I love Florida's deep connection to the space program so I was excited to finally visit Space View Park in Titusville, one of the best places to appreciate the legacy of the space program. Dedicated in July 1994 through a partnership between the City of Titusville and the U.S. Space Walk of Fame Foundation, the 2.63 acre park honors not only the astronauts who made history but also the thousands of engineers, technicians, and support personnel whose work made the nation's space program possible. Space View Park is located on the Indian River, less than 15 miles directly across from the launch pads at Kennedy Space Center. This gives the park outstanding views of rocket launches while serving as an outdoor museum celebrating the achievements of the U.S. space program. It is the only park where you can walk through the entire history of the manned missions that launched from nearby Kennedy Space Center. The idea for the Space Walk of Fame began in 1988 when a local physician proposed creating a project to preserve the history of America's space program. That vision led to the formation of the Space Walk of Fame Foundation and eventually to the creation of Space View Park as the centerpiece of the memorial. Over the years, the park has grown with the addition of several large monuments. The Mercury Monument, featuring the astronauts' handprints, was dedicated in 1995, followed by the Gemini Monument in 1997. The Space Shuttle Monument was added in 2002 to recognize the workers who supported the shuttle program, and after eight years of planning and construction, the Apollo Monument was completed and dedicated in 2007. In addition to the monuments there is a restroom, boardwalk, picnic pavilions, benches, and a 85 foot pier for fishing. The park was also designed to treat stormwater. Runoff from the surrounding 114 acres of commercial property is captured in a wet detention pond that prevents sediment and floating trash from entering the Indian River Lagoon. It also removes nutrient that would harm the ecosystem of the lagoon. The park has free street parking but no shade so try not to come on a day when it is 105 degrees out like I did. The Gemini monument requires a short walk and it is much easier when it is not so hot out. Space View Park adjoins Veterans Memorial Park on the Indian River waterfront, where you can often find manatees in the colder months. I found this park to be a meaningful place to reflect on the remarkable accomplishments of America's space program while enjoying one of the area's most scenic waterfront settings. The handprints were especially poignant reminders of some of the astronauts no longer with us. read more

The park sits on a finger canal that leads directly to the Indian River Lagoon. There are monuments scattered throughout the park for Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and space shuttle programs, with the 'In the Line of Duty' memorial for fallen astronauts. People gather at this park not only to gather historic data, but to view the Kennedy Space Center rocket launches something that is on my bucket list. No public restrooms here and vagrants linger in the area. read more

Space View Park - Parks Near Me - Titusville, Florida

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Space View Park is a great park in downtown Titusville, Florida that pays tribute to the Space program that was so important to this area of Florida (it was important enough that we call this area the "Space Coast"). It was a great park with statues to memorialize the moments when America left our planet and ventured amongst the stars. What an amazing accomplishment, especially considering less than a century prior to that the idea of flight at all was deemed impossible. I would definitely recommend a visit to Space View Park if you are in the Titusville, Florida area. I will give this park five stars. read more

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Awesome place to watch a launch-especially at night. Easy to find. Plenty of parking.

As were exploring the Space Coast we saw a couple of write-ups for this park and being nerds we thought we'd check it out. We had been warned that parts were under construction and fenced off. After now reading some reviews it looks like it has been in this state of disrepair for awhile though it appears the section by the Veterans Park was actively being worked on - perhaps a sign of progress? We did walk around the exhibits that were accessible. They were pretty interesting but I guess I was expecting more. Like the town itself this exhibit was a bit worn and sad. read more

Space View Park - Post - Parks Near Me - Titusville, Florida

Re: Update They have finally finished the renovations. It took years to complete but they did a stellar job. It's a park that former space employees can be proud of. Also, the Veterans section has been cleaned up and the fences taken down. There are two long docks that extend into the Indian River that allows unbelievable views of the Vehicle Assembly Building and the launch pads. I will take a photo the next launch to show how good this is. It took a long time to complete the repairs but it was well worth the wait. If you want to see a launch up close and free, I highly recommend the park. Thanks to the City of Titusville for making former NASA, space program contractors and residents proud of the park. Just be prepared for crowds now that it's opened again read more

