Who knew you could do a lot in Melbourne Florida in roughly 24 hours?? I was invited as part of a rather large press trip to visit Melbourne through their Orlando Melbourne International Airport (currently undergoing renovations to be all kinds of spiffy by December.) Porter has seasonal non-stop flights there from Windsor, Toronto and Ottawa that begin on December 16th, 2017 and end on April 7, 2018, but they chartered a special flight for us to experience their refined way of travel to MLB.
Loved it! Honestly, trips through Billy Bishop Airport in downtown Toronto have always been stress-free for me no matter the time of day. What’s not to love when you walk through security in a matter of minutes and then sit down to as many complimentary lattes, waters, sodas, and snacks that you could possibly want before your flight.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BaWO8ORHCjp/
Orlando Melbourne International Airport is only 3 hours away, and once you’ve landed, you are literally only minutes away from the beach. When winter makes itself known to Torontonians, I will be regularly tempted to drop everything and board for the next flight to MLB where I could simply step off the plane and dip my toes into the sand and surf.
To Infinity and Beyond! Watch Rockets Take Flight in Florida
NASA
Due to time constraints (our very quick trip was jam-packed with a ton of fun!), we didn’t make it to the Kennedy Space Center as I had hoped, but we did get to check out the Exploration Tower!
Normally a vacay would be more than our 24 hour jaunt down south, so the one-hour trip from downtown Melbourne would be an easy thing to do. And, it would be such a scenic ride!
Want a funny story?
Last time I was anywhere near the Kennedy Space Center, my family was looking for a hotel in Cocoa Beach.
I was 8.
We were driving down a busy road and all of a sudden my dad saw smoke flying high from the back of the just-rented car, so he pulled over to the curb and made us all get out quickly.
We got out, turned around, and saw that it wasn’t the car that was smoking, but there was a spiral trail of smoke up high in the sky, and we could see a rocket from NASA rising higher and higher up.
What a way to be introduced to Florida for the first time.
What made that day even more incredible for us, was that after an exhausting search, we finally found a room at Wakulla Hotel, and wound up being neighbours and fast friends with a lead scientist that was in town to watch his baby, the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) return back to Earth, with its 57 individual experiments on board.
SpaceX
The really cool thing about SpaceX launches is that they’re easily viewable from just across the water.
If timed right, you could watch it happen while enjoying a good meal and drink at the Fishlips Waterfront Bar & Grill, or even on the top balcony of the Exploration Tower.
Expect those places to be busy though, so get in early!
Falcon Heavy & Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster
On February 6th, 2018, SpaceX launched their first Falcon Heavy rocket, with Starman’s Tesla Roadster on board.
There’s a website to watch where the Roadster is on its journey to Mars this very minute.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Be6VZEzgAEk/
Exploration Tower
If you can’t make it to the Kennedy Space Center, be sure to go visit the Exploration Tower at the very least!
Every notable level of the Exploration Tower is filled with cool things to do, including surfing, or even testing your skills in navigating a cruise ship!
The 6th floor, just below the observation deck, is dedicated to space exploration. Check out uniforms and badges from past launches, and learn about NASA’s difficult history to get humans into space.
Watch a Rocket Launch on Your Next Trip to Florida
There are 30+ launches scheduled for 2018, you can check to see if any of them happen during your next vacay with the Space Launch Schedule App.
Also, did you know that your name could be on the next flight to Mars?
Ecotourism
BG’s Bayside Marina & Adventures
There is a ton of adventure to be had alongside the mangroves in BG’s marina!
We had the choice of either try kayaking or paddle boarding, and since I have no experience in either, I chose to sit my butt down in a kayak.
This trip would fascinate amateur ornithologists (the study of birds), and/or marine-life enthusiasts.
The list of known birds in Brevard county is, of course, massive (here’s a printable checklist if you’re in the area, courtesy of Space Coast Audubon Society.)
I saw quite a few species during the water trek by kayak, including possibly a White Heron (didn’t have a chance to snap a pic with my camera to compare,) and also a bird of prey… it was too far to tell what kind, and as much as I love the idea of studying birds, I haven’t had a chance to crack open a book yet.
We were lucky to see a few dolphins, and even a manatee was sighted briefly while we were eagerly getting into the water.
If you look a bit into the distance of this video below, you’ll see a couple dolphin fins gliding above the water. They’re little blips of dark that come out of the water, but they’re there… it’s kinda like finding Waldo.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BaZo9mgHmLn
Turtle Conservation
We didn’t visit Melbourne, Florida at the right time to attempt to witness baby sea turtles hatching.
If you would like to “discover” sea turtles hatching and making their way back into the sea, you’ll need to book a trip in June or July and sign up (early) for a Guided Turtle Watch tour.
