A Spring Season of Adventure and Exploration Awaits at Florida’s Space Coast

SPACE COAST, Fla., March 20 /PRNewswire/ — For those wishing to escape the wrath of Jack Frost, Florida’s Space Coast invites sunbathers, nature lovers and space enthusiasts to enjoy Spring Odyssey, an entire season of thrilling adventures and educational excursions, including the 50th anniversary of NASA, kayaking trips through diverse estuaries, giraffe feeding at Brevard Zoo, shuttle launches on the beach and surfing lessons at the best “hang-10″ spots along the Atlantic. With more than 30 million travelers taking educational vacations each year, Space Coast is the ultimate destination for interactive learning.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080320/CLTH017 )

For vacationers on a budget, Space Coast boasts a variety of accommodations at wallet-friendly prices. With the option of quaint bed and breakfasts, family resorts and condos and mom-and-pop beach cottages, inland rooms rates start at approximately $55/night, while oceanfront rooms begin at around $90/night. Such a savings on accommodations leaves extra cash to experience all that Spring Odyssey has to offer, from booking the Astronaut Training Experience at Kennedy Space Center, where visitors are immersed in shuttle simulation and exploration, to jamming to the sounds of the Beach Boys at Cocoa Beach Pier.

Offering up four months of warm-weather fun and budget-friendly accommodations, plenty of refreshing happenings to wash away those post- hibernation blues, including:

   All Spring Long:   — Kayaking through Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Thousand      Islands Lagoon, Turkey Creek and numerous other refuges and estuaries   — Giraffe feeding and kayaking at Brevard Zoo, the only zoo in the world      with on-site kayaking   — Surfing lessons at the best spots along the Atlantic   — Bird watching and identifying more than 330 species of birds   — Snook, tarpon and cobia fishing along the coast in the lagoon systems   — Visiting Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, with Shuttle Launch      Experience, Astronaut Training Experience, astronaut encounters and      launch pad tours    One Time Only:   — Beach Boys in concert at March 28   — Liza Minelli in concert, March 30   — The Big Squeeze Juice Festival, April 3   — Brevard Symphony Orchestra Romantic Russian, April 12   — Florida Windfest, April 19 – 20   — Shuttle Discovery Launch, April 24   — BB King in concert, May 5   — Summer Craft Fair Downtown Cocoa Village, May 17   — Cocoa Village Friday Fun Fest, May 23   — Beach Fest, May 25   — 23rd Annual Pineapple Man Triathlon, June 1   — Kid’s Fishing Derby, June 7   — US Junior Windsurfing Festival, June 21 – 22    

In addition to spring festivities, Florida’s Space Coast offers excitement year-round, featuring more than 72 miles of beaches, two inlets, a national seashore and more than 250 square miles of environmentally protected lands, in addition to Thousand Islands Lagoon, the nation’s most biologically diverse estuary, and Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, which has more endangered and threatened species than any other national wildlife refuge on the North American continent. Featured among Money magazine’s “Best Places to Vacation,” the Space Coast is comprised primarily of area cities Titusville, Cocoa Beach, Melbourne and Palm Bay and is only 35 miles east of Orlando.

To learn more about Florida’s Space Coast and see what the favorite hotspots are for local legends, such as renowned author Patrick Smith and two- time space shuttle astronaut Bob Springer, visit http://www.seemyspacecoast.com/ or call 877-93-OCEAN.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080320/CLTH017AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN2PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

Florida’s Space Coast

CONTACT: Amity Gay or Melanie Vigliotti, both of The Zimmerman Agency,+1-850-668-2222, agay@zimmerman.com, for Florida’s Space Coast