This is a must-visit campground for anyone. Jetty Park Campground has so much going for it and is such a gem I actually thought about not writing about it. First off, it is super easy to get to directly off the former Beeline Expressway (the 528) out of Orlando and a few quick miles from the I-95 too.
When you get there, you’ll find a camp store with lots of things and a friendly staff. A nice lounge is also in the registration area. There are a variety of sites including some great tent locations if that’s your thing. There are sites that will also handle the big rigs too. Just outside the campground fence is the park open to the public and it is quite nice!
First off, it is right in Port Canaveral so you can see large cruise ships coming and going. The coming is early morning when it is still dark – I saw one at 6 AM/0600 coming in. The going is generally between 4.30 and 5.30 PM/1630-1730 and only on certain days though we stayed a Friday through a Monday and saw activity each day – one day three large cruise ships left. And we even saw a Trident Submarine heading out to sea! That was extra special.
You can also walk or ride your bike to the beach – a gorgeous beach on the Atlantic Ocean and there is a bait shop that sells all sorts of things besides bait – and a great snack bar too – along with an observation deck and toilets. On the beach, there is a lifeguard station and a place you can rent beach chairs, umbrellas and other items making this a perfect spot to walk to from your RV.
We rode our bikes on the beach all the way to the Cocoa Beach Pier and had a great lunch there and rode back quite easily. We had a beer at Pelican’s on the Pier and there is indoor as well as outdoor seating. It is a full restaurant and there are other places to eat and drink there so it is worth a visit though all websites seem to go to a timeshare called Westgate Resorts when you search on it so maybe they own the Pier, but it is the best place for information about it.
There are nearby restaurants you can ride your bicycle to quite easily and we stopped at Exploration Tower which is in the port and near restaurants – though due to parking lots being quite large you really don’t want to walk between locations – so you can easily ride between it and other things. Admission is very reasonable (check the website before going as there sometimes is a deal to get tickets online cheaper in advance). At $6.50 for an adult it was absolutely worth going to even if you don’t use a coupon (which you can find at the camp store).
We started at the top with great views of the ocean, Cape Canaveral, the various rocket launching pads and more. There’s free binoculars you can use when you’re there on the top floor and while we are two adults, there seemed to be plenty to amuse all ages including smaller children. There information on the port on one level and space information on another and a film on yet another floor. It was really entertaining as well as educational and it was absolutely spotless clean!
Of course there are lots of other things nearby including the Kennedy Space Center itself but what we did we could do without a vehicle other than bicycles. I’ve written about a visit here before that still has great information about the Space Coast, Melbourne and Cocoa., The Brevard Zoo and also the Kennedy Space Center. Also the official tourist agency, Visit Spacecoast, has great information too.
We cannot wait to return to Jetty Park and Jetty Park Campground. We only hope we can get in!
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