Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex guests have another opportunity to get closer to space and history through two new bus tours.
The Cape Canaveral Early Space Tour offers access to the sites of the Mercury and Gemini launches, seaside launch pads, and more, while the Cape Canaveral Rise to Space tour offers access to restricted and historic areas of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, led by a space expert.
Cape Canaveral Early Space Tour (Available Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday)
The unwavering American spirit comes to life as participants hear stories of the early days of space exploration as they visit the very places history was made on the Cape Canaveral Early Space Tour.
America’s space program was born on the sunny coast of Florida at (what was then) Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in 1950. Before NASA built Kennedy Space Center, rockets soared into Earth’s orbit from an extensive complex of launch pads meant to propel America into the future, courtesy of the U.S. Air Force. Visitors can tour this historic military site now known as Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, including launch complexes where Alan Shepard and the rest of the Mercury 7 astronauts blasted into space and Project Gemini’s two-person launches helped us learn how to send astronauts to the Moon.
Tour stops also include:
- The Air Force Space & Missile Museum
- The Mercury 7 Monument
- Launch Complex 34, the memorial site for the crew of Apollo 1
The Early Space Tour costs $25 plus tax per adult, $19 plus tax for children ages 3-11.
CAPE CANAVERAL’S RISE TO SPACE TOUR
Access restricted and historic areas of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and learn about America’s early space program. This tour lasts about 4.5 hours and visits the following locations:*
- Travel to the Sands Space History Center for a docent-led tour.
- Take a look at the Pad 26 Blockhouse before visiting the Air Force Space & Missile Museum.
- Go inside the historic Hangar C and see spacecraft and aircraft.
- Visit the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse.**
- See the Mercury 7 Monument at Launch Complex 14, as well as inside the historic blockhouse.
- Drive by Launch Complex 19.
- Pay respects at Pad 34, the historic site of Apollo 1.
*This tour may be customized, as stops will vary based on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station operational requirements.
** The historic lighthouse is not wheelchair accessible. However, those with mobility challenges are able to tour the lighthouse grounds or explore Hangar C for a longer period of time if preferred.
The tour concludes by returning to the visitor complex. Explore on your own for the remainder of the day. Please note that, unlike other Special Interest Tours, this tour does not conclude the Apollo/Saturn V Center.
Cape Canaveral’s Rise to Space Tour costs $75 per person, ages 14 and older (plus tax).
Before You Book
Due to restricted access at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, all guests, U.S. citizens, and non-U.S. citizens are required to pre-register each participant’s information for identity verification. Before purchasing tickets, guests will be prompted to fill out a form with each guest’s (regardless of age) name, date of birth, country of birth, and passport/government-issued ID details. If a party member is a U.S. citizen under the age of 18 and does not have a government-issued ID yet, a guardian may use his/her own ID for registration. Guest are required to bring and present documentation.
Each visitor on this tour must register with visitor complex security officers between 8:45 and 10 a.m. on the day of the tour at the Information Center located at the main entrance. For U.S. citizens, a U.S. government-issued driver’s license, passport, military ID or U.S. state ID card is required for tour participants age 18 and over.
International adult and child participants must present an original, valid passport to participate. Passport cards and photocopies of passports are not accepted as a valid form of ID for this tour. Please note, per Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, guests without an original ID will not be permitted by to participate in this tour.
Share this article:
Follow us for more updates:
