I love this beach! It truly feels like an escape from the hustle and bustle of urban life. As a…read morenational park it remains undeveloped and protected shoreline, which keeps wildlife in the area. If you have certain restroom standards, this is not the beach for you. Protected land = no running water. Therefore, no flushing and no rinsing. It's a tradeoff I'll accept for the natural splendor present. Great place to watch the close by rocket launches. The Eddy Creek side is an ideal vantage point for viewing manatees and gators. There are also multiple nearby nature trails. I have the annual pass, which is worth it for me. All accesses were open on my most recent visit, but that varies. If you want to spice up your life, go all the way down to #10-13, the nude portion. For beaches, my heart belongs to the Gulf Coast side of FL, but Playalinda offers a unique opportunity to commune with nature, setting it apart.

The beach itself is beautiful. Expect rough Atlantic surf, noisy waves crashing ashore, windy…read moresalty air. Parking and access is convenient once you pay the entrance fee. The absolute horror of the bathroom facilities is shocking. There is apparently no plumbing or septic system!!!! No showers to rinse off the sand. Very primitive conditions.

Parrish Park is one of those parks that uses land that might otherwise go unused beneath major…read morebridges, in this case, the A. Max Brewer Memorial Parkway, and turn it into a recreation space. Parks like this provide ideal staging areas for outdoor activities such as walking, cycling, fishing, kayaking, and wildlife viewing along scenic waterfronts. Parrish Park serves as the gateway to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. It was named in honor of the prominent Parrish family, who were early pioneers, citrus grove owners, and influential business leaders in the Space Coast region. State Senator J.J. Parrish's family has multiple local landmarks bearing their name, including the local Parrish Medical Center. The Parrish family is highly regarded in Titusville for their community investments and philanthropic efforts. Parrish Park spans 37 acres along the Indian River Lagoon. It is a popular destination for boating, fishing, and other water sports. It is also the eastern terminus of the 250-mile Florida Coast-to-Coast Trail, which stretches across the state to St. Petersburg. The park's developed northwest section features a large paved parking area and a boat ramp capable of accommodating larger vessels. Launching here provides easy access to the lagoon, where dolphins and manatees are frequently spotted. The park has also become one of the Space Coast's most popular locations for watching SpaceX rocket launches. Parrish Park was once intended to become the new home of Dummitt Castle, a historic 22-room octagonal wooden mansion built in 1881 by Italian nobleman Douglas Dummitt and his wife, an Anheuser-Busch heiress. As NASA expanded the nearby spaceport, preservationists relocated the mansion to Parrish Park with plans to restore it as a museum. Sadly, before restoration could be completed, vandals burned the castle to the ground in 1967. In 2020, the park underwent significant improvements, including new pavement, seawall construction, and habitat restoration projects designed to protect spawning horseshoe crabs. The work generated local discussion about how to balance public access with environmental conservation. Parrish Park extends along the entire causeway between the Max Brewer Bridge and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. It is an official stop on the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail, a statewide network of more than 500 premier wildlife-viewing sites. During fall and winter there have been regular sightings of Buffleheads, Lesser Scaup, Dunlin, Common Loons, and Horned Grebes. Wading birds such as Reddish Egrets and Roseate Spoonbills are sometimes present, while Ospreys and Bald Eagles can be seen overhead. On both sides of the causeway are Royal Terns, Black Skimmers, Herring Gulls, Great Black-backed Gulls, and Ruddy Turnstones. During some winters, rare Long-tailed Ducks and Surf Scoters have been recorded here. This park draws boaters, bikers riding the Coast-to-Coast Trail, swimmers, and wildlife and rocket launch photographers and enthusiasts. A peak below the bridge can reveal more than you might initially think.

Great place to see a bit of the sun set…read more Located off the. Ridge so you ncan bit keep you're eyes out for the turnoff

This is a beautiful waterfront park located in the heart of Titusville and one of the premium…read moreviewing spots to watch rocket launches from the Space Coast. Today with the frequent rocket launches by SpaceX and others finding a parking space and a good line of sight is fairly easy no matter the launch time, of course some launches are more popular than other, human flights or heavy lift rockets seem to attract more viewers but no where near the days when they were launching the space shuttles especially those unforgettable night launches. This park provides plenty of shade and also has restrooms which is a big plus and believe it or not they are usually well maintained. I have a great view from my home located on the Intracoastal Canal a.k.a. the Indian River north of here but this view is exceptional and a must do if your in the area and want to see history in the making...

Lovely spot to watch rockets launch. Spotted tons of seat…read morelife! I highly recommend to anyone who wants to get up close in nature without getting too close!

Living in Brevard is full of beautiful scenery, beaches and nature but coming to Merritt Island…read moreNational Wildlife Refuge you really feel like you are in a different country. It is so beautiful and remote and full of wildlife. The best part... it's free! This is a beautiful driving trail designed just for soaking up wildlife. Our favorite part of coming here is rolling down the windows and counting the various birds and alligators. At one time we counted 13 alligators in one drive. It's fun to see who can spot the most. The drive takes less than 40 minutes but if you really take your time and stop in the sections reserved for pulling over and parking you can spend hours here. There are various spots with viewing towers to overlook the reserve. There are also interpretive signs explaining the bird species in the area. I would highly suggest taking a detour next time you go to the Kennedy space center and taking a drive here. Also some advice is to bring drinks and snacks for the car because you may grow hungry on the remote drive.

