NPS Website; Local Website; Wildlife Refuge Website
WHAT IS IT?Two neighboring and partnered parks that stand on land owned by the Kennedy Space Center and administered by the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Canaveral NS is a 24-mile barrier island, the longest stretch of protected Atlantic coastline in Florida. Merritt Island NWR is a 140,000-acre wildlife sanctuary that contains many diverse ecosystems.
BEAUTY (7/10)
The September 2004 issue of Florida Monthly named Merritt Island NWR the state’s top location for bird watching. The Site does not disappoint. Over 310 bird species are represented here: ducks, wading birds, shorebirds, thrushes and vireos. We got a close glimpse of the enchanting roseate spoonbill and the rare Florida scrub jay. These Parks’ beauty rests mainly on its stunning wildlife.
The calm dark blue waters of the Indian River contrast sharply with the National Seashore’s violent Atlantic Ocean waves located less than five miles apart. The land is very familiar due to the two towers visible in the distance: the Space Shuttle Launch Complexes. If you have ever watch a televised rocket launch, these Florida marshes, lakes, coast and scrub forest are a recognizable sight.
HISTORICAL INTEREST (3/10)The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) established Merritt Island NWR in 1963 as a buffer zone between human settlement and the Kennedy Space Center. The sanctuary has worked. It currently houses 20 rare and endangered species and serves as an important resting spot for many birds’ annual migrations along the eastern flight highway. Manatees and sea turtles use it as a sanctuary. The deafening roar of a space shuttle’s booster rockets only intermittently interrupts the animals’ peace. At Canaveral NS and Merritt Island NWR, science and technology successfully coexists with nature.
CROWDS (7/10)
Three of the five beach parking lots and the one for the Merritt Island VC were full to capacity. Who wouldn’t want to take advantage of a beautiful Sunday afternoon at one of the most affordable attractions in the Orlando area? Driving along the Black Point Wildlife Drive was tricky at times due to the large number of SUVs that never really pulled over when they stopped. We were in no hurry. There were people everywhere pointing cameras and focusing binoculars towards the sky or into the marshes; the excitement was infectious.
EASE OF USE/ACCESS (4/5)
The Merritt Island NWR entrance is five miles east of Interstate 95, Exit 220 along Florida Route 406. The entrance to the southern portion of Canaveral NS is within the NWR.
No road connects the northern and southern portions of Canaveral NS. Entrance to the northern section is trickier. Take exit 249 of Interstate 95 and then follow Florida Route 44 five miles eastward. Once you cross a causeway, the road will turn southward and become the Florida A1A. The Park entrance is about seven more miles south.
CONCESSIONS/BOOKSTORE (3/5)
Even under construction, the Merritt Island NWR VC offered an appealing selection of items. We couldn’t browse as much as we liked since quarters were a little cramped. The Canaveral NS Visitor Information Center near New Smyrna had fewer items and more space. If we were looking for souvenirs, the Merritt Island VC in the southern portion of this Site is the direction to head.COSTS (3/5)
Entry into the Canaveral NS is $5 car, free if you have a National Parks Pass. The Merritt Island NWR is always free.
RANGER/GUIDE TO TOURIST RATIO (3/5)
There were no Rangers at either Visitor Center. Nonetheless, we found wonderful volunteers who just oozed information. A woman at the Merritt Island NWR VC was a birding expert. She circled our map with three small circles that pinpointed where families of Florida scrub jays nest. Sure enough, she was right. We found our bird. She also circled where a few rogue eastern bluebirds have shown up. They had never before been seen in this part of Florida. Sure enough, we found them exactly where she said they would be.
TOURS/CLASSES (3/10)
Canaveral NS and Merritt Island NWR can be explored independently by car and by taking some of the several walking trails that line Kennedy Parkway and SR402 in the south and A1A leading to Apollo Beach in the north. Helpful pamphlets explaining the Wildlife Refuge and the Black Point Wildlife Trail are available at several locations.
We saw no listing of Ranger-led activities. In fact, we saw no Rangers. We did watch an interesting short film inside Eldora State House, a restored building dedicated to telling the story of late 19th homesteaders that settled near Mosquito Lagoon.
FUN (7/10)The Black Point Wildlife Drive, located in the NWR, is a one-way, six-mile drive that promises constant wildlife sightings. Everyone we saw on the drive was excited, from the twenty-something couple who never put down their video camera to the three pre-teen girls who rode the whole way with their torsos outside the sunroof. We all would have been even happier had the elusive sea cows shown up at their eponymous Manatee Viewing Area along Mosquito Lagoon.
WOULD WE RECOMMEND? (8/10)
We highly recommend Merritt Island NWR especially if you are going to the nearby Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Why spend hundreds of dollars going to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, their new zoo, when you can view most of Florida’s animal species in the wild here for free? The Canaveral NS is a nice uninhabited beach but not a can’t-miss destination
TOTAL 48/80
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