Visiting Port Canaveral's Exploration Tower

A Visit To Port Canaveral’s Exploration Tower

Florida’s Space Coast has a lot to offer, including Port Canaveral, one of the busiest cruise ports in the world. To celebrate it’s 60th anniversary, The Canaveral Port Authority opened Exploration Tower in November 2013. This architectural beauty has 7 floors full of activities and exhibits that are dedicated to preserving the history of the port and it’s surrounding area.

 

As we walked up to Exploration Tower, we couldn’t help but admire the design of the building. Somewhat resembling a sail, the structure definitely stands out.

 

Exploration Tower

 

As we walked in, we immediately noticed the structures that were hanging above the space. They were whales and jelly fish, which once we looked a little closer, we realized were made of… garbage? We had to do a double-take. But we learned more about the structures once we got to the second floor.

 

art inside Exploration Tower

 

We made our way over to the reception desk, got our tickets (only $6.50 per adult), and it was suggested that we work our way up the building, as opposed to starting at the top and working our way down. So we continued on to the second floor. There we saw exhibits about the Native Americans and early settlers of the area, the growth of Cape Canaveral, and the development of the nearby port. Oh, and we learned that the marine life structures were all made of recycled materials.

 

museum inside Exploration Tower

history of Exploration Tower

 

The third floor had a theater, which played a movie every half hour about the port’s history. The movie takes you “from surf to sand, sand to sky and from sky into orbit.” While we were waiting for the doors of the theater to open, however, we had to have a little fun…

 

surfing inside Exploration Tower

 

The fourth floor was dedicated to special events. I personally think it would be pretty cool to have a meeting in this space. And apparently lots of people get married here as well.

 

meeting space in Exploration Tower

 



 

Next was the fifth floor, which was all about Port Canaveral. It even had a simulator where you were the harbor pilot and could navigate ships through the harbor.

 

Exploration Tower

 

The sixth floor was dedicated to space exploration. There was lots of cool memorabilia, photos, and videos about the many launches that have taken place in nearby Kennedy Space Center.

 

Exploration Tower

 Exploration Tower

 

And then there was the seventh floor observation deck… what a view!! From there we could see the cruise ships lined up at the port and if you looked off into the distance you could see Kennedy Space Center!

 

View from Exploration Tower

View from Exploration Tower
Can you see Kennedy Space Center?

Panoramic view from Exploration Tower

 

As an added bonus, there happened to be a free car show in the area across from Exploration Tower which was held by the Cape Kennedy Corvette Club. There were some awesome corvettes there, including one owned by Neil Armstrong.

 

Car show at Exploration Tower

 

Overall, I have to say it was a great trip to Port Canaveral. It’s definitely great for both adults and kids, with lots to see and do. Plus, it’s indoors which can be a blessing in the Florida Heat. 😉

 

Exploration Tower

(321) 394-3408

670 Dave Nisbet Dr, Cape Canaveral, FL 32920

 

Have you ever been to Port Canaveral or visited Exploration Tower? We’d love to read your comments below! 🙂

 

Like this post? Pin it for later!

Port Canaveral's Exploration Tower on Florida's Space Coast is a unique 7-story building with fun exhibits, activities, and spectacular views.

 

Similar Posts

22 Comments

  1. Wow, that place is huge! The design is pretty unique on the outside, and I love the jelly fish and whales hanging from the ceiling.

    1. Hi Laura! Yes, I love the design of the building. It’s so unique!

  2. Great tips for those looking to escape the harsh heat! The place looks pretty cool as well with all the hanging things.

  3. Very unique architecture! This is a very comprehensive post, I feel like I have already visited the Exploration Tower. I’ve been in Port Canaveral, but din’t visit this museum.

  4. They sure know how to provide something to do for everyone. ? Definiely a good place for a family trip

    1. That’s certainly true Karla! Plenty to do for everyone. 🙂

  5. What a lovely building and how cool that there is something different on every floor to explore. I think the space floor would be my favourite, I love me some space race fever haha! You’ll have to take me 😉

  6. Oh this is really cool! I visited Cape Canaveral but never Port Canaveral – it looks like a great day out and the weather looks perfect!

    1. Hi Sophie! Maybe next time you can stop by the port too 🙂

  7. It has been a long time since my last visit to the Cape Canaveral area, long before the tower was built. I think this would be a great activity with fun for the whole family, especially when you got a bit too much sun and the beach just doesn’t sound too appealing anymore.

  8. I love this place. Ive been a couple of times. Its the perfect picture taking place. Plus a nice place for the kids to explore. Nice little get away for the family. Plus its beautiful especially at night with all the lights around it.

    1. Yes, I’d love to see it at night! I can just imagine how awesome it would look all lit up. 🙂

  9. I’ve never been here but I’d love to visit, I’m such a geek when it comes to places like these!

  10. I had no idea this existed. I’ve been to Port Canaveral several times for cruises, but I’ve never really explored the surroundings. I’ll have to make a trip out there.

  11. This looks like place to take my trip, she enjoys this kid of crazy things. BTW I love that shot when you are kind of surfing!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.