×
×
Grab your friends and family and get ready to go mural hunting!
As you may have noticed, Cocoa Beach has a TON to offer when it comes to art and local culture. The local artists here are incredibly talented and truly know how to embody the Florida and beach lifestyle into their work.
What better way than to showcase all of the charming and colorful characteristics that make up our beach town, than through art murals?
Here are some of our favorite works of art we’ve come across in Cocoa Beach (Have you seen them all??):
Location: 70 N Atlantic Ave Cocoa Beach, FL 32931
Location: Jazzy’s Mainely Lobster; 210 N Orlando Ave, Cocoa Beach, FL 32931
Location: Fat Donkey’s; 247 Minutemen Causeway, Cocoa Beach, FL 32931
Location: The Fat Kahuna’s ; 8 Minutemen Causeway, Cocoa Beach, FL 32931
Location: 301 Minutemen Causeway, Cocoa Beach, FL 32931
Location: Nancy Hanson Recreation Complex; 7300 N Atlantic Ave, Port Canaveral, FL 32920
Of course, we couldn’t mention every mural you can stumble across, but we will leave that up to you to find more. There are plenty of these hidden gems to discover throughout Cocoa Beach, and more to come- so keep an eye out!
Check these and other murals out around town, and make sure to tag us (@stayincocoabeach) in your photos with them if you take any! We’d love to see what you find 🙂
Happy Fall!More businesses and events are opening up again (safely, of course), so we are excited to share with you some of our favorite fall festivities coming up! We hope this list of upcoming fall events will give your family something to look forward to. Make sure to add these events to your calendar. You won’t want to miss out!
Each night, Wickham Park transforms into a drive-through winter wonderland with a million shimmering lights on display! This event is perfect for safe social distancing while still experiencing holiday fun. Single-car tickets start at $10 and are available online.
Dates: Nov 13- Jan 3
Click HERE for more info!
Date: Nov 26
Click HERE for more info!
We hope you and your family enjoy all of the exciting fall festivities as much as we do. Wishing you all safe and happy holidays!
As a family-owned business, we understand the importance of supporting other independent, local businesses. Now more than ever it is important to show our appreciation for those in our community.
Please keep reading to see 3 of our favorite local businesses that positively contribute to the community and deserve the support! If you’re in the area, we highly recommend stopping by and checking them out. We encourage you to support your local businesses too 😀
In addition, we have adapted our cleaning procedures to align with the CDC recommendations to ensure the highest standard of cleanliness is met for you and your family during your stay. This includes:
Top grade disinfectant: We are using CDC recommended cleaning solutions during the sanitization process to protect against bacteria, viruses and other germs.
Sanitizing high-touch surfaces: Even the most out-of-reach surfaces are being sanitized to achieve cleanliness in all areas of the units including light switches, remotes, handles, faucets etc.
Cleaners wearing gloves and masks: Our cleaners are required to adhere to proper safety protocol while wearing gloves and masks (disposing and replacing when necessary) as well as required to wash hands frequently.
Our enhanced safety measures include but are not limited to the statements above. We are constantly staying updated and being proactive on the most up to date procedures that will improve our operations and promote healthy living during your stay at our units. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions, concerns, or would like more information about what we are doing to help combat COVID-19 and keep our guests safe. We look forward to safely hosting you!
Stay safe & healthy,
The Stay in Cocoa Beach Family
For the most up-to-date COVID-19 information, click here
</div<
Enjoy!
Here’s our list of the 4 best ice cream shops in all of Cocoa Beach. Enjoy!
Address: 247 Minutemen Causeway, Cocoa Beach, FL
A local favorite, The Fat Donkey is a walk up window in downtown Cocoa Beach with cute murals and bench seating outside to enjoy your treat.
They offer a ton of flavor options for scoop, as well as soft serve with various toppings, and some other treats like ice cream sandwiches (we recommend the churro!) A great spot to grab a cone and wander around the area.
Address: 25 S Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach, FL
Do you like the smell of fresh waffle cones? What about candy? What if we told you could have them BOTH in the same spot!
Welcome to Sweeties, home of sweet treats and fun eats. It is located in the heart of downtown Cocoa Beach, only one block in from the beach. The store is clean & spacious (perfect for a rainy day treat), or take it to go and walk around exploring the shops nearby.
Address: 157 N Orlando Ave, Cocoa Beach, FL
Oasis Shaved Ice has over 40 flavors and no additives. You can even get your shaved ice “stuffed” with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. With flavors like “Bahama Mama” and “Tigers Blood,” everyone in the family is sure to find something to quench their taste buds (they even have sugar free syrups, so you can have a yummy treat guilt free!)
Be sure to say hi to Ms. Viki. She knows all the local kids by name and even gives out free snow cones for good grades!
Address: 4295 N Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach, FL, USA
While technically not ice cream, I dream of yogurt sells…..you guessed it…..frozen yogurt (and lots of it!) They always have new rotating flavors and tons of toppings to choose from.
Our 2 favorite things about it? First – its got an ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ theme, so you can browse photos and memorabilia throughout the store, and second is it’s located right near the Ron Jons surf shop, a perfect afternoon combo.
The world-famous Kennedy Space Center is a must-experience for Space Coast visitors of all ages. People always ask us if it’s worth the visit, or if all members of their family will enjoy it – the answer is YES! Each time we visit, we uncover something new or inspiring that we missed the last visit.
