Is this Florida's most underrated attraction?
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is the US state’s most under-appreciated day out, our writer says, and with new exhibits to explore, she thinks it’s time for the experience to take on a starring role
Pardon the pun but we have a blast at the revamped Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, which has had quite the makeover in recent years. Since it opened in 1963, KSC has gone from a simple drive-thru trail to a full-scale Florida tourist attraction, with more than enough to fascinate families and entertain wannabe space travellers.
The newest attraction at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex, which opened last year. The idea is to give us earthbound individuals a look at how interstellar travel may evolve. This vast expansion is an interactive gallery with computerised astronaut challenges and the chance to navigate and command a rocket flight deck.
Gateway also features Kennedy Space Center’s first ride: Spaceport KSC. In this simulated attraction, guests are invited to check-in to the “airport of the future”, complete with a view of rockets taking off through the galactic windows.
We’re asked to choose from four journeys into space: Red Planet, (a mission to Mars); Uncharted Worlds (40 light years away to the exo-planets and possible alien lifeform); Cosmic Wonder (shooting through an exploding star); and Daring Explorers (a trip to Saturn and Jupiter). My son, Finn, excitably chooses the latter, since he’s been learning about planets at school. Next time around, I’m opting for the aliens.
The spaceship is, in fact, an enormous purpose-built theatre with moving seats, but I still have a meteor shower of nerves circling in my tummy as we board due to the immersive and convincing atmospheric effects. For a child studying the solar system, there is no better way to bring it to life than a mesmeric projection on this scale.
Read our interview with Kennedy Space Center ambassador and astronaut Bruce Melnick
NEW ERA OF TRAVEL
Until last year, actual missions to the moon were a blast from the past. The final expedition for the Apollo Space Program was 50 years ago, with Apollo 17 exploring the lunar surface for the last time in 1972. However, with NASA’s Artemis-1 launch in December and two more to follow, moon missions are back. Excitement around the programme has spawned a new generation of space cadets, eager to glean all the details behind the astronomical task of sending a rocket into space.
Decked out head to toe in NASA merch, there is no question our space-mad six-year-old will love Kennedy Space Center, but with a preschooler in tow, we initially wonder if there will be enough for her to do. However, every area is packed with hands-on exhibits, games and interactive elements. The rocket garden is a big hit, and it goes without saying we are all transfixed by the gargantuan real-life space shuttles.
While the grown-ups absorb the science and history of NASA, we lose the kids into a black hole when they discover the most out-of-this-world soft play in the universe. Planet Play is a three-storey indoor playground where you can bounce on the planets, walk on Saturn’s rings and zoom down a supernova slide. The biggest mission of the day is getting them out.
Even the bus ride is a source of excitement. The tour covers restricted areas of the facility, passing NASA’s famous Vehicle Assembly Building, which is home to the largest doors in the world. During our visit, the 140-metre tall portals are open, allowing a tiny glimpse of Artemis-1 inside. However, the real wow moment is getting up close to a full-size Apollo V, the largest rocket ever flown. We are dwarfed in the shadow of this beast, which is suspended from the ceiling. I’m not sure who is more spellbound; the six-year-old, the three-year-old or me… The big reveal is done well, with a theatrical countdown using an actual recording from the Apollo 8 launch in 1968. Tension pulsates off the walls, putting you in the room where it happened.
The Apollo/Saturn V Center is the place for history buffs, with displays of astronaut suits through the ages, replicas from the moon landing, genuine artefacts and equipment, and the chance to touch a space rock. Feeling a tangible object from space is quite a moment. Far from the jagged and rough exterior we imagine, the rock is smooth as marble. Neither Finn or I can believe it. The irony isn’t lost on me that in a day dominated by massive structures and astronomical feats, it is this tiny space pebble that blows us away. We talk about it all the way back to the hotel.
TAKE OFF FROM ORLANDO
With most Brits basing themselves in Orlando, it’s very easy to visit Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on a day trip. Tickets with coach transfers are offered or it’s an easy one-hour drive by car. For clients with more time, I highly recommend staying a few nights on Florida’s Space Coast, at Cocoa Beach. This quirky community was formed as a result of the space programme, but is now better known for its sand and surf.
Like a backlot tour on a real movie set or VIP access at your favourite gig, Kennedy Space Center gives the feeling of being part of history. Real-life rockets literally taking off next door certainly makes you feel close to the action. In this new era of space travel, entertainment and education run seamlessly together in this underrated park that is never short on atmosphere.
Book it: A one-day ticket to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex costs £65 (adult) and £56 (child). Tickets are fully flexible, open-dated and valid to use at any time. A Kennedy Space Center Tour with Real Florida Adventures includes entry to the park and transfers from Orlando and costs from £135 per person. Both bookable via dosomethingdifferent.com. For more on Florida’s Space Coast, go to visitflorida.com
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Place of registration: England and Wales.
Company number 08723341.
Registered address: 6th Floor, 2 London Wall Place, London EC2Y 5AU
