Trip planning one day at Kennedy Space Center with my family

Much to my pleasant surprise, we've managed to schedule a day at Kennedy Space Center in April while we're down in Florida for a few days. I'll be there with my wife and 12 year old daughter, neither of whom is a big space nerd.

Would be interested to hear what folks think are the best things to do while there. Certainly not time to cover the whole place in a day, so we'll have to pick and choose. I have seen the trip planner on their website and am using that as a starting point. I'll also note that my daughter is not interested in intense rides, so stuff like the Space Shuttle Experience is probably a no-go.

The bus tour (including Saturn V) is a no-brainer. Likewise, I'm pretty sure we're going to do lunch with an astronaut. Other than that, not yet decided.

What are your recommendations?

The rocket garden & make sure you see Atlantis. It’s a pretty moving experience.

The IMAX theater, depending on what's playing and your family's interest.

And the Space Mirror Memorial, if you wish to pay your respects to the fallen.

Top two are the bus tour (Saturn V) and Atlantis, IMO. I think you will be surprised about how much your family will enjoy it.

I was able to relate my personal Apollo 8 - 11 anticipation as a kid as we walked around the exhibits and my wife and daughters dug that. Don't forget, we're in the 50 year anniversary window from December through July when the U.S. first got to the moon's orbit and then within only about 7 months Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the moon's surface.

We went during the Apollo 8 mission window anniversary and it was just plain surreal for me to relive those memories. I wished we had another day. KSC is so well done. Kudos to NASA.

--Lance.

I’ll be watching this thread carefully, I’ll be going with my son and daughter (love rockets) and my wife (tolerates rockets) this June.

RocketFeller said:

I’ll be watching this thread carefully, I’ll be going with my son and daughter (love rockets) and my wife (tolerates rockets) this June.

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Send your wife here while you and the kids see a bit of history. It’s on the way.
https://labellaspa.com

I guess I should be taking notes If I'm down there for Narcon

Only one day ?

I personally like the Cape Canaveral Early Space tour. You get to see the control room at LC6 and the Air Force Space and Missile Museum. You will walk where Wernher von Braun trod. Some really neat historical stuff, including a Redstone there to have a look at. I can't remember if this tour also did the Apollo 1 launch pad. Other tours may be more suitable for non-space-interested people. It is a three hour tour and finishes at the Saturn V Center. This is a popular tour so you must book ahead.

The Explore KSC tour is probably a good alternative to that one.

Personally I would give the IMAX a miss if you only have one day, but your family may like them.

An absolute must for adults and children is the Shuttle Launch Experience. DO NOT MISS IT! It is not a rollercoaster and is a completely different experience. Picture laying in a chair on your back and getting shaken around a bit for a short time. Your daughter may be ok in it. Worth doing if the line is not too long.

I did 3.5 days there last year and didn't see it all.

Been there 2x.
Definitely take bus tour. You will see all the highlights! If there by mid morning you can do rocket garden, lunch or lunch with astronauts.
Tal=ke bus tour,& I-max by mid afternoon wander over to the Horizontal Saturn display. You can walk under it the entire length and really see how massive it is. Pay particular attention to the 30 ft scale model to right of display and gift shop on left.

1 day planned like above & you can easily see the main things not to miss. Bus tour includes ride to launch pads , the building where they are always working on latest addition to space station & walk through, ride route astronauts take during trading...right by the giant bald eagle nest ..[named the lander after by them]. Go up viewing tower...great place for panoramic views of entire cape & all pads, and taking pictures. Ride to bleachers where VIPS sit [giant countdown clock seen on tv there]

Bus tour is very well planned & best bargain for not missing important things to see.

After this, you will know what you would like to spend time doing on next visit.

neil_w said:

Much to my pleasant surprise, we've managed to schedule a day at Kennedy Space Center in April while we're down in Florida for a few days. I'll be there with my wife and 12 year old daughter, neither of whom is a big space nerd.

Would be interested to hear what folks think are the best things to do while there. Certainly not time to cover the whole place in a day, so we'll have to pick and choose. I have seen the trip planner on their website and am using that as a starting point. I'll also note that my daughter is not interested in intense rides, so stuff like the Space Shuttle Experience is probably a no-go.

The bus tour (including Saturn V) is a no-brainer. Likewise, I'm pretty sure we're going to do lunch with an astronaut. Other than that, not yet decided.

