Location: Merritt Island
Top Things to do in Merritt Island
- 1. Space Shuttle Atlantis
- 2. Historic Cocoa Village Playhouse
- 3. Brevard Zoo
- 4. Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
- 5. Cocoa Village
- 6. Parker Brothers Concepts
- 7. Helen and Allan Cruickshank Sanctuary
- 8. Black Point Wildlife Drive
- 9. Lori Wilson Park
- 10. Brevard Veterans Memorial Museum & Military Museum
Top 10 Things to do in Merritt Island, United States
Merritt Island is a census-designated place in Brevard County, Florida, located on the eastern Floridian coast, along the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 34,743. It is part of the Palm Bay – Melbourne – Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The name "Merritt Island" also refers to the extent of the former island, which is now a peninsula.
Restaurants in Merritt Island
1. Space Shuttle Atlantis
Overall Ratings
5 based on 144 reviews
Reviewed By ATL_MEW - Atlanta, Georgia
As a child of the Shuttle era, I found the Atlantis display not only breathtaking but emotional as well. The treatment of Atlantis itself, just as it looked in 2011 when it last landed, is stunning. For me the most emotional part was the memorial to the 14 astronauts who lost their lives on Challenger and Columbia. If you are in the area for a cruise or other vacation, do yourself a favor and visit this exhibit.
2. Historic Cocoa Village Playhouse
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 118 reviews
Established as the "Aladdin" theatre, the doors opened to the public on August 18th, 1924, showing silent movies. Later, Brevard's first "talkie" movie house became known as "the showplace of the Indian River Section". Several owners and several decades later, the building was restored operational and began producing community based musicals in 1989. In 1991, the Playhouse was accepted onto the National Register of Historic Places under the official name "The Historic Cocoa Village Playhouse." Known to all as "Broadway on Brevard" this team of volunteers and staff are truly an example of one of the highest quality community highest quality community theatres in the country. Our 27th Season (2016-2017) includes: "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor(R) Dreamcoat": Sep. 23-Oct. 9, 2016 "Meet Me in St. Louis": Nov. 18 - Dec. 4 "On the Town": Jan. 27 - Feb. 12 "Aida": March 10 - 26 "Mary Poppins": April 28 - May 14 "Nunsense II: The Second Coming": June 23 - July 2 For tickets and a complete season listing please visit our website
Reviewed By TheSimpleTraveler - Easton, Pennsylvania
I have been to this venue several times over the past few years and have never been disappointed. The restored playhouse is just beautiful. The seats are comfortable. The view of the stage, whether in the balcony or in the lower level is all good. The staff, orchestra and actors/actresses – all volunteers – put their heart and soul into each production to ensure that the patrons have a wonderful evening.
Our group of three arrived early enough to procure a parking space in one of the public parking lots not too far from the venue. But parking could become more challenging, as it gets closer to show time. We saw Mary Poppins and found the show to be very good, although I did have problems at times understanding the dialogue through the sound system. It didn’t take away from the performance for me though.
If you’re looking for a nice evening out to take in a play, I strongly recommend you give the Cocoa Village Playhouse a try, if you’ve never been there before. You can buy tickets in advance on line or at the door on the day of the show.
3. Brevard Zoo
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2 reviews
Brevard Zoo is home to more than 650 animals, representing 165 species. Feed gentle giraffe and lorikeets, go kayaking or take a paddle boat ride and ride the train. Get wet in Paws On, enjoy daily animal encounters and be sure to experience our rhino encounters.
Reviewed By Kimberly W - San Francisco
We took the entire elementary school for a day at the zoo. It’s a cute zoo and they are always adding and improving. Usually the animals are active and you can see them. Workers seem to really take care of the animals. I would always get an annual pass when my children were small because it is an excellent zoo and I’m not much of a zoo person. It reminds me a little of Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle but it’s much smaller.
4. Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 796 reviews
This wildlife conservation park is home to more endangered species than anywhere else in America.
Reviewed By Zephyr_Travel - Fredericksburg, Virginia
Stop at the new looking visitor center, open till 4pm, to get overview of all activities, good intro video, and gift store for all ages. Visitor center had good exhibits for kids. The refuge roads are open until sunset. We walked the boardwalk outside the visitor center, drove to the manatee viewing area, and had the highlight of the trip with the black point drive, worth the 10 dollar price for wildlife viewing. Saw muitple birds and alligators The refuge roads also provide access to the south side of the Cape Canaveral National Seashore
5. Cocoa Village
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 419 reviews
Reviewed By Scene-set - Wokingham, United Kingdom
A great place to “park up” and take a stroll. Some lovely historic buildings including the theatre,
Sadly could not find (after a thorough search) a coffee shop, which would be a great addition and I am sure a successful enterprise!
Still would recommend a visit - including the park which fronts the river, which is beautifully maintained.
6. Parker Brothers Concepts
Overall Ratings
5 based on 118 reviews
Reviewed By Donna L - Summerville, South Carolina
Great Big THANK YOU to Justine and JOHN for providing us with a first hand experience with some past and future concepts of their company. Justine was gracious enough to give us a tour despite the damage they incurred from Hurricane Matthew! John's stories throughout the tour gave us insight to the brothers. It is inspiring to see these two brothers build their dreams! Over and over, I heard, "NEVER GIVE UP". Take a look at some of these brilliant pieces of work! They truly have thought outside of the box and I hope that it pays off for them! Looking forward to watching this company GROW! This is a must see if you are in the area!
7. Helen and Allan Cruickshank Sanctuary
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 23 reviews
Reviewed By Aieeejo - Central Florida
Nice, hidden nature walk/park. Thank you Cruickshank Family!
Basically it's "just" a 30-45 walking trail around an undeveloped, central Florida lot, but what a treat! On any given day you'll see lots of different types of wildlife, and if you stand still long enough, you may get a visit (on top of your head, or an outstretched arm) by a scrub jay or two. Keep the cameras handy! There are also lots of picturesque trees and trail/scrub brush views. It's a very pleasant and calming way to spend an hour of your day!
8. Black Point Wildlife Drive
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 260 reviews
Reviewed By Dennis P - Johnson City, New York, United States
When I last visited this park it was April 2017 just when the tragic fires over this part of Florida were burning out - now thankfully much of the acreage has been rejuvenated and the waters are nearly up to where they were when I saw them at their peak.
Unfortunately however, we did not see any flights of birds arriving when we were there, probably just bad timing but there were many more on the Trail waters than the last time.
Hopefully the flocks will be back for my next visit.
9. Lori Wilson Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 769 reviews
Reviewed By Gary J - Cornwall, Canada
For this area if the country, this is a great beach!
The Lori Wilson Park is a great access to the beach
The only black mark is the dirty public washrooms
The beach is very long, very wide,fairly clean and this time of year the water is warm enough to swim in.
The sand is peppery not white
Our day at the beach was fairly cool because of the wind.
If you want a hot beach with nice sand, you’ll have to go to the Caribbean...
It was worth the visit
10. Brevard Veterans Memorial Museum & Military Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 115 reviews
Reviewed By John F - Melbourne, Florida
This non profit Veterans Museum houses a great collection of military items from all American wars from the Revolution thru Afghanistan and Iraq, all donated. Plus it has a good military library. The park adjacent is also a great place to walk and explore. There is a paddle board and Kayaking concession at the center. You can get lessons or just rent. Great place for family fun
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