# Locations for watching a night time rocket launch from Kennedy Space Center **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 16, 2020, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locations-for-watching-a-night-time-rocket-launch-from-kennedy-space-center/846489 "2020-01-16T02:01:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locations-for-watching-a-night-time-rocket-launch-from-kennedy-space-center/846489/1 "2020-01-16T02:01:24Z")
I’ve got a chance to be in Florida for a night time rocket launch from Kennedy Space Center, in Florida. Because it’s at night, it looks like the visitors center will be closed. What are other options for good places to watch a night time launch? ---
**Author:** ![Moonshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Moonshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonshine)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locations-for-watching-a-night-time-rocket-launch-from-kennedy-space-center/846489/2 "2020-01-16T12:38:15Z")
We did this over the summer, an awesome experience. We went to Playalinda Beach, a public (state park) beach on the Canaveral National Seashore. It’s not much further away than the bleachers would be anyway, and there’s good parking, though not much else in the way of facilities. You’d have to check if it’s open at night. I have heard that in good weather you can see the launches from Coco beach, but I haven’t experienced it myself. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locations-for-watching-a-night-time-rocket-launch-from-kennedy-space-center/846489/3 "2020-01-16T13:39:18Z")
Thanks for the recommendations. I just looked up that park, and they close at 5PM in the winter. Oh well. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locations-for-watching-a-night-time-rocket-launch-from-kennedy-space-center/846489/4 "2020-01-16T13:46:57Z")
We watched it from the Rocket Launch viewing area on the Banana river right off highway A1A in Canaveral. A fine view. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locations-for-watching-a-night-time-rocket-launch-from-kennedy-space-center/846489/5 "2020-01-16T16:56:40Z")
Plenty of places right along US1 in Titusville. It’s a commercial/residential strip right along the Indian River. ---
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2020, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locations-for-watching-a-night-time-rocket-launch-from-kennedy-space-center/846489/6 "2020-01-17T18:11:09Z")
^ Agreed (former Titusvillain). There’s a decent restaurant, Shiloh’s, right on the Indian River and US 1 that would make a fine viewing point, but there are plenty of others. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2020, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locations-for-watching-a-night-time-rocket-launch-from-kennedy-space-center/846489/7 "2020-01-17T23:38:43Z")
Thanks for the suggestions. I appreciate the shared knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2020, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locations-for-watching-a-night-time-rocket-launch-from-kennedy-space-center/846489/8 "2020-01-18T01:29:32Z")
We went to see the Apollo XVII nighttime launch. I think we saw it from what is now the rocket launch viewing area. It was on the water, I think the Banana river, and we were able to set up tents. No facilities per se, but I was young then. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2020, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locations-for-watching-a-night-time-rocket-launch-from-kennedy-space-center/846489/9 "2020-01-19T22:47:49Z")
It depends on how close you want to be. I live about 74 miles from Kennedy and I can see rocket launches from my back yard. Granted, it’s just a very bright light in the sky, but I can see it. The closer you are to Cocoa Beach the better. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2020, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locations-for-watching-a-night-time-rocket-launch-from-kennedy-space-center/846489/10 "2020-02-03T03:25:39Z")
_sigh_ First the launch was pushed out from the 5th to the 7th. Ok, that’s still within our trip dates. Now it’s been pushed out to the 9th. I’ll be flying home at that time. Guess we’ll have to try again. Maybe the third time will be the charm. At least it looks like the weather will be good.