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I did something similar (1 day visit) with my family a few years ago.
Apollo/Saturn V Center (with a hanging Apollo 18 shell) and VAB (special interest with a stop-over @VAB) bus tours were the highlight for me and my wife.
Meet with an astronaut was a meah, but that could be because neither the kids (nor us) knew anything about him, nor connected with a random, grey-haired dude in a jumpsuit.

I had thoroughly enjoyed the 1-day visit, and would repeat.
The rest of my family is in BTDT, "no need to go back" mode.
So pack as much as YOU want to see! ;-)

I would also 2x check what will be open/closed @KSC during the government shut down, which is likely to stretch into perpetuity!

a

I always recommend the "Dine with an Astronaut" option. The food is better than is served elsewhere in the Visitor Complex and ...you get to meet an astronaut.

But, if you want to do that as well as one of the add-on tours, you really need to plan for two days.

-- Roger

Personally I would give the lunch with an astronaut a miss if on a tight time budget, but as mentioned above it is the only place to get decent food at KSC. YMMV.

KSC visitor center not effected by shutdown.
https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/blog/fun-learning-at-kscvc

Thanks for all the inputs.

OverTheTop said:

Personally I would give the lunch with an astronaut a miss if on a tight time budget, but as mentioned above it is the only place to get decent food at KSC. YMMV.

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The "decent" food consideration is large for my family (various allergies and dietary restrictions to deal with) so that is the main reason we signed up for the lunch.

As I mentioned before, the regular bus tour is a definite, and I think the shuttle would be too (regardless of whether I can talk my daughter onto the Shuttle Launch Experience). Gotta do the rocket garden, I'm thinking if it's going to be a hot day we should do that one early.

There seem to be a lot of other shorter attractions that all sound good, don't know how many of them we'll get to. Comments on these?

1. NASA now
2. Science on a Sphere
3. Space Telescope
4. Apollo 8 and the Firing Room
5. Journey to Mars Explorers Wanted
6. Astronaut Training Simulator

Dang, managing a single day is going to be an interesting challenge. The good thing is I would expect to enjoy *all* of it, so I don't mind picking and choosing the stuff that my wife and even moreso my daughter will enjoy most.

You're going to be surprised at how little you'll end up seeing in a day. If you're already putting the regular bus tour and shuttle building as definites, the Saturn V building being on the end of the bus tour and you could spend all day in that building alone, and the rocket garden is in the middle of the main center so that's not really a thing you have to be sure and do because it's nearly impossible to not do, your day could easily be full already.

It all depends on how much time you'll spend at the displays inside the Shuttle and Saturn V buildings. There's about 1,000 displays all around both buildings and each has a sign with a few paragraphs to read - and if you're like me you'll want to read them all. The wife and kid may not let you stay as long in each building as you'd like so that'll be your main problem.

The one day I spent at KSC I didn't do any of the 6 things you listed above, only did the things you mentioned as definite, and I still ran out of time. Fortunately I was by myself that day and could take my time.

Mushtang said:

You're going to be surprised at how little you'll end up seeing in a day. If you're already putting the regular bus tour and shuttle building as definites, the Saturn V building being on the end of the bus tour and you could spend all day in that building alone, and the rocket garden is in the middle of the main center so that's not really a thing you have to be sure and do because it's nearly impossible to not do, your day could easily be full already.

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Certainly possible. Like you I could probably read every sign and spend all day gawking at the stuff Saturn V and Shuttle exhibits, but I don't expect the rest of my family to have the same level of interest and/or stamina. So I just want to roughly prioritize all the other little odds and ends if someone wants a change of pace.

neil_w said:

Certainly possible. Like you I could probably read every sign and spend all day gawking at the stuff Saturn V ...

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The Saturn V at the Huntsville Space Center is very similar to the one at KSC, in that there are tons of side displays and things to read, and I tried to read every one.
In Houston the Saturn V building is pretty much empty and has only a few banners hanging on one wall to give a summary of each Apollo mission and a display do discuss the restoration of that rocket, but that's all.

Several years ago I happened to visit all three of the Saturn V displays within 6 months just by crazy coincidence.

