I was in town with my guy for a work trip and needed something fun to do while he was stuck in…read moremeetings, and I'm SO glad I found this. I'm a big paddleboard person, so I figured kayaking couldn't be that different... and honestly, it was such a good call. I signed up for the morning paddle and Ian was our guide super friendly, easy to talk to, and actually knew a ton about the area without making it feel like a lecture. I was really hoping to see a manatee (still a little salty about that lol), but we did see a bunch of beautiful birds, tons of stingrays, and even a random little dolphin which totally made my day. The weather was perfect, the water was calm, and the whole experience was just really relaxing and fun. 10/10 would recommend if you're into paddling, kayaking, or just want a chill little water adventure.

2026 7 1: Okay, so we didn't see any dolphins or manatees, but I still give this trip a 5/5 stars!…read more We booked a 7:30pm to 9:30pm bio and mangrove tour. The funnest part was going through the mangrove tunnels! That was a barrel of laughs as we moved through "Tarzan style", that is, grabbing the branches and pulling yourself and your kayak through! My son was in the back of the kayak doing the work, while I was taking pics or videotaping, so I had to be careful of the rogue branch to the head! But it wasn't a problem, and I enjoyed myself immensely. When it got dark, we each put our nets (given to us to borrow) in the water, and the bottom of my net was glowing! It was a bio jellyfish or something, clear, and the size of a golf ball! While my son paddled, I would just hold the handle, with the net in the water, and I would catch 2 or 3 or 4 glowing, squishy balls! Wow, that was cool! It was a full moon, but we still got to experience some of the bio, with our net and our paddles pushing through the water. There were mosquitos, but Cocoa Kayaking supplies you with a lot of repellent to put on at the start, along with a life jacket. When you arrive, there's this building with a restaurant/bar inside, that's the only bathrooms there are, but Cocoa Kayaking will meet you not in a building, but way across the parking lot toward the water, you'll see a big truck and trailer with lots of kayaks on it. Our guide was super cool, very friendly, and always a bunch of interesting stories to tell, he was one of the best parts of the trip! And in general, I really just love to kayak, and the waters were calm, and the weather was perfect, so everything went great and I would def do it again! Oh, don't worry if you can't swim, a bunch of the trip, if you fell out, the water would only go to your knees. But you can't tell while you are kayaking, it feels like it could be 10 feet deep throughout most of the trip. But it wasn't. We also saw a stingray our guide picked up for us. So neat!! Oh, they also give you bags to put your stuff in the boat with you, so your stuff doesn't get wet. We brought water bottles but didn't stop to drink them, tho it was 80 degrees out. Never even thought of it. Don't forget your deet! (I was the only one who got bit - there were 5 of us--after putting on their stuff and my deet spray, and it was only 1 mosquito, with 2 + hours on the water. But it was on my knee, after I rolled up my jeans past my knees and never put any spray or lotion there.) Also, you can pay a little extra to have the guide to yourself (up to 10 people), or you can pay a little less, but they might add some strangers to your trip, also, up to 10 people. In our group there were us 5, another couple, and a single guy. Plenty of room for everyone, except for those in the back might not have heard everything the guide was saying, which was interesting and funny.

This is my favorite biking trail in the area. It is about three miles and upon exiting, there is a…read moregorgeous neighborhood that you can explore. I love the trees and relaxed feel of the path. There are plenty benches and cute spots to stop and take a break. I never feel as if it's too crowded, and always feel so relaxed and present when I go.

The Brevard Zoo Linear Park is literally what it sounds like. This is a park that shares some land…read morewith the Brevard Zoo, but is not part of the business. The park is public and free. It is truly linear in that it is a singular trail that's extends to the Pineda Causeway and back. The park trail has historical information along the way, as well as information about local wildlife. The trail takes you through classic Florida wetlands. It is quite popular and frequented by walkers, cyclists, and joggers. It is about 2.5 miles one-way, so about 5 miles round trip. Be prepared to have sun exposure. Also, it seems like a popular trail for dogs and their parents. There are benches interspersed throughout the trail and garbage cans for convenience. Today I walked the 5-mile journey and I will be back. It was a gorgeous escape from city life. The parking was convenient and it really is free. If you plan to do the full length of the trail, bring water. It can get hot because of the direct sunlight.

