Things to do nearCanaveral National Seashore

Canaveral National Seashore spans roughly 58,000 acres of barrier island, estuary, and open Atlantic shoreline along Florida's Space Coast. Established in 1975, the seashore was created to preserve the last significant stretch of undeveloped coastline between Jacksonville and Miami, protecting habitats that support more than 1,000 plant and animal species.

The beach itself is the seashore's centerpiece, divided into Playalinda in the south, Klondike in the middle, and Apollo in the north near New Smyrna Beach. Klondike is accessible only on foot or by kayak, making it one of the most genuinely remote beach walks in the eastern United States. Behind the dunes, the brackish waters of Mosquito Lagoon form a nursery for redfish, sea trout, and wading birds. Kayaking and paddleboarding through these shallows is a favorite way to explore the estuary up close.

Wildlife watching is exceptional year-round. Bottlenose dolphins patrol the surf zone, bald eagles nest in the interior, and the seashore hosts one of Florida's densest sea turtle nesting populations each summer. The adjacent Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge shares the same ecosystem and extends the birding and wildlife opportunities considerably.

Canaveral National Seashore rewards visitors who slow down, offering a rare encounter with Florida's coastal wilderness in its most unguarded form.