With so much to see, we thought we would count down to top 5 activities.
5..4..3..2..1.. Here we go!
Watch “Journey to Space” on the massive IMAX screen. With the massive screen and 3D projection, you’ll feel like you’re part of journey to space right from the comfort of your seat – and with popcorn!
Learn to pilot, dock and land the Space Shuttle Atlantis with high-tech simulators that allow you to train like an astronaut. What a great way to bring space to life for all members of your family. Who knows, maybe one day it will come in handy!
Take a walk through a garden that is unlike any you have seen before! This outdoor section of the KSC shows you all of the different NASA programs from the past – and the scientific & engineering feats they accomplished! A guided tour is a great way to mix fun with history.
Get the VIP tour from a veteran NASA Astronaut. The day includes a tour of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, the Shuttle launch experience and even a private lunch with the Astronaut. Click here for the upcoming schedule.
Strap yourself in and feel like you’re ascending into orbit in this exciting simulator ride. Starting with a prelaunch briefing, you’ll then strap in and begin your journey into space!
If you’re staying with us in Cape Canaveral or Cocoa Beach during a shuttle launch, you’ll be able to see the launch right from an oceanfront balcony or the beach!
Welcome to the winter on the Space Coast! For many, winter means carrots, potatoes and stews trying to stay warm. Not here! We are so lucky to be able to enjoy delicious and fresh food year round, and we wanted to showcase 3 local food festivals to check out while you are here on vacation. All of them offer not only delicious eats, but tons of family friendly activities for a memorable day trip.
The 8th annual event features an eating challenge, pie toss, outdoor entertainment and, of course, the chance to try some world famous key lime pie!
If you can’t make it here, and you LOVE key lime pie, you can make this super easy version right at home!
Get ready for the 34th annual chowder cook-off! There is also live music, a beer garden, a silent auction and great restaurants vying for the top prizes.
The port area not only has the cruise terminals and has a ton of great restaurants, but you can also pop by the Exploration Tower nearby to make it a full day outing!
Who doesn’t love seafood, and music?! This is a famous 4-day event that attracts the best seafood restaurants from across the country (and over 10,000 people!) If the kids don’t like seafood, don’t worry, there is also tons of other activities including an arts & crafts show a Kids Zone and lots more.
Tickets can be purchased for a single or multiple day for the seafood festival, and the concert tickets are sold separately. Viera is about 15 miles from both Cocoa Beach and Satellite Beach.
Does this sound familiar?
You are sitting down to plan your vacation, but not everyone can agree. Part of the family wants to relax on the beach and become mermaids never leaving the water while others want Disney fun and action packed days. How do you make everyone happy!?
We may have a solution for you – do both!!
Cocoa Beach is just a mere hour from Walt Disney World, allowing you to stay at the beach and easily spend a few days at the park.
Here are some tips on successfully doing both
If you are limited to school holidays, things book up quickly so its best to start early. If you are flexible or your kids are younger, we recommend visiting late fall through spring. There are fewer people and not quite as hot!
You can also reference this calendar to see if your dates line up to any festivals or special events at the park!
You can simply drive the hour each way when you want to visit the park. Another option is to take a shuttle so you don’t have to worry about parking.
If you are planning a couple of days at Disney, be mindful of the best times to visit. For example, Magic Kingdom is very busy on Monday’s, so you are better off doing it mid-week.
Here is a great guide for 1 and 2 day itineraries at the various parks.
We love Disney (and so will your kids!), but it can get busy, tiring and expensive. In additional to the beautiful beach & ocean, there are so many fun & inexpensive activities to do nearby.
As a reference, you can browse these to get some ideas 5 family friendly activities, or these 5 unique experiences right in our backyard.
Join the vacation rental trend and enjoy the best of both worlds. The beach & Mickey Mouse. Camp fires and smores on the beach one night and dinner with the Disney princesses the next. It’s nice to know you can have it all!
We know the allure of vacation – endless amounts of fish tacos and nachos with your toes buried in the sand, cool strawberry daiquiris overlooking the ocean or local craft beer. But hey, sometimes you just want one healthy meal thrown in there to make you feel a bit better, right? We get it!
That’s why we came up with our 4 favorite healthy food spots near Cocoa Beach. From fresh market sandwiches and chill live music joints to gorgeous acai bowls with fresh fruit, there’s a lot the area has to offer!
The best part? You won’t be sacrificing any taste. Halleluiah!
Located in Downtown Cocoa Beach, this causal & chill vegetarian & vegan restaurant has a long list of smoothies, bowls, salad, sandwiches and burgers to choose from. Pick it up or dine in their casual space (beer also available).
Best for: Organic + Laid Back Vibes
A local stable for many years, the Juice ‘n Java is both a great lunch spot and a live music venue! Sit down for a healthy lunch & fresh roasted coffee, or pop in at night for live music and a drink!
Best for: Tasty + Live Music
This downtown eclectic & artsy smoothie Acai café & juice bar has an amazing selection of bowls, smoothies, cold pressed juices, baked goods & coffee. Hang out and enjoy the local surf feel and great energy.
Best for: Healthy Pit Stop
Located in Indian Harbour Beach, The Green Turtle doubles as a gourmet grocery store and a café/deli. They have delicious & creative soups, salads & sandwiches. Plus, check out their calendar for free wine tasting events – we guarantee you won’t leave empty handed!
Best For: Healthy Gourmet