I loved my experience at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. While attending a conference…read morerecently, I needed a little bit of an escape and decided to head toward to coast to get my nature fix. I ultimately only chose to come here because it was the closest place with manatee viewing. I made the drive from Orlando, and made my first stop at the Visitor Center. If you have your America the Beautiful pass, you're all set, but I didn't get a new one this year, so I paid $10 for my visitor pass. Cin at the volunteer desk was super helpful and showed me where I should go. I ultimately decided on the Black Point Wildlife Drive - a 7-ish mile drive that provided some great opportunities to see various birdlife. If you're a birder - which apparently I've become - you'll enjoy this. I saw a variety of species almost immediately, and I bet there are even better times to come through this area to see larger flocks during migration. I took my time on the drive and enjoy the quiet and relative remoteness of the place. After that I headed east and then north to check out the Manatee Observation Deck by the Haulover Canal. I stayed here for a short amount of time, but didn't see anything. So on Cin's advice, I went back toward the Bairs Cove boat launch. And boy was this a treat. There were no people when I first arrived, but there were definitely manatees. After a while, a few other people showed up just for watching manatees - not to put boats in. One lady put her feet in the water and manatees came up and booped their noses on her feet. It was incredible to see these creatures in the wild - some of them mothers with little ones twirling around by their sides. The skies started to turn black, and while I personally missed the rainstorm, it was time to pack up and head out back to Orlando. I'm so glad I made the decision to come here, and I highly recommend it for any of those who are nature-lovers!

This is a great area to launch for SUP (stand up paddleboard) or kayaks. There is a small parking…read morelot that will fit about 20 cars in the launch area. A company called Calypso Kayaking thar rents canoes out of here. The launch area can be a little difficult if you're not super agile or if your paddle board is heavy - the best way I can describe it is it's a sloped staircase made of wood planks and dirt (I think it was about 5-6 steps if I remember correctly). It wasn't difficult going down, however, I was using my friend's Bote SUP, which is pretty heavy and it was difficult for me to carry it up the steps especially after a difficult and physical paddle with windy conditions. If I was using a lighter board I don't think it would've have been too difficult for me. This park also has nice a cute little playground and clean restrooms that are open year round. There is a covered picnic area with grills. And the parking lot at both the launch area and near restrooms are paved. We were there at low tide and the water was very shallow in some areas - so shallow that we had to get off our SUPs at one point and pull them through the water a few feet so we didn't damage our fins. It was great having the shallow waters because we saw LOTS of stingrays, horseshoe crabs and fish! Also lots of water birds throughout our paddle! One of the islands that we stopped at had a nice beach area and beautiful dead tree that made for great photo ops! All in all, this is a great location to launch for SUP and kayak. We will definitely go back and hopefully see dolphins and/or manatees the next time!

This is a great location to paddleboard or kayak in Merritt Island /Brevard County if you want to…read moresee manatees up close there are places to launch your kayak and it's not crowded

This is a truly wonderful place with beautiful decor. It has come such a long way! I absolutely…read morelove coming here to enjoy the peace and nature. Plus, Andrew who works there is always respectful and so helpful with loading me in and out safely.

I've paddled the Emerald Cut a few times now. Initially I didn't like the idea of paying to launch…read moremy own paddleboard. However, it's only $10 now that I have my own life jacket (saving me additional cost of $5 to use one of theirs, as required). Well worth the low cost for some soul-enriching, communing with nature. I have never made a reservation. I normally arrive around 10:30, most recently on a Friday. Parked for free on Baptist Camp Rd. Just a bit of a walk from there with my inflated paddleboard, but I don't mind the extra exercise. You can unload your stuff closer, if preferable. There are port-a-potties available. You can count on there being a line in the check-in office. Various recreation supplies are available there for purchase. The process moves reasonably enough. A reservation will guarantee your entrance, however, and possibly aide quicker personal info collection. I always plan to do the Emerald Cut in roughly 3 hours round-trip, allowing myself several stops to enjoy the surroundings. You do run into (quite literally at times) novice paddlers along the way, which can be a bit tricky, yet not a real nuisance for me. In general, there's friendliness along the waterway. Slighty rowdy, party vibes in some spots, but also opportunities for solace and zen in various nooks. Encountering wildlife, fragrant elderberry, and other captivating flora along this stretch is always gratifying. It's a popular recreation destination for good reason.

The tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. It was cold day with little activity but the…read moreguide was thorough and knew all the right spots.

Amazing Experience! Perfect for Our Orlando Vacation!…read more My wife has always dreamed of seeing manatees up close, as it's something we rarely get to experience in everyday life. So while we were in Orlando, we decided to take a tour with Dolphin Family Tours. It ended up being one of the best parts of our trip! The tour was well-organized, and we got to see not only dolphins but also those gentle manatees she had been so eager to encounter. The boat was comfortable, and the Captain was super friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommend!

This RV park is so nice. Small and very convenient to a lot of activities. The owners were…read moreextremely nice and helpful. We left a set of our trailer keys there and they so kindly sent the keys to our home. We definitely recommend this place especially if you are planning on trying to watch a rocket launch at the Kennedy Space Center. Awesome location!!

I've been here for six months on business and it's such a well run , tropical feel park. Not very…read morebig but all size and shape roll through here and they are great. Friendly yet private and what a view. Close to everything with restaurants,grocery, walking paths and of course wildlife in the lagoon and rockets launching into space on a regular basis! Orlando is close by as are the airports. Hot shower in clean facilities with laundry that's affordable. Short or long stay I would recommend. Make a reservation and their concierge James will greet you. Thank you all who made my stay so good. Closest thing to home yet!