1.Vacation with My Parents: Looking for Fun in DysFUNction
2. Spotting “Maldives” Sunrises and Man-Of-War in Melbourne
3. Kennedy Space Center and Planes Galore
4. Clearwater Beach: Crowds, Pirates, F-Bombs, Oh My!
Since Melbourne (the town we were vacationing in with my parents) is only 45 minutes away from Kennedy Space Center, I just had to take my mom and dad there. My in-laws were also staying in Radisson Oceanfront using BOGO benefit (now dead).
Convincing my father-in-law to come with us was a challenge. Even though he loves anything space-related, he doesn’t like paying in order to see it. In fact, when we suggested visiting Kennedy Space Center, his first question was whether it’s free.
My mother-in-law immediately reminded him that it hasn’t been free for several decades. So, my father-in-law said he would just stay in a hotel and wait for us. No way was he paying $50 for the privilege. He also likes to reminisce about the days when Disney cost $10 to get in.
Anyway, I just told him we would cover the tickets as a “thank you” for borrowing their minivan. He finally agreed, so we set out to visit the place. My husband was driving and suddenly he started looking up in the air and yelling: “That’s B-29!” Apparently, we just happened to be in the area when Valiant Warbird Museum had their TICO Air Show.
Of course, my husband and father-in-law immediately made plans to come back the next day, so they could check it out. They both are true avgeeks who love (love!) planes. I’ll have a few photos at the end of the post.
So, back to Kennedy Space Center. For the most part, my kids were a bit young to really appreciate the place. In fact, this was their favorite part of the exhibit.
Bus rides to get from one exhibit to the next were quite long, and my children got a bit bored and restless at times.
Of course, this tour was mostly meant for my parents who were very impressed with the whole thing.
If you can afford it, I highly recommend you check it out at some point. But you may want to wait till your kids are older.
TICO Air Show
I have no clue what these planes are, but my husband and his dad both said it was the best air show they’ve ever been to. And they’ve been to quite a few. Apparently, there was even a special guest: A pilot who participated in Doolittle Tokyo raid. The guy was over ninety years of age, but still mostly coherent.
Here are a few photos of planes. Enjoy!
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Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
We haven’t taken the kids to Kennedy yet, but we did go the similar Johnson Space Center in Houston two years ago. Johnson was nice because it had a lot of interactive/kid-friendly exhibits that they enjoyed in the main building. There was a bus tour that went to Mission Control, the rockets, and a R&D area – but Johnson is more compact than Kennedy, so the bus ride wasn’t too bad. Food/bev was also not cheap. Last time I went to Kennedy was in 2005 with my UK boss. We decided to stop on the way back from the beach to Orlando, because I remembered from previous trips that you could walk around the rocket garden for free. We arrived maybe 15-20 mins before they closed and I was surprised/embarrassed that they had surrounded the rockets with a gate, forcing you to pay the entrance fee. My boss was quite the charmer and after a few minutes of persuasion, the guard let us walk around the rockets for 10 mins for free.
@Erik I can’t believe that they let you guys in for free! Yeah, the price now is quite steep. We spent a fortune on 8 tickets, at $50 each. AAA gives a tiny discount, if I remember correctly, but it still added up to a huge bill.
I have no regrets, though. My parents will never be in that area again, and I really wanted them to see it. But my husband and I agreed that we will wait a few years before taking kids back. Too expensive. We are actually booked for three nights at Holiday Inn resort in Cape Canaveral during Spring Break, but won’t be visiting Kennedy Space Center. I think… My husband is a huge fan, and may change his mind!
These trip reports posts are my favorite to both read and write. With how many times we have been to the Orlando area, we should have visited Kennedy Space Center by now, but we never have (although I visited there as a kid). Looks like we’ll have to plan another trip!
Nancy, thanks! I think you guys would enjoy it, but it’s a considerable expense for a family of five. The cost of food is kind of high too, so be prepared. Still, it’s very interesting. Your boys will for sure enjoy it. Your daughter probably will too. If not, they have a playground and other stuff to keep kids occupied.
someone mentioned that the Off Season for AA has been shortened is that correct. was 10/15 to 5/14. also, my boss is considering getting into the hobby. I copied and pasted your Credit card links for both Ink and Sapphire and forwarded them to her. Hope she will use them to sign up.
@Hilde Wow! Thank you so much for forwarding my links. That is incredibly nice of you, and I’m very grateful.
On AA chart, you are absolutely correct. Here are the new off-peak dates:
Europe: January 10 – March 14, November 1 – December 14
Not great, unless you are going during Thanksgiving. AAdvantage program has been steadily getting worse, but there is still value to be had. I just burned a bunch of miles for our trip to Europe. Stay tuned!