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Five stars for this easy-to-access park to watch a rocket launch! The other night, my family drove up here to get a good view of the Falcon 9 lift off. Surprisingly, at 7:00pm on a Sunday evening, the crowd was minimal and we had the most amazing view of the shuttle! read more

Space View Park - Parks Near Me - Titusville, Florida

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This waterfront park is wedged between downtown Titusville & the Max Brewer Memorial Parkway & Bridge, right on the Indian River overlooking Kennedy Space Center. For those of us more familiar with Florida's west coast, the Indian River is like our intercoastal waterway, only much wider. This park offers so much space history among its outdoor exhibits & memorials, and its free! With monuments, plaques & memorials dedicated to the Mercury & Gemini missions by the water, and Skylab & STS missions across the street, I could've spent much more than the hour or so that I did, reading everything and enjoying the peace here. On a Wednesday early afternoon, we saw literally 3 other people total enjoying this space. Maybe because the park was undergoing renovations in early February, but I was surprised that more people weren't wandering around, especially since the milestone Falcon Heavy had launched the day prior. The park area right on the water was under construction & not open to the public, so maybe that's why I saw so few visitors. Parking was plentiful on the water side of the park, but nearly non-existent across the street. The park is a gem in Titusville, and great way to spend an hour or two. You can't beat the price, and the amount of history to learn here is amazing. When the area right on the water re-opens, it will be an excllent spot for launch viewing across the Indian River. read more

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Who ever heard of a park that does not take dogs? We wanted to watch a launch: people said this would be a good place. Not for u. We ended up at Pier 220: dogs allowed and food and drinks and great view of the launch! read more

What a neat place - a lot of history. This is sort of a hidden gem. If I had not turned one street early to cross the bridge I would have missed it. This site is located on the east side of US-1 just 1 block south of SR 406 ( the Max Brewer Memorial Bridge). It stretches from US-1 all the way to the river. The portion that is nearest to the water is a great view across to Cape Kennedy, the Vehicle Assembly Building, and the launch pads. The park is full of history. There are numerous memorials to various astronauts that made space flight possible. As you go back toward US-1 there are tributes to various shuttle missions as well as tributes in marble and stone to those who gave their last full measure of devotion. The space shuttle memorial has pictures carved into marble in the base that is beautiful. It is not the best area and seems a little run-down but there are so many honors and tributes that it would take a lot of time to see them all. I plan to visit there again and suggest that this is a great place to visit if you are a fan of the American space program and want to experience its history through the plaques honoring its pioneers. Enjoy. read more

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500-4-3-2-1, BLAST OFF! This is where you Get ready for the Launch! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe-yhsV-UbA And send them to Outta Space! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzFt_n6uU3s It's too bad the shuttle program is going to be retired soon. There are only 2 more launches after this one. We watched the very last launch of Discovery. We had a great view of the shuttle, even of it on the launchpad. I recommend bringing a pair of good binoculars as it is hard to see with the naked eye. (Hint, look east towards a mound, the shuttle is at the left.) All I saw was a blur of poles beside a giant mound. I'm sure the girl with binoculars had a much better view. (I have no idea why I didn't think to ask her to look through them!) If you bring a camera with you, make sure you don't forget to anchor the camera cover or the wind might blow it off and people will think your draws are floating around in the water. And please please wear sneakers or at least secure sandals. A girl who was standing beside us at the dock lost her slipper and it floated away on the muddy murky water like a mini boat. Haha. During the launches, there are plenty of eating options. Panda Express and a pizza chain had booths set up, as well as some food trucks. They also have bathrooms, but be prepared to wait in line. There were plenty of tourists from all over. The guy next to us was from Canada. And there was a TV crew filming for some Japanese show. Too bad they didn't point the camera my way. Tanoshii! Get there plenty of hours in advance if you want to get good seats. Or you might find yourself walking on water. We looked back and it seemed like a miracle! People walking on the water, some even setting their tripods and cameras up in the middle. WTH? haha Apparently there's a sandbar, but I definitely would not put my camera there. Instant loss of thousands of $$$ if that thing fell! When I say plenty of hours, I mean it. The people with the best seats slept there overnight! We arrived around 1pm for a 4:50pm launch and somehow managed to a spot right behind them. God is good, FTW! haha. Parking was hard to find even though we got there 4 hours before the launch. We had to park 4 blocks away in a different park. I suspect for the last 2 launches, it will be 3 times worse! The shuttle launch itself is only about 5 minutes or so. All the hours of waiting for a 5 minute show that will only happen once in a lifetime. However, when the shuttle lifts off, it's surely a sight to see and it is totally worth it! FYI, this is my 500th review! read more

