Kennedy Space Center Travel Guide: Travel and tourist information, things to do and see in Kennedy Space Center

Worlds apart from Orlando's theme parks - but only 45 minutes away. Plan on a full day to explore NASA's launch headquarters, located on a huge island wildlife refuge eight times the size of Manhattan.

Each year, millions of visitors from across the world make the trek to this hub of technology and discovery, where many of mankind's greatest accomplishments take place.

At Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, you get the unique chance to tour - up close - NASA's launch and landing facilities. Experience interactive simulators, live shows and jaw-dropping encounters with massive rockets. As well as have the opportunity to meet a real member of NASA's Astronaut Corps. It's all what you can expect from an inspiring day at Kennedy Space Center.

Locality:

The John F. Kennedy space center is located on the central Atlantic coast of Florida about 50 miles (75 km) due east of Orlando and midway between Miami and Jacksonville. The actual spaceport and launch facilities are located on nearby Cape Canaveral, a vast peninsula with restricted public access.

The John F. Kennedy space center is located on the central Atlantic coast of Florida about 50 miles (75 km) due east of Orlando and midway between Miami and Jacksonville. The actual spaceport and launch facilities are located on nearby Cape Canaveral, a vast peninsula with restricted public access.

Entertainment/Facilities/Attractions/Things to do: The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, just outside of the cape is open to the public daily from 9 AM until 5 PM. It includes many exhibits, films and displays, plus it offers opportunities to tour the actual spaceport and launch facility.

Bus tours of the Kennedy Spaceport Launch Complex depart from the visitor center at frequent intervals and are included with your admission. The tours take you to the huge vehicle assembly building where the gigantic rockets are fully assembled prior to launch, to the huge crawler platforms that slowly transport the fully assembled rockets several miles out to the launch sites, and to views of one of the launch platforms.

You can watch an actual space launch if you are in the area on the right date. It is possible to park along the highway (with thousands of other spectators) several miles from the cape and see the rocket liftoff and disappear into space. You can no longer get passes that permit you to park along the causeway on the cape due to new security precautions. If you are really eager to see a launch up-close, you can go to the Space Center web site and purchase one of the limited number of launch viewing passes that allow you to view the launch from a special visitors area on the cape.

This is a great attraction for children and adults alike. It is only a bit more than an hour drive from Orlando and the Disney World complex.

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Population: 295.734.100
Languages: English 82%, Spanish 11% (2000)
Currency: US dollar
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The USA is home to several of the world's most exciting cities, some truly mind-blowing landscapes, a strong sense of regionalism, a trenchant mythology, more history than the country gives itself credit for and, arguably, some of the most approachable natives in the world.

America was 'discovered' by Columbus in 1492 and for 500 years people have travelled here seeking a better life in the 'land of opportunity'. The land was fought over by colonial powers for centuries and finally won its independence from Britain in 1783. Despite the near annihilation of the Native American population, one of the bloodiest civil wars the world had seen, and racism (Native Americans were not granted citizenship until 1924 and racial segregation was the norm until as late as the 1950s), the American people have succeeded in forging one of the worlds most united, democratic and tolerant nations, a fascinating melting-pot of cultures, and the undisputed military and economic heavyweight of the world.

The country is made up of 48 contiguous states of the continental USA, plus the huge state of Alaska, northwest of Canada, and the volcanic islands of Hawaii, 2,000 miles (3,219km) out into the Pacific. There are also the US territories, which include Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Midway Islands and US Virgin Islands. Tourism is focused mainly in the great cities such as New York and Washington, as well as sunshine states such as Florida, California and Hawaii. However the mind-blowing landscapes, found in the wealth of magnificent National Parks like Yosemite, Yellowstone and the Adirondacks, as well as spectacular sights like the Grand Canyon and the Rocky Mountains, are what make the USA so unique. With all this on their doorstep, it's easy to understand why a significant proportion of Americans have never bothered getting a passport.

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