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Cocoa Beach

Cocoa Beach

Cocoa Beach
4.5
About
Stroll the miles of powdery sand covered at Cocoa Beach and surf the crashing waves—there are lifeguards on duty watching over you while you’re in the water. Also, you can paddle kayaks in and around the mangrove islands and experience the Banana River with a dolphin tour or a sunset cruise. The pier is a popular destination with a range of dining options and shopping opportunities. Rent a bike and cycle around town to discover even more local gems. With Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center located nearby, Cocoa Beach is a great place to watch a shuttle launch. – Tripadvisor
Duration: More than 3 hours
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Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

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  • AgateJoe
    184 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nice beach
    With the dark colored sand, I can see why they call it Cocoa Beach. We were there at the end of January so the beach wasn’t too crowded and the water was fairly cool. Lots of small shells for anyone who wants to collect a few. We noticed a couple of Man of Wars had washed up on the beach so you might want to make sure to keep an eye on small kids so they don’t go poking at them. Lots of people fish here and we saw someone catch a Bonnethead shark. Overall, a nice beach to walk along and watch the waves come crashing in.
    Visited January 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 20 February 2024
  • HKJ
    Ayr, United Kingdom143 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nice beach
    Nice clean beach with a nice pier. Paid Parking lot available located right at the pier which was handy. Stopped in at the rikki tiki tavern for some drinks. Cocktails were great.
    Visited January 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 6 March 2024
  • Kswett
    Flint, Michigan1,355 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful sandy beach
    Took the kids multiple days, both to the pier and down farther. Down at the pier there’s restaurants, and a couple of shops, pay for parking in the lot right out front. There are also public beach entrances all down Ridgewood Drive, some u paid for some not (there’s an app to download and pay). If you’re going for a launch at the space center you have a pretty good view from here, anywhere along the space coast really. It’s a MUST to visit.
    Visited March 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 29 March 2024
  • Tressia
    United States52 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Much more than just a beach.
    Always a great time! The best part is seeing rockets go off and cruise ships go out to sea all while enjoying the sun and sand. If you enjoy a sunrise over the ocean cocoa beach definitely has some of the most beautiful one I’ve seen!
    Visited March 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 10 June 2024
  • Katie H
    17 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful Beach!! Grab a good book and sit on beach while kids ride the waves!!
    Beautiful Beach!! Great place to hunt sea shells! The kids enjoyed riding the waves and digging for sand crabs. Recommend staying at a VRBO that has beach accessories available for use otherwise renting will get expensive!
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 22 June 2024
  • ceerob
    Los Angeles, California115 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Perfect day on the beach
    We are from sunny southern California and live 15 minutes from some great beaches in MDR and Santa Monica…BUT nothing comes close to one of the most picturesque beaches on earth… COCO BEACH 🏖️! From parking feet from the beach and walking on some beautiful white sand, the whole environment was breathtaking! What we all loved the most and especially my children was the WARM Atlantic ocean! It felt like warm bathwater! To top it off the salt content didn’t hurt our eyes (we forgot our goggles) and the floor of the sea was as smooth as the beach. No big rocks, and plenty of sea shells to be collected. Fun had by all… BUT please reserve a chair with umbrella for rent already set up, or make sure to bring your own umbrella and chair… it gets HOT 🥵 in July!
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 29 June 2024
  • Christa H
    Lomax, Illinois16 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    If you want things to do on the beach, e.g. shopping, boardwalk choose another beach.
    Nice sand, not a lot directly on the beach or pier to do. Fair amount of shopping on road nearby. Parking fee, but not excessive. Marion Rd showers bathrooms were ok, not great. Umbrella chair rentals available but close fairly early.
    Visited July 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 16 July 2024
  • lilrox724
    414 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Close (ish) beach from Orlando
    One of the closer beaches from Orlando area, it was a nice day trip to the sand and ocean. By the public entrance, there was plenty of parking when we went. Water had some waves and nice sand of the kids. You can rent umbrellas and chairs for the day as well for $30. There really isnt much shady areas so bring your own umbrella or just rent it.
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 26 August 2024
  • James
    360 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Such an amazing day out
    We visited in August 2023 (Same as another review I did, only coming round to writing this review in September 2024, honestly, not sure why?!🤦‍♂️🫠) We stayed in Kissimmee and visited Cocoa Beach, as we went to watch the Daytona 500. All I can really say about Cocoa Beach, is that it is amazing and the fact that I highly recommend visiting if you're in the area. When visiting it, we had such a great time and will forever appreciate the memories made whilst visiting. On one of our last nights before flying back to the UK, we where so fortunate to see a rocket launch, with a few astronauts that flew to International Space Station, which truly was an amazing experience.
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 15 September 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles3,817 reviews
Excellent
2,127
Very good
1,133
Average
397
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86
Terrible
74