Did you know that five of the seven sea turtle species from across the globe can be found in Brevard County beaches? These turtles include Loggerhead, which is a threatened species (not quite endangered, but close enough unfortunately,) Green Turtle and Leatherback, both of which are endangered.
Possibly because of this, Melbourne is the largest sea turtle conservation in the world!
Visit the Sea Turtle Preservation Society to learn how you can help the not-for-profit organization help keep these species off of the extinction list!
Nerd It Up at Walt Disney World
Walt Disney World is an hour and a half away, so you can totally make a trip to the park during your visit to Melbourne. The park is virtually one big geek fest!
We spent a few hours to enjoy Mickey’s Not So Scary Hallowe’en party, that included short to no lineups for many of Disney’s top rides, and an EPIC fireworks show.
I NEED TO GO AGAIN.
Here’s the thing. I had no idea what was happening for the Not So Scary Hallowe’en Party. Our press group was told that fireworks would be a thing, and I quickly found online that costumes are encouraged, so I packed my sparkly cat ears (Get it? Cat and mouse? Heh…)
But, working out a battle plan for the three hours of adventure we’d been given didn’t happen.
My friend Deanna, of Maple Leaf Mommy fame, and I were all, “What do you want to do? I don’t know what do you want to do??”
MEEP!
We rode the It’s a Small World ride, because, ICONIC, and we had the stupidest grins on our faces while in the boat.
We, of course, had to ride Peter Pan’s Flight, because. If you have even a smidgen of love for Peter Pan, you must make a trip to this ride.
And we also made it to the Haunted Mansion. EPIC. The technology they use to make ghosts come to life is mind-blowing. If we had the time, I would have ran right back to the line up!
Also got to see what was probably the most incredible display of fireworks I’ve ever had the pleasure of witnessing. The timing, concussions, chemistry mixes for multi-coloured burns, and overall placements was phenomenal.
The pyrotechnician designer is an absolute genius. Literally brought tears to my eyes to watch their art come to life.
Deanna took this picture while my pyro-loving heart was pounding, and I absolutely adore it!
Despite having an incredible time, there was so much that we easily missed from not planning ahead.
Looking at the pamphlet now (we could hardly read in the dark while there,) there were trading pins, and magic bands to collect, and specialty foods like a Pumpkin Cheesecake Dome! *drool*
Through all the excitement I had missed Deanna saying that she wanted to try out the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and I feel all kinds of awful that we didn’t make that happen.
So I’m going to have to convince Jay that we need to bring our nephews to the party next year to experience everything on the list. And, dude, I’m dressing up!
I also made the rookie move of buying a POP! Vinyl toy that could have been purchased anywhere (though there is a sticker on the bottom to show that I had picked it up at a Disney Park.) What I should have done was ask around if there were any exclusive Disney Parks only POP!s for me to bring home (as carefully as possible.)
But, here’s my new Thor: Ragnarok POP! YAY.
Comic Book Shops & Collectibles in Melbourne, Florida
As much as I would have loved it, comic book and collectible shops weren’t on our trip itinerary, so I couldn’t scope any of these places out.
If you’re in the mood to collect though, these stores all have 4.5 to 5.0 reviews on Google Maps.
3020 W New Haven Ave, West Melbourne, FL 32904, USA
1284 Sarno Rd, Melbourne, FL 32935, USA
CASSIS Comics
4835 W Eau Gallie Blvd, Melbourne, FL 32934, USA
3020 W New Haven Ave, West Melbourne, FL 32904, USA
15 E Melbourne Ave, Melbourne, FL 32901, USA
Have you had a chance to visit Melbourne, Florida? You can check out Porter now for flights starting in December!
Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Porter and Melbourne Orlando International Airport in a partnership with Geek with Style to provide you the most up to date facts, helping you make better informed decisions. All opinions in this article are my own.
3 Responses
It sounds like you guys had a wonderful, packed trip! What an adventure! 🙂
I was really excited for this article when it came up on my feed since I’ll be in Melbourne for a day and a half soon, but most of the article is “leave Melbourne for cool things” :p
Hi Paul,
Thanks for the feedback! While the article does talk of driving out of Melbourne for a couple of things, I’d like to argue that it wasn’t “most”. 😉
I’ve added a new category to this post since your last read: a list of comic and collectible shops in the area, along with a note on SpaceX’s Starman & Tesla Roadster.
So, thank you for the push.
If you’re going to be in Melbourne on Feb 21st, SpaceX is launching their Falcon 9 rocket that day: https://www.facebook.com/events/201111043967462/
Please understand that this article was based on a journalist trip where I had no say in the itinerary, so couldn’t go explore certain areas that I would have immediately checked out, like the best places to find collectibles for instance. Or find out if there is a graffiti art scene, escape rooms, or “secret” rooms for drink/food/music. That said, there are many geeks that would want to check out NASA or Disney while in Florida, and those points are here to express the distance it would take to reach these fan-favourite locations.