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Most of the past reviews center around the launch of the space shuttles as they should since this was an ideal spot to watch history in the making, now this park has taken on a different persona and has become a tranquil place with echoes of distance laughter, anticipation and certainly humbled the masses. I'd say it's now more of a reflection of the past space program for most of us who waited for hours to see millions of pounds of thrust carry each mission beyond everyone wildest dreams a place that invoked pride in everyone that witnessed this feat whether or not you were an American or traveled halfway around the world to witness the ultimate "wow factor". This place was about mankind and the strides mortal man has made from the very earliest forms of travel. I wonder if the one who invented the wheel in ancient times could have ever dreamed his discovery would be what would allow this magnificent marvel of engineering to roll safety back home. This park was the place anyone on the planet could come and witness one of man's greatest accomplishments. This place is a beautiful tribute to that time it's worth your time to stop and say I was there... read more

We were so excited for the launch but it was canceled, while in the area we decided to stop by the park. It appeared to be a fun spot to visit but we were surprised as it was mostly fenced off due to the hurricane, it doesn't appear there are any plans to fix, free parking though read more

Space View Park - Now that's sad - Parks Near Me - Titusville, Florida

A park for the imagination Space View Park is a small park by the standards of most parks. But it is in a very special place and has some very special stuff. Only 15 or so minutes away from where the rockets blast off, it's a great place to watch the space shuttle leave earth. People gathered here to watch when the great rockets blasted off. Unfortunately there are no more space shuttles heading toward space. However there still is a whole lot of history in this park. You can feel the roar or the rockets and smell the liquid hydrogen just by standing here. Just so many things that glorify and honor the bravery and "right stuff" that the astronauts had. Plaques, models names and even hand prints of the guys that knew that failure was not an option. This is truly space geek heaven. A place to savior and walk slowly, take in every name, every date and every bit of information. A place to remember because something this special will never happen again. read more

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With the retirement of the Space Shuttle program, after three decades of triumph and heartbreak, one of those unsung things that brought joy to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, was Space View Park in Titusville Florida. How could a simple parcel of land bring joy to so many? Easy; overlooking the bay towards Kennedy Space Center, it was a perfect vantage point...and free...for those wishing to view something as awe-inspiring as the launch of a Shuttle. I'm willing to bet there aren't many who have never imagined what it would be like to be sitting on your back in the commanders' seat as the clock ticks down, the sudden vibration and roar as the shuttle's three main engines ignite, then the kick in the pants when the solid rocket boosters come alive. Better than any ride at Disney, that's for sure. On my trip to Florida to witness the launch of Endeavour on STS-134 earlier this year, I was lucky enough to have gotten tickets to view the launch from the causeway on KSC property. But, as luck would have it, that launch was scrubbed at the last minute, and I had to satisfy my aeronautical aspirations with visits to KSC's sprawling museum and visitor center, as well as Space View Park. Even though the launch was delayed, there were still plenty of facilities (port-o-potties) set up for the expected throngs of spectators. Scattered around the park are monuments to NASA's programs over the years, from Mercury to Apollo. There's even a "wall of fame", with handprints and signatures in concrete from pioneering astronauts like Al Shepard and Wally Schirra. Yep, my mitt is bigger than theirs. So even though the shuttle program came to an end today, I'm sure Space View Park will continue to be a prime vantage point for whatever the next space exploration vehicle will be, fueling the imaginations of youngsters that may someday sit in that commander's seat. read more

