106. Go to the Kennedy Space Center

 When planning the trip, I gave the hubby the option of a double header or I can find something to during the day and we can catch the Cardinals game at night. I knew the Everglades were too far for a day trip from Port St. Lucie and nothing around Port St. Lucie really screamed to me. I suggested going up to the Kennedy Space Center figuring the hubby would like to see it and I didn't know when we would get there in the future. He agreed.

Kennedy Space Center is about 1.5 hours north of Port St. Lucie. Since we had donuts left from the day before we didn't have to worry about getting breakfast. We left at 7-7:30 so we would be there when it opened at 9. Kennedy Space Center is open year round starting at 9 am. Closing times vary depending on the time of the year. However, it is not a cheap excursion. Tickets are $75/adult for one day or $90/adult for two days. Parking is $10. Definitely buy your admission tickets ahead of time. It saves time and if you scour the internet maybe even money.

I read a lot of blogs about visiting Kennedy Space Center. I've been there before back in the 80s and 90s with my family but I never had to plan it. After planning as many trips as I have, the more you know and the more you plan, helps when visiting anything. Besides the hubby needs things planned out so I needed a game plan.

Everything I read said to get in line for the bus to go to Apollo/Saturn Visitor Center (ASVC). This was great advice because I forgot that we are going on a Friday in March which meant school groups. We got in line for the bus take us over to the ASVC immediately and didn't run into a school group until we were leaving the ASVC. 

It also said to sit on the right side of the bus so you got a good view of the Vehicle Assembly Building or VAB. This is where the space shuttles, rockets, and other vehicles are actually made. It's the tallest one story building in the world. 

Once at the ASVC you are herded into mission control to experience what it was like to be one of the astronauts on the Apollo missions going to the moon. It really does feel like you are going into space. After both movies, which you can't skip, you are free to explore the visitor center. 

You can go outside and view the rocket launch pads. Nothing was sitting on the launch pads.

There is an entire Apollo rocket hanging from the ceiling. Plus the Lunar Module and several other vehicles. It really didn't change since I was there in 1993.

We skipped the movies and simulators. We were probably at the ASVC for about an hour before heading back to the main campus. Again you want to sit on the right hand side of the bus so you can view the wildlife including the eagles nest. 

Once we returned from the ASVC we made a giant loop through the Kennedy Space Center. We started at Space Shuttle Atlantis. We saw a movie (again, one you can't skip) on how the shuttle program came to be and what it felt like to fly in space. We saw the actual Space Shuttle Atlantis which I had the opportunity to see liftoff for it's final mission back in 2011. 

We explored the future of space travel in the Gateway building. I was not overly interested in this because going to Mars does not interest me. We did not wait the two hours to ride the simulator. 

The Rocket Garden features rockets used through the space program and is outside. 

From the Rocket Garden we headed back inside to the Heroes and Legends.. and of course had another movie to watch about who are your heroes. Then we got to explore the Astronaut Hall of Fame.

We were told to expect to spend all day at Kennedy Space Center. I did budget 6 hours so we had plenty of time to get back Jupiter for the baseball game. We were perfectly happy spending about 4 hours there. We saw everything we needed to see. I finally bought astronaut ice cream. We did not have to watch all the movies, go on all the simulators, or pay for extra tours or to talk to an astronaut. 

If you remember to get there early, buy your tickets ahead of time, try to go during the off season, and head straight to the ASVC, Kennedy Space Center is worth visiting. If you don't do your research, you may end up disappointed by the long lines. Either way it is worth visiting. Just wear comfy shoes, bring plenty of water and snacks, and allow time to see it all.