In mid-August, I made a trip to the Kennedy Space Center. Having lived in Central Florida for 9 years now, I had never been to the Kennedy Space Center. So, after hearing so many friends and relatives rave about this place, I decided it was time to pay the space center a visit.
When I arrived at the Kennedy Space Center, I was not expecting there to be so much to do outdoors as well as indoors. There were a bunch of different buildings to walk to and plenty of photo opportunities outdoors. When we first entered the space center, we noticed a bunch of rockets. We had made our way to the rocket garden that displayed some very impressive rockets.
Being in such a big place, I felt a bit overwhelmed trying to figure out what to do first, but eventually my husband and I decided to go see Journey to Space. Being that Florida gets really hot during the summer, it was nice to be able to sit down in the IMAX theater and learn more about space. The whole experience felt like I was at the movies, but this was even better. I was learning about real life events at the Kennedy Space Center.
Tip: The Kennedy Space Center offers suggested itineraries for one and two-day visits. If you have never been to the Kennedy Space Center, I suggest looking at these itineraries so that you do not feel overwhelmed upon arrival.
Also, make sure to plan for the whole day as there’s plenty to do and see.
The next building we went into was the Space Shuttle Atlantis, which offers more than 60 exhibits and simulators. When entering this building, I was rather confused at first because I expected to see the exhibits. Instead, we were taken to a room, where we experienced a shuttle launch. This room had huge wide screens and the sound was impressive. At some point, I felt as though I was actually in space! it was a great experience, but the best part? The finale.
As the experience came to an end, it slowly showed us what was on the other side of the screen – a shuttle. We walked past where the screen was, to find an area full of exhibits and simulators. One of the things that I really enjoyed was being able to see inside of a shuttle.
Tip: The Kennedy Space Center has maps that show estimated times you should allow in each area. The Space Shuttle Atlantis is such a huge place, that it will take approximately 2 hours to get through it all. So get the map and plan accordingly.
In order to see the other things at the Kennedy Space Center, we didn’t see all the exhibits in the Space Shuttle Atlantis due to time constraint. So while we did get to see a majority of it, we did not get to see all 60 exhibits and simulators.
As we headed out, we made our way over to the Astronaut Memorial and the T-38 Talon Jet, which are both located outside near the Space Shuttle Atlantis.
On our way to the Nature and Technology building, we passed by a few other places such as the attraction, Journey to Mars. This area contains shops and cafes for anyone in need of some food after a long day exploring.
If you have ever been curious about Rovers, there’s a spot right around Journey to Mars with this cute Mars Exploration Rover. Not only does it tell you what it does, but it also shows you what the parts are of the Rover.
Before leaving the Kennedy Space Center, we stopped by the Nature and Technology building. Very different from the rest of the exhibits, the Nature and Technology section has a whole display of animals and gadgets used back in the days. Inside the building, it felt as though I was going on a nature walk by the way it was decorated. The animals looked almost real as though they would start moving. The exhibit had quite a good amount of animals and a good collection of some of the gadgets used back in the days.
Even though, I got to do and see plenty at the Kennedy Space Center, there were a few other things I wish I would have done. Unfortunately, I did not have the time, which is why I recommend scheduling the whole day for the Kennedy Space Center.
A few of the things I would have loved to see was the Heroes & Legends exhibit, go through the Astronaut training experience and go on the bus tour, which takes you to the Apollo/Saturn V Center . Fortunately for me, I live in Central Florida and will hopefully go back a second time to do all the other things I would have loved to do.
This was a great adventure and also a wonderful experience. For someone, who wasn’t all that interested in space, this place won me over with its simulators, exhibits and all the wonderful rockets I got to see.
For more information on the exhibits, visit the Kennedy Space Center website or connect with them on social media:
Disclaimer: I received two complimentary passes to the Kennedy Space Center, but as always all opinions are my own
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