The Houston one is accessible without being on a tour, for free, just by driving up to the correct gate and parking just outside the secure area. Because I go to Houston for business a couple of times a year that one is the one I've visited the most and I never fail to visit. I can walk up and down and stare at it for an hour before I decide to leave. Every half hour or so a different tour group will come along and a guide will walk the length talking about the rocket. I've heard a few of those guides say things that aren't true at all, but I have never spoken up.

Mushtang said:

Every half hour or so a different tour group will come along and a guide will walk the length talking about the rocket. I've heard a few of those guides say things that aren't true at all, but I have never spoken up.

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Always have to decide if you want to be "that guy". I often have to bite my tongue at tech stores (especially with regard to computers), but once in a while I can't hold it in and tell the folks the "correct" info after the sales guy has walked away. Of course, they don't know me from Adam and probably ignore what I'm telling them. But it makes me feel slightly better for a moment.

I'm sure there were more, but these two stuck with me:

"These five HUGE engines are on gimbles and as it lifts into the sky they all lean as needed to make the rocket go in the right direction."

"And then when the capsule comes back to Earth they need a heat shield because friction..."


Speaking of mistakes, in the KSC Saturn V building they have an Instrument Unit on the floor beneath the suspended Saturn V and a nearby sign says that the IU on the floor is an actual IU and the one connected to the display above is just a copy (or something like that). Except the one on the floor is clearly a smaller diameter than the suspended rocket is and there's no way that it's an actual IU. I did ask one of the volunteers about that and they had no idea and had never noticed. Let me know if that's still the situation there.

neil_w said:

Thanks for all the inputs.


The "decent" food consideration is large for my family (various allergies and dietary restrictions to deal with) so that is the main reason we signed up for the lunch.

As I mentioned before, the regular bus tour is a definite, and I think the shuttle would be too (regardless of whether I can talk my daughter onto the Shuttle Launch Experience). Gotta do the rocket garden, I'm thinking if it's going to be a hot day we should do that one early.

There seem to be a lot of other shorter attractions that all sound good, don't know how many of them we'll get to. Comments on these?

1. NASA now
2. Science on a Sphere
3. Space Telescope
4. Apollo 8 and the Firing Room
5. Journey to Mars Explorers Wanted
6. Astronaut Training Simulator

Dang, managing a single day is going to be an interesting challenge. The good thing is I would expect to enjoy *all* of it, so I don't mind picking and choosing the stuff that my wife and even moreso my daughter will enjoy most.

Click to expand...

NASA Now and Next is worth seeing if you like to have a look at the new spacecraft that will be flying shortly. I like looking at how they go together and if I can learn anything from their materials use and construction techniques.
Space Telescope: You will be walking past a full-scale model of the Hubble. There is an AV presentation if you have time or want to sit for a bit. It is right next to Atlantis anyway.
Apollo 8 and the Firing Room I quite liked. You can do it fairly quickly if short on for time.
The others I did not do during my 3.5 days there.

I must say that the AV presentations are great at KSC. Very well done and entertaining, especially the ones going into the Saturn V building and the Atlantis shuttle exhibit.

Mushtang saved me so much typing. His post is spot-on for what I would say:

Mushtang said:

You're going to be surprised at how little you'll end up seeing in a day. If you're already putting the regular bus tour and shuttle building as definites, the Saturn V building being on the end of the bus tour and you could spend all day in that building alone, and the rocket garden is in the middle of the main center so that's not really a thing you have to be sure and do because it's nearly impossible to not do, your day could easily be full already.

It all depends on how much time you'll spend at the displays inside the Shuttle and Saturn V buildings. There's about 1,000 displays all around both buildings and each has a sign with a few paragraphs to read - and if you're like me you'll want to read them all. The wife and kid may not let you stay as long in each building as you'd like so that'll be your main problem.

The one day I spent at KSC I didn't do any of the 6 things you listed above, only did the things you mentioned as definite, and I still ran out of time. Fortunately I was by myself that day and could take my time.

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Two years ago the Apollo 1 hatch was "on display" at the Saturn V building but I don't know if it still is. It was easy to miss so if you want to see it go into a room off the end of the tip of the Saturn V, and it's hidden behind a set of screens. I can't believe they did it this way because it's so easy to miss unless you're paying attention.

The Apollo 1 hatch and memorial in the Saturn V building was there early last year. I thought it was quite a nice tribute and very well done. I found out after I got back fro the trip that the wife of one of the guys I work with was a niece of one of the crew members that perished. It's a small world.