UPDATE: I am not the OP but I leveraged off this thread.
Spent 3.5 days at KSC. Still didn't manage to see it all.
The "Early space tour" is a must see (my opinion anyway), and it covers the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station which is associated with a lot of the early rocketry stuff. Part of the tour included getting out at the pad that had Apollo 1 on in when the accident happened, visiting the bunkers where the early missile launches were made from. Lots of cool history and things to see, and tread where great people in history have been. The early electronics were great for me to see. It is amazing how far that old technology got them.
Lunch with an astronaut is great for kids I think, but quite impersonal. Probably the best food you will get at KSC, and almost worth it for that alone. Space newbies might also find this interesting, but it can put a hole in your day.
The "explore" tour takes you around KSC. You get to get reasonably close to the VAB, and drive past many of the launch pads and viewing positions that you have seen in the footage. Glimpses of three F9 cores were seen, and the F9 for the Zuma mission was vertical on the pad (but without the payload) as we drove past (not ultra close for that). We did pass a F9 core on a truck at about 12 feet away. Seeing the historical pads, and current pads, puts another degree of realism on when you seen a launch. The VAB is enormous and actually messes with your mind as to how close you are to it.
Went through the Atlantis exhibit three times (you can skip the AV presentations if you ask the attendants nicely :wink
. Stunning. The SSME is a work of art and you get to be up close and personal with one.
The shuttle launch experience is worth the wait if you have the time. It provides motion simulation of what a shuttle launch is like for the astronauts and is really well done.
The rocket garden is a nice snapshot of unmanned and manned spaceflight. Keep in mind that the Saturn 1b in the background is only half the size of the Saturn V.
Saturn V display is great, with the size just blowing your mind again. There is a real LEM there also, rovers, space suits, moon rocks (you can touch one if you want)
There are, of course, the 3D IMAX movies. Both are great if you want to fill in some time or keep the kids entertained.
The audio visual presentations everywhere are really well done. The whole place is run like an amusement park and run well. Staff are exceptionally helpful and polite.
Entry price is:
$50 for one day (the other tours are additional on top of that)
$75 gets you a season pass with one free day of parking (but not the first day!)
$89 gets you a season pass with parking
Parking is $10 per day.
It really doesn't take many days (just three or more) to make the $89 pass worthwhile.
That's my take on KSC. Well worth a visit