NAT GEO to Space Coast: Wow!

November 20, 2020 – Sometimes gushing about your home town can sound like praise for your grandkids, “aren’t they cute?”.  But when world-famous National Geographic magazine names the Space Coast as one of the five best destinations on the planet recommended for families, those bragging rights suddenly have a lot of legitimacy.

And when they also put the The Space Coast of Florida as one of 25 places National Geographic Travel recommends for 2021 IN THE WORLD – well, that’s something.

According to the magazine, “Reported by the global editors of National Geographic Travel and framed by five categories (Adventure, Culture and History, Nature, Family, Sustainability), these superlative destinations speak of resilient communities, innovative conservation efforts, and thrilling opportunities for future explorations.”

National Geographic continues, “With all systems go for U.S. astronauts to rocket into orbit via NASA’s new Commercial Crew program, Florida’s Atlantic shoreline east of Orlando is again at the center of space exploration. The 72-mile stretch, known as the Space Coast, includes launch facilities at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

“At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (open with COVID-19 restrictions), families can watch scheduled blast-offs … and walk among gigantic rockets towering over a hundred feet high. A different sort of giant, the lumbering West Indian manatee, plies the waters of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, surrounding the space center.”

National Geographic also mentions kayaking trips in the 140,000-acre refuge with glimpses of manatees and dolphins, and June to September bioluminescence in the Indian River Lagoon provides an otherworldly underwater show, courtesy of billions of light-producing plankton.

“‘On bioluminescence tours, kids see light zigzagging in every direction under the water,’ says Florida Adventurer owner Josh Myers. “During the day, a manatee could pop up next to their kayak and squirt water at them. Those moments are life-changing for kids, inspiring them to learn more about what lives in the water.” —Ivan Vasin, Nat Geo Traveler Russia“

Now, we’ve always known the Space Coast was great.  That’s why we live here, after all.  But it’s always nice when someone else takes a look, compares you to the rest of the world and says, “you’re the best.”