Space View Park - Parks Near Me - Titusville, Florida

This water front park has been a favorite for years as one of the best places to watch a shuttle launch. I think word has gotten out though, because as the shuttle program enters its final launches this place is packed. To the point where you'd probably need to arrive at least a day early to get an unobstructed view. We came here for what was supposed to be Endeavors final launch (The launch ended up being scrubbed). We parked nearby along the road and road our bikes over to the park (this was 7 hours before the launch). Every spot was occupied, even under the trees. Oddly enough, the restrooms were closed and instead a sign directed you to the port-o-pots. Across from the waterfront section is a nice tribute to NASA history and its astronauts. We rode our bikes around and discovered that an even better place to view the launch would be the nearby Max Brewer Memorial Parkway bridge, which closes to vehicular traffic 2 hours before launch. Not only is the bridge actually closer than space view park, but it's unobstructed and elevated. AND, there are actually flushing toilets at the nearby Sand Point Park. Sadly, people are going to be swarming Space View Park only a few more times before the shuttle program is over. After the fleet is retired I can imagine this little park is going to be pretty empty. read more

Space View Park - Cool shuttle art - Parks Near Me - Titusville, Florida

We always go here to watch launches. Why Space View Park? 1. Space View Park is FREE. No tickets are required. There are no busses to board and plenty of options for food-including bringing your own! 2. Live audio & video feed of the NASA launch countdown provided by the Space Walk of Fame Foundation. You will know exactly what is happening at every milestone during the preparations and launch. Got a question? Ask one of the knowlegeable volunteers! 3. Easy parking with no traffic! Parking is free in Titusville along the roads or in several open lots within a block of the park. You can leave after the launch and encounter minimal (if any) traffic on the way home. Avoid the 2-hr traffic headache of the KSC Visitor Complex!! 4. Picnic areas and restrooms are available to anyone waiting to see a launch. There are even souvenier t-shirts and space memorabilia sold to raise money for the park! Much better than standing in weeds along the road. 5. Near good food in downtown Titusville such as Dixie Crossroads, Kloiber's Cobbler Eatery in addition to the food vendors set up in the park. 6. The space museum is FREE. The Space Walk of Fame Museum is a hands-on set of exhibits donated, maintained, and hosted by the men and women of the US Space program. Only a block away, the musum is open before and after the launch, no matter what time of day or night!! read more

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Beautiful little park. Watch the birds and if your lucky you can watch rocket launches from Cape Canaveral. We saw para-sailers and sail boards having a wonderful time. read more

Space View Park - The bridge is beautiful at night. - Parks Near Me - Titusville, Florida

For the last Atlantis shuttle launch we decided at the last minute to head to Titusville to watch it. Space View is indeed the best place to watch a shuttle launch, but beware of many pitfalls. 1. Get there early...VERY early. And come prepared with absolutely everything you'll need for the day because it gets very busy as the launch time gets closer. 2. Do your very best to sit on the right side of the park near the dock because the left side gets cramped. 3. While there are a lot of very friendly people there seemed to be an equal amount of just total morons and assholes. Folks who waited until the last minute and then tried to sidle in front of folks that had been there for 4 hours! Keep your eyes open and elbows sharp for em. 4. Parking sucks. If you get there early enough it wont be a problem, but if not you're screwed. 5. Titusville is a shithole. There...I said it. Seeing a shuttle launch is a once in a lifetime type thing for those of us not "lucky" enough to reside in God's waiting room so this is the place to do it without dropping $150 to hang out at Kennedy Space Ctr. read more