Searching for True Love & Forgiveness? Talk to GOD and get a…read moreDOG! #ReflectDogs Love & Forgiveness Well if you're into agility items, cute buildings, shaded seating areas and interesting structures this dog park was made for you!! They even have the mandatory fire hydrant. There is a nice big double-gated entry with a huge tree and nice bench in it. Put dog park has a couple poop bag dispensers as well as trash cans and a water feature. You can park right next to the dog park. The ground covering is mostly sand and grass. But beware there seem to be quite a few biological landmines?

Terrific lakeside park with play areas for children, large and small dogs. I think dogs on the…read morenature trail require a leash. It's currently undergoing construction via a large donation from a local humanitarian and through the work of volunteers and help from a construction team. Unleash Day, the opening ceremony is December 12, 2021. Bathrooms are on a time lock and currently closed until the bathroom floor resurfacing dries. The nature trail is suitable for seniors with walkers, people requiring a wheelchair, and Mom's with strollers. The large loop is about 3 miles, smaller loop about 1/2 mile and goes around a lake. The roadside trail has older oak trees. Both loops go around a trail. The trail is posted no trespassing in neighborhood or nature preserve so stay on the trail. Beware of golf carts on the trail. It's good for bikes and skates, too. The play areas feature bridges, mini hills and culverts. A swing set is near the lake. Their are covered benches. We spotted a kingfisher, Mallard ducks, a Snowy Egret, an Osprey with a fish, and palm warblers.

We had so much fun at Brevard Zoo!…read more We were visiting Melbourne last Monday and decided to visit Brevard Zoo for our 4 year old son. We bought tickets through Groupon for about $30 dollars per person that came with a train ride and feeding the birds and giraffe, which was a really good deal in my opinion. The staff are friendly and very informative. When we got there, we were encouraged to go straight to the giraffe exhibit first while they're awake. Our son had so much fun feeding Sprinkle the giraffe. There was someone there even taking pictures which was a cool souvenir to purchase and take home for memories. Each pathway takes you through different animal exhibits to explore. Some of the bigger exhibits had zoo experts or staff nearby to answer questions and help us to get closer to see some of the beautiful animals. Our son really enjoyed the train ride and feeding the giraffe. He was a little scared at first about feeding the birds at the two aviary exhibits but he enjoyed it for the most part. The zoo is clean and well-maintained. The zoo isn't too big so expect to spend a few hours exploring each exhibit. It was perfect for us since it was a great way to roam around before checking into our hotel later that day. Overall, we had a great time! Seeing our son have so much fun wandering the zoo made everything all worth it. We will be sure to come back the next time we visit Melbourne.

Took my son to the Brevard Zoo for the first time and we had a blast as a family! This zoo is so…read morewell kept and has a great layout that makes it easy to navigate, even with a stroller. This is not a huge zoo, but it has all the animals you'd hope to see and more. It was an extremely hot day, but we were able to find plenty of pockets of shade and rest areas to cool down. My son is only 2, but he loved seeing all the animals, the interactive kids stations, games, and puppet show. Pretty sure he like the puppet giraffe more than the real giraffes, but hey, he was entertained. Speaking of giraffes... they have a giraffe encounter where you can actually purchase the food and hand feed them. They come right up to you and it's such a cool experience. We happened to visit during Bear Week, so there were some extra black bear demonstrations, kids crafts, and bear themed activities happening throughout the day. Some other animals we saw that day were bobcat, jaguar, lions, flamingos, wild turkey, ostriches, rhino, kangaroos, meerkats, otters, antelopes, boar, snakes, and many more. I did not realize before visiting that they have an entire water play/splash pad areas for the kids and it's such a perfect way to cool down when it's so hot outside. I wish I had packed my son's bathing suit and a towel, but now I know for next time. We'll definitely go back as my son gets older! We were there for about 3 hours and it was enough time to stroll through all the exhibits and have lunch. You could definitely stay longer if you choose to participate in some other activities like the Treetop Trek ropes course, train ride, kayaking, or the different animal encounters which are an added fee.

Staff was friendly, easy to book, and priced well. I'm only giving them a three star because you…read moreare limited to a half hour or hour max and the zone is only 2 miles long by about 500 yards wide. The jet ski works well. I probably won't return, just because of the extremely limited area to play in the water.

