando 71 min
- 4 Amelia’s Arena Retreat 71 min
- 5 Meet. Play. Stay. 73 min
- 6 Entertainment Home 75 min
- 7 The Clue House 75 min
- 8 Piedmont 75 min
- 9 Cozy Home 75 min
- 10 BlueEarth 78 min
- 11 Downtown & Stadium Cozy Retreat 78 min
- 12 WinterPark Home 80 min
- 13 Wekiwa Home 81 min
| Home | Kennedy Space Center | Cocoa Beach Pier | Orlando International Airport | Downtown Orlando (City Hall) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit Tree HomeHolden Heights · 3 bd · 2 ba · sleeps 10 | 71 min | 72 min | 26 min | 6 min |
| City and Stadium Sanctuary VibesWashington Shores / Lake Sunset · 3 bd · 1 ba · sleeps 8 | 71 min | 73 min | 29 min | 7 min |
| Game Day Getaway-Downtown OrlandoWashington Shores · 4 bd · 2 ba · sleeps 13 | 71 min | 73 min | 29 min | 7 min |
| Amelia’s Arena RetreatParramore / Downtown Edge · 4 bd · 2 ba · sleeps 8 | 71 min | 74 min | 30 min | 7 min |
| Meet. Play. Stay.Malibu Groves · 3 bd · 2 ba · sleeps 9 | 73 min | 75 min | 31 min | 9 min |
| Entertainment HomePine Hills · 3 bd · 2 ba · sleeps 11 | 75 min | 77 min | 33 min | 11 min |
| The Clue HousePine Hills / Rosemont · 6 bd · 3 ba · sleeps 15 | 75 min | 77 min | 33 min | 11 min |
| PiedmontWashington Shores · 4 bd · 3 ba · sleeps 14 | 75 min | 77 min | 33 min | 11 min |
| Cozy HomePine Hills · 3 bd · 1 ba · sleeps 8 | 75 min | 77 min | 33 min | 11 min |
| BlueEarthHiawassee Villas / Pine Hills · 4 bd · 2 ba · sleeps 7 | 78 min | 80 min | 36 min | 14 min |
| Downtown & Stadium Cozy RetreatPine Hills · 3 bd · 1.5 ba · sleeps 8 | 78 min | 80 min | 36 min | 14 min |
| WinterPark HomeLockhart / Rosemont · 3 bd · 1 ba · sleeps 8 | 80 min | 82 min | 38 min | 13 min |
| Wekiwa HomeHiawassee · 2 bd · 2 ba · sleeps 6 | 81 min | 83 min | 39 min | 17 min |
Typical road-routing times without traffic; event-day traffic near the venue adds to these.
04How the homes line up
05Worth knowing
- Buy the visitor complex ticket online and arrive at opening; the bus tour is the part people run out of time for.
- The Beachline is a toll road; budget for it both ways.
- Launch times slip; if the trip is built around a launch, keep the day flexible.
06Common questions
How long is the drive from your homes to Kennedy Space Center?
About an hour and a quarter by road without traffic from most of our homes; the table on this page gives each home's exact time.
Can we see a launch from the house?
Night launches are sometimes visible as a glow from Orlando; for a real view, go to the coast.
Are you affiliated with Kennedy Space Center?
No. Libema Properties is an independent housing provider; the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is operated under NASA.
Libema Properties LLC is an independent housing provider. Kennedy Space Center and the events named on this page are trademarks of their owners; we are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of them. This page exists so their visitors can find a house nearby.
The three homes closest to Kennedy Space Center.
South of DowntownFruit Tree Home
71 min to Kennedy Space Center · 6 min downtown · 5 min ORMC
West OrlandoCity and Stadium Sanctuary Vibes
71 min to Kennedy Space Center · 7 min downtown · 8 min ORMC
West OrlandoGame Day Getaway-Downtown Orlando
71 min to Kennedy Space Center · 7 min downtown · 7 min ORMC
Coming for Kennedy Space Center?
Pick your dates and see live rates for every home, or tell us who is coming and we will match a house by hand.