Casi V
Chardon, OH218 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2020
It was so great for my 11 yo daughter to be able to surf this world-famous beach. The waves were just right and it was a welcomed change for her to be able to walk her board out versus having to swim to the far waves forming. It was also great to have other surfers around with whom she could surf, but my favorite part was the lifeguard shack within yards. They were super attentive, and called everyone out of the water for 30 mins with a shark sighting, which was comforting. The sand is clean and powdery and there are free umbrellas and chairs available. Downside, one must don a mask just to use the restrooms. Great food and shops available right on the pier. It was a great time experiencing this historic site. Parking was $10 and the travel company will pounce on you walking onto the beach to try to sell you a timeshare, but they're friendly enough to wave off. Parking shack attendant was friendly as well. If you get there early you might score a spot on the road for $2.50/hr, which is cheaper if you're not staying long. There are also boards for rent, but we rented one from Ron Jon.
Written 18 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ron M
St. Catharines, Canada184 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020
This is our fourth year holidaying in Cocoa Beach after 10 years on the Gulf side from Treasure Island to Venice. It was great there but becoming too busy and expensive. Here we can stay at an oceanfront condo for two months for the equivalent cost of one month on the Gulf. This area is also quite once you step way from A1Aand even then I can ride my bike on the bike lane from Port Canaveral to Melbourne Beach and yell at only a few cars to get out of my lane. You can walk on the beach for the same distance obviously driving to one of the many parks along the way to try new sections. I also love kayaking the Thousand Island park starting from Ramp Road Park and doing it on your own or going on a group kayak tour to see waterfowl,
flying fish and dolphins and manatee all of which I have seen myself.
For food lovers like ourselves you can walk to great restaurants or drive short distances. Many restaurants have water views too.
We are bringing our grandkids for a visit too.
Written 9 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Michael W
Edison, NJ788 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
We were staying at the Inn at Cocoa Beach so Cocoa Beach was at our front and back doors.
Much of the city of Cocoa Beach is walk-able with many restaurants close together.
The beach itself is beautiful and well maintained, we saw city cleaning crews on the beach early every morning cleaning up.
Although we didn't swim while we were there walking the beach was very enjoyable.
Written 15 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

dennis2go
Alexandria, VA121 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
This beach is wide and sandy. Packed sand near the water makes it easy to walk on the sand. Did not see many seashells. Surf was pretty strong with good sized waves. .Lifeguard station covers a section of the beach near the pier.

Did see several beautiful blue jellyfish washed up on the beach which a bit of googling identified as Portuguese Man of War. Definitely to be avoided. Their sting is known to be very very painful. Weather in early Feb 2020 was unseasonably warm, about mid-80s.

We walked near the Cocoa Beach Pier which provides the usual beach businesses on the pier. About a half dozen restaurants and gift shops. There is a $2 fee to go to the end of the pier to either fish or visit the tavern at the end of the pier.
Written 13 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jackie H
106 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 • Solo
Enjoyed a quick trip to Cocoa Beach. Parking was about $2.50 per hour or $10 for the entire day. The water was extremely cold. Bring your own beach chairs. The area that we visited didn't have chair rentals. Not crowded.
Written 3 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Barry H
Cape Canaveral, FL9 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Couples
We have eaten at Luna a few times and have added it to our favorites. The restaurant is cozy but not fussy. The people are warm, knowledgeable and friendly.
The menu presents a creative selection of dishes which are presented beautifully. The food is delicious and a treat for the eyes. The accompanying sides live up to the quality and flavor of the entrees. I would like to see the wine list expanded but we never had trouble making a selection.
We have gladly added Luna to our list of special eateries.
Written 11 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Becky C
Colfax75 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2021
Where to start?? It was very crowded, and expensive. We paid 20$ for parking. Another $20 to rent an umbrella, which we could only use for a hour or so, then the wind was so strong, the rental company came and pulled all the umbrellas. No close place to use bathroom, or change clothes. There are life guards on duty, so that's a good thing...
Written 15 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

tpark44
Elmhurst, IL66 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2020
Great beach to play at while excitedly waiting for a rocket launch! Soft sand, easy access (you can park at the pier for $20-25, and when you park you get a wristband to use the restrooms on the pier if needed. Lifeguards supervising some areas for those with younger kids. My teens enjoyed the boogie boarding, the waves were great.
Written 2 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

doctorbobster
Gainesville, FL982 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2020
In Cocoa Beach for the SpaceX launch, we spent the day on the beach leaving me to think: why had I not come here before? Read on for details.

Easily accessible with multiple points of entry, Cocoa Beach is a fairly narrow strip of white sand puncuated by life guard stands. We staked out a socially separated site near the high-tide mark and kicked back. Before the beach filled up, my son and I tossed the frisbee without too much fear of getting in anybody's way. The water was comfortably warm and the surf enticing enough for body surfing.

What can I say? It was a great beach day and sort of beach I would return to.
Written 3 June 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Explore151498
20 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022 • Family
All my daughter wanted to do was go to the beach. My husband drove her there so she could go in the water. when they returned to our hotel she said she had to get in the shower right away. All it took was one look at her to see she had red stuff in her hair. She has very long blonde hair. She said that the water was full of red stuff floating in it. I asked both of them why they didn't get out and they said because there were people in the water. I was a bit furious because water should not have red stuff floating around in it and they both know better that if it doesn't look right it isn't right. It took over an hour for her to get it out of her hair and off of her body. She had to use a hair brush to get it out. After doing some research it appears it is bad for people who have respiratory issues. All I can say is YUCK. Find a different place to go to the beach. It seems to be red algae that kills fish.
Written 23 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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