Boyfriend booked us jet skis for my bday. Never been on one! It was fun although he was…read moredisappointed that they had limits on where we could go, he wanted to explore a little more. I had fun zipping around the river with giant cruise ships in the distance. These things have power ! Check in was easy, sun bathed on the deck while we waited our turn. We will def be back*

The tour guide Erin, was rude and had no personable skills what so ever. I booked the…read morebioluminescent tour with my family of 7 and we were all excited to go. Upon arrival she asked us to fill out a form. When my wife asked her a question about who needs to fill out the form, she gave a very rude answer, "I handed out the clipboards and told you!" This behavior of not wanting to be receptive to questions or possibly having to repeat herself a second time, really killed the vibe of having a fun guided tour. I explained that we are novice and she still acted cold. When giving her initial instructions, she played blazing music and talked really low, so you couldn't even hear her. Then when you asked her for additional instructions she would respond with, "I already told you!" On the tour, she continued to talk at a whisper and she would give her instructions when half the group wasn't even close to her to hear. She may be knowledgable about the wildlife, but the way she conducts herself with a group was dismal. An AI robot has more friendly manners than her. Not sure if she was having a bad day, or if she is just like this on the norm, but her personal skills or lack of, really ruined the experience. She had the nerve to ask for tips when it was done. Wish we had a better guide.

Erin was amazing! She was informative and funny, always sure to include everyone in her finds. We…read moresaw manatees, lots of wildlife, and kayaked through the gorgeous mangrove tunnels.

Cancelled on us twice and kept trying to get us to do the half an hour ride even though we wanted…read morethe hour ride. Went with someone else.

We had been on airboat tours in the Everglades but one of the members of our party had never been…read moreon an airboat, so we booked through Grasshopper Ecotours. Captain Rick kept in contact and even gave us an opportunity to move our scheduled tour so we would get better weather. By the time our tour rolled around, it was a beautiful day with nothing but sunshine. Captain Rick was obviously very knowledgeable about where the gators would be so we were able to see a lot of them during our hour ride, including some of the biggest alligators I'd ever seen. I'd highly recommend this airboat tour.

What an absolutely beautiful sanctuary for appreciating nature and wildlife photography. There are…read moreno shortage of birds here, especially the Florida scrub Jay There's a short trail that winds through the vegetation, which is super easy to navigate and hike throat. It's only about 1.07 miles so it's super short, but super convenient and filled with amazing wildlife.

This natural area in Rockledge is named in honor of noted ornithologist, Allan Dudley Cruickshank…read moreand his wife Helen. He was known as "a modern Audubon with a camera". Helen and Allan first came to Florida in 1937 for their honeymoon and they were astounded by the beauty of the plants and the birds found here. After they moved to Cocoa in 1952, they led the Christmas bird count for more than two decades. Mr. Cruickshank was also a lecturer and teacher. He was on the staff of the National Audubon Society for 37 years and he wrote and illustrated many magazine articles and a number of books on ornithology, some with the help of his wife, Helen. Helen was an American nature writer and photographer of birds. She won the 1949 John Burroughs Medal for her 1948 book, Flight into Sunshine: Bird Experiences in Florida. Allan worked with officials at the rapidly growing rocket complexes at Cape Canaveral to ensure they would set aside prime habitat for the birds. This led to the creation of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge which had a very high population of Florida scrub-jays at the time. The scrub forest with tiny trees is the perfect habitat for scrub-jays found only in Florida. Two million years ago they became a distinct species. They are listed as threatened by the Federal Endangered Species Act and Florida's Endangered and Threatened Species Rule. It is estimated that there are only 2,500-10,000 left in the wild. Scrub-jays are a long tailed songbird 10 to 12 inches long with blue head, wings, and tail and a pale gray back and belly. Florida scrub-jays live in family units, with one serving as the sentinel that will alert the others. The Helen and Allan Cruickshank Sanctuary is 140 acres bounded by commercial and residential establishments. The land was acquired in partnership with the State of Florida and is part of the sanctuary network established by the Brevard County Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) This used to be a turpentine mine and farm. The sanctuary has a 1.1 mile loop trail through oak, sand pine scrub, and freshwater depression marshes. A scrub habitat like this one requires fire to regenerate. Otherwise it becomes overgrown and scrub-jays can't survive in it. Scrub-jays prefer for the scrub forest to be short. Besides the scrub-jays this is also the ideal habitat for threatened gopher tortoises. I have been to many natural areas that are scrub-jay habitats and have never seen one bird. I can't say I had high hopes for my visit here. Adding to that it was hot as heck out and there is no shade on the trail. I was heading back when a scrub-jay flew from behind me grazing my shoulder and landed on a tree right in front of me. I couldn't believe it. He was adorable! He stayed for a long time and let me take all the pictures I wanted. I had no idea they were so friendly. We sat there for quite awhile enjoying each others company and a pileated woodpecker joined us. Eventually he left to find his friends. This place is the real deal. I did not leave disappointed.