On the evening of Feb 6 I drove 133miles from the west coast of Florida to Titusville, FL in anticipation of the 4:39am shuttle launch of Endeavour. Only those with pricey tickets that sell out quickly are allowed onto the Cape to see the shuttle launch, but the area along the river, this park and a park just to the north are equally good viewing areas. Thousands of others had made their way to this tiny town that night, as this was scheduled to be the last night launch for the shuttle program, with very few launches remaining. Unfortunately for the busloads of school children, Japanese tourists, RVers, Superbowlers, locals and those who had come from afar, the launch was scrubbed with 9mins left in the countdown. As word spread, people bailed from Titusville hoping to get some sleep in their own bed before the night disappeared entirely. Suddenly, this sleepy little American town had twilight traffic jams worse than LA at rush hour. The highway exit toward Orlando was clogged by 5am and after barely moving for 30mins we decided to drive down the coast and take a State Road across to get home. By 6am every Denny's, Waffle House and any place serving food along the highway had lineups out the door as hungry shuttlers tried to get some nourishment to ward off the lack of sleep. In all it was a 13hr journey just to stare out toward Cape Canaveral and see nothing. Damn you NASA! Or rather, damn you last minute cloud cover that moved into the area! Do you know how awesome seeing a million gallons of rocket propellants light up the sky and launch the shuttle faster than 16,000m/h and beyond the atmosphere would have been? What's that? You know exactly what that's like because you work at the Kennedy Space Center? Ok, you win but why deny me the pleasure of inhaling rocket exhaust? I slept in my car and drooled on myself and had to use the public toilet at an Arby's just for this special occasion. What's that? Clouds mean you can't SEE the shuttle after it lifts off? Touché NASA. At 4:14am this morning I ran out of my house on the opposite coast of this state and stared at the sky. A minute passed by and then, over the trees a bright but silent flare moved up into the sky. Then it slowed as it leveled out over the Atlantic and hung for another minute as if suspended in the sky like a red burning star. I went back to bed as the fuel engine broke away and began its decent to the water below while 6 scientists strapped into a tincan entered orbit. read more

At this point I'm wondering what will come to be of the Space View Park. Back when the space program was actually alive, this was an amazing spot to check out a shuttle launching. And yeah, the chances of the shuttle launches getting scrubbed or delayed due to weather, technical error or random loose monkey in the cabin, the trip out here to witness what had to be the biggest and best bottle rocket going up into the void of space. I loved it. I loved it a lot. It's a nice little water front area that has fairly calm water and does its part in just relaxing you. It's really just a shame that the shuttle program is gone and this will get less traffic and exposure to what was one of the best viewing spots around. Oh sad sad day. read more

Damaged from the Hurricanes, this park looks like it's in the early stages of a fall into disrepair. Landscaping is overgrown, boardwalk fenced off due to extensive damage, and trash strewn about by vagrants. Definitely not worth going out of your way for, but worthy of a stop in if you're nearby. The adjacent bike path looks very nice though! read more

This tiny park is on the Indian River. It basically consists of a shady landscaped area with places to sit, a fishing pier, a public restroom, and an Astronaut memorial walk with plaques and a timeline of space-related discoveries. On one side of the canal is an exhibit about the Mercury astronauts, on the other, the Gemini astronauts, and across the street is the exhibit about the Apollo Program (still under construction as of the date of this review). One of the fun things here is the set of bronze handprints of each of the astronauts that you can match up with your hands. Be sure to check out what is up with Deke Slayton's missing finger!! It would be a nice place to visit if you're in the area and into space-related stuff, and it's a nice place to sit and eat a take-out lunch (as long as the canal's not too smelly- sit upwind). So why does this park rate 4 stars? The reason is it is THE place to watch shuttle launches! At least, as long as they last... From the park, you get a clear line of sight to both launch pads across the river on Merritt Island. For unmanned rocket launches, there are better viewing sites further south, but this spot is PERFECT for watching the shuttle. You should definitely check it out while the shuttle program's still running! It does get crowded on launch days, so plan on parking a few blocks away and walking over (on non-launch days, it's rarely crowded). read more

