by Kathleen
I’ve been fascinated by space exploration ever since I first saw the Apollo 13 movie back in the 90s so visiting Kennedy Space Center had always been on my bucket list. We finally visited and so I’m sharing with you my 10 Tips for Visiting Kennedy Space Center.
Kennedy Space Center is a quick 1-hour drive from Orlando.
Buy Kennedy Space Center Discount Tickets
disclosure: this is a hosted trip. All opinions, suggestions are our own. Post may contain affiliate links.
1. Kennedy Space Center Tips: Get your Tickets Online
Save time by getting your tickets online to avoid lining up at the ticket booths when you arrive. Your time at the ticket booths can be spent taking pictures of the Kennedy Space Center Rocket Garden instead.
How much does it cost to go to the Kennedy Space Center?
Regular-priced Kennedy Space Center tickets cost $65 for kids and $75 for adults. Discounted Kennedy Space Center Tickets are only $53.99 for kids ages 3 to 11 and $61.99 for adults ages 12+.
You can check our post – Kennedy Space Center Discount Tickets for over 10 ticket deals to save money on your visit to the visitor complex.
2. Save on Kennedy Space Center Discount Tickets by getting a Multi-Attractions Pass
If you are planning to visit multiple attractions in Florida, I would suggest either getting theGo Miami Card or Go Orlando Cardwhich enables you to visit Kennedy Space Center and 27 other attractions in Florida for one discounted price.
You can purchase a 2 day, 3-day, or 5-day pass and visit any of the 28 attractions included within a 2-week time span from when you first use your tickets.
As an example, the Orlando Card includes Legoland Florida, Daytona Speedway All Access Track Tour, and a lot of other Orlando and Miami attractions.
3. Tips for Visiting Kennedy Space Center: Arrive Early & Stay All Day
Kennedy Space Center opens at 9 AM every day and closing time varies by date (between 5 – 8 PM). Can you doKennedy Space center in half aday? You will be missing out on a lot if you only spend half a day.There is so much to do that spending a full day or even 2 days to see it all would be ideal. The parking lot opens 30 minutes before operating hours.
4. Must See at Kennedy Space Center: Space Shuttle Atlantis
What is there to do at the Kennedy Space Center?
I’d say this is the best part of the whole Kennedy Space Center – learning about the Space Shuttle Atlantis and watching it unfold. There’s also tons of interactive exhibit within the building like astronaut training simulators. The kids really enjoyed their time here.
5. Kennedy Space Center Ride: Shuttle Launch Experience
There is only 1 Kennedy Space Center ride and it is included in your admission tickets. You will get to ride here after seeing Space Shuttle Atlantis. Strap in for a simulation of the space shuttle’s eight-and-a-half-minute ascent into orbit! Must be 44″ tall to ride. All personal items must be stowed in the complimentary lockers.
6. Kennedy Space Center Bus Tours: Ride in the Morning or catch it before it gets Dark
The bus tour is quite long but for true blue rocketship fans, you get to see launch sites and the bus tour ends at Apollo/Saturn V Center where you get to see the 363-foot Saturn V rocket, touch a moon rock, experience the thrill of the space race with the launch of Apollo 8, and many more.
The Kennedy Space Center crowd levels after lunch were high. The line to enter the Atlantis Exhibit, as well as the bus tour, was quite long when we arrive in that area so we rode the bus tour just before it ended at 530PM and the sun has set by mid-tour so they cut it short and went straight to Apollo/Saturn V Center which actually worked for us. The length of the bus tour was too long for our young kids, I would suggest doing this last but do see it before it gets dark so you still see a glimpse of the launch sites.
7. Don’t eat at the first restaurant you see and do pack some snacks
Don’t rush to line up at the first restaurant or first snack stand you see when you enter Kennedy Space Center – the line will be long. Look for another restaurant with lesser lines. We ended up at Orbit Cafe and found a table and the line to get food was not as bad compared to Rocket Garden Cafe.
You also need snacks along the way especially when traveling with kids. Don’t forget to pack some snacks especially for the bus tour.
8. Kennedy Space Center Astronaut Encounter: Take a Picture withanAstronaut or Meet one in Person
Seeing an astronaut in full gear was amazing. Make sure to take pictures with them as asouvenir or meet a veteran astronaut during a live presentation at Astronaut Encounter. Check the daily schedule upon arrival for show times and autograph opportunities.
9. Tips for Visiting Kennedy Space Center: Schedule Visit during a Rocket Launch
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex offers launch viewing opportunities for rocket launches from Kennedy Space Center and adjacent Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It is included on your admission pass if you watch it the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex next to the Atlantis exhibit but it’s for an additional fee on certain viewing areas. Learn more about it HERE.
10. Tips for Visiting Kennedy Space Center: Watch two movies in IMAX 3d
Two 3D space movies are available daily at IMAX Theater and areincluded with admission. See daily schedule once you arrive at the Kennedy Space Center for show times. You can even get theater snacks and drinks in the lobby before the movie begins.
Hope we brought a piece of Kennedy Space Center to you through our 10 Tips for Visiting Kennedy Space Center.
Fun Things to Do in Florida:
- Legoland Florida Discount Tickets
- Disney World Discount Tickets
- Universal Orlando Discount Tickets
- Busch Gardens Tampa Discount Tickets
- Adventure Island Discount Tickets
- Aquatica Orlando Discount Tickets
- SeaWorld Orlando Discount Tickets
- 2 Week Orlando Itinerary
- 15 Ways to Save on an Orlando Vacation
- 10 Tips for Visiting Kennedy Space Center
- Where to Stay in Downtown Orlando
- 10 Tips for Visiting Disney World Magic Kingdom
- 10 Tips for Visiting Disney World Animal Kingdom
- 10 Tips for Visiting Disney World Epcot
- 10 Tips for Visiting Disney World Hollywood Studios
- 10 Tips for Planning a Disney World Vacation
- Must Try Foods at Disney World and What to Avoid
- Disney World Packing List
- Legoland Florida VS. Legoland California
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. AnyTots.com has made every effort to confirm the information in this article and we try our best to update as often as possible but things can often change so we urge you to confirm every event detail like date, time, location, ticket price from the host of the event or attraction, and actual savings calculation in case of an error on our part. AnyTots does not sell any tickets but only lists reliable sources where you can buy discounted tickets, make sure to check the refund or exchange policy before buying tickets through them.AnyTots is in no way responsible for any injuries or damages you sustain while visiting an attraction or event posted on our website and you assume the sole risk of relying on any of the information in our post.
