Our nation's gateway to exploring, discovering and understanding our universe. 

It’s hard to overstate just how great the location of the Villages of Citrus Hills is. Being right in the middle of the Nature Coast puts us within just a few hours of just about anywhere in Florida you might want to visit…which opens up endless possibilities for day trips. 

A wonderful experience in Florida is spending a day at the Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral. Just two hours away from the Villages of Citrus Hills, it is the perfect distance for a day trip, one that will amaze you. 

Rocket Launches 

The most popular time to visit the Kennedy Space Center is during live rocket launches. These launches are events worthy of a day trip in their own right and they happen on average about once per month in the spring and fall. 

If you schedule your trip around one of these launches, you can witness firsthand the awesome power of a rocket lifting off into space. You can also get details online of exactly what the mission is for that particular launch. 

The Visitor Complex  

If your visit doesn’t coincide with a launch, there’s still plenty to see and do at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. This is the perfect combination of a science center, museum, and amusement park! 

If you are interested in the history of space travel, you will certainly enjoy having the ability to stand right in front of Space Shuttle Atlantis, which  made a total of 33 trips into space and orbited the Earth an astounding 4,848 times during it’s time in service between 1985 and 2011. 

The Visitor Complex also features the Early Space Exploration Museum, the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, an Astronaut Memorial, and two IMAX theaters. 

The Astronaut Experience 

If you are a bit more adventurous, you can also take part in activities that let you experience what it is like to be an astronaut. The Shuttle Launch Experience allows visitors to climb up into a shuttle simulator and feel the power of a launch. 

If you want more, you can also sign up for the half-day long Astronaut Training Experience, which includes simulators such as a micro-gravity wall, multi-axis trainer, and 1/6th gravity chair. Following your training, you will have the opportunity to climb into the flight simulator and run through a simulated launch! 

Tour the Control Center 

 If you still have time after The Visitor Complex, the Kennedy Space Center also offers tours of the facilities that run a launch including the control room and a launch platform.

 If you have ever wondered what the facilities at NASA look like, this tour is your chance to get up close and personal with all of them! There are three different tour options available depending on how in depth you’d like to get about space travel. 

Planning Your Trip 

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is open seven days per week from 9 am to 6 pm. 

They have multiple itineraries on their website that you can use to guide your trip. Each of the itineraries takes about 8 hours to work your way through the facility. 

Ever since Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, the space program has captivated the imagination of our country. The Kennedy Space Center is a great place to let your imagination run wild and enjoy some of our country’s proudest accomplishments.

Download The Citrus Hills Brochure