My husband arrived this morning around 1 am and there was no parking, however a friend got free parking earlier and then made some space for him in their parking space. Now that the lot is full, they are charging $30 for a parking spot (11 am). Blast off is after 3 p.m. Since this is the second to the last launch there is an estimated 500K to 750K people! Through a facebook connection my hubby found out about this spot. His friend has been there 6-7x and had a tent set up, as a pro photographer. gee that's dedication. Portable potty. Launch pad can be seen from the water, esp noticeable near at night. read more

What a beautiful park! It's very well lit at night and can I just embarrass myself and put it out there that this is the perfect place to Pokemon Go hunting at night time! There are about 20-40 people out there Poke walking every night and everyone talks to each other. I love it! It makes me feel like a part of the community, even though this is a game bringing us together. The best part is if you're hungry or thirsty, there is a Burger King and a CVS you can stop in to satisfy most cravings. read more

Nice spot to catch a rocket launch or have a picnic and enjoy the view. Really nice park and we enjoyed our visit.

This was the place where I first viewed my first Space Shuttle Launch, STS 134. I planned my trip about a half a year in advance. I had arrived at the park about 6 hrs prior to the launch, which was late by Rocketeer standards but I was able to scope out a decent location. The size of the park is relatively small and the hoards of people using the bathroom, well for the girls it was a minimum of a half hour wait. Us guys, we can just whip it out and do our business fairly quickly. The park is about 12 miles away from the launch pad, you can't see the Shuttle unless you have a pair of binocs. When the Shuttle took off the flame was so bright, and about several minutes later the rumble from the engines arrived. It wasn't loud by any means. Although it was great to see the launch, I personally found the experience a little disappointing because the Shuttle was so far away. I vowed the next launch I would get Causeway Tickets. When STS 135 launched I managed to get Causeway tickets which I describe in my review of Kennedy Space Center. read more

Excellent location to view NASA launch pads. We watched from the pier and were amazed by the beautiful sites and sounds of the rocket launching. The kids enjoyed the live audio feed and video of the launch at the park. It was late at night, so we definitely want to come back and visit in the daytime! read more

In Titusville, easy to find. Great place to watch rockets take off . Beautiful view of the river , fishing allowed. You will find monuments to the Apollo, Challenger and Gemini programs in the park . There are many restaurants nearby to get food as you leisurely watch boats go by. read more

I left central Kentucky on Saturday afternoon, April 3, 2010, for the drive to Florida for the launch of STS-131. I left Kentucky around 1:00 P.M. and arrived in Valdosta,Georgia shortly after midnight where I stopped for the night. I then drove on to Daytona where I booked a hotel for 2 days. I drove on down to Titusville and Space View Park about 12 hours prior to launch of Discovery. There were already quite a few people at the park setting up cameras and picking out spots for the launch viewing. I am very impressed with the astronaut walks at the park, especially the Apollo Park across from Space View Park. I drove back down to the park from Daytona about 3 hours prior to liftoff. I brought along a folding director's chair, as well as a small cooler and a radio. For those that are interested, you can monitor the NASA audio comms on 146.940 MHz. FM. I brought along my 2-meter handheld ham radio transceiver to monitor the comms. I had several people ask me what the frequency for the comms was, so I am posting it here. Any radio cable of receiving 146.940 MHz, such as a basic scanner, should work fine. The 3-hour wait for liftoff was well worth it. I have video of the night launch posted on Youtube if anyone wishes to see it. Just type in ku4uv as your search, and it should bring up the video. I have to say, this is one of the most amazing things I have ever witnessed. There is just something very special about seeing a spacecraft leave the earth and make orbit in 8.5 minutes. If you are considering making the trip to Florida for one of the remaining launches of the shuttle program, and the launches following the shuttle program, I highly recommend Space View Park. My mother's GPS unit took me right there, so it's not hard to find. I definetly plan on going back some day. Space View Park is awesome! read more