Florida RV Trip to the Space Coast: Jetty Park Campground & Kennedy Space Center

Here's a remarkably fun Florida RV trip to the Space Coast, staying at the Jetty Park Campground and visiting the nearby Kennedy Space Center.

For a long weekend, this trip can't be beaten. The Space Coast has an exciting vibe all its own,

The biggest disappointment of our Florida RV Trip to the Space Coast was how dog unfriendly the otherwise very nice Jetty Park Campground was. The most pleasant surprise was how accommodating the Kennedy Space Center was for dogs in offering free air-conditioned kennels for their guests to use as they toured the complex.

Please note: We did our Florida RV trip to the Space Coast at the end of February 2020.

Here's the video of our Florida RV trip to the space coast, showing you the Jetty Park Campground and the Kennedy Space Center.

Let's start this more detailed review with where we stayed on the Space Coast:

Review of the Jetty Park Campground during our Florida RV trip to the Space Coast

This is one of the most popular Florida RV trip camping destinations on the space coast. The campground is nestled along the Atlantic Ocean and inside Port Canaveral, where giant cruise ships arrive and depart throughout the day. In addition, submarines can also be spotted docking there. And from the park itself, rocket launches from the Kennedy Space Center and Canaveral Air Force Station can easily be seen.

Those rockets are why this area is known as the space coast.

The Jetty Park Campground has rustic spots with no amenities ($27 in the summer, $37 during snowbird winter time), semi-improved sites with water and electricity ($36 summer, $49 winter) and improved sites with water, electricity, and sewer ($54 summer, $64 winter). There is a free dump station.

With no reservations at the end of February, we were able to snag a Jetty Park Campground spot with water and electricity, a grill, and a very weathered wooden picnic table. There was plenty of room and it was relatively flat.

But when we set off with Bo for a walk, we soon realized our options for him were very limited. A fence runs all the way around Jetty Park Campground, isolating it from the 4/5 acre beach, the sprawling 35-acre Jetty Park around it, and a small pier that offers great views of fabled space coast rocket launches.

But no dogs are allowed outside the campground.

Taking care of Bo on our Florida RV trip to the Space Coast

Our solution was to take Bo to the nearby Lori Wilson Dog Park in Cocoa Beach.

We also show on the video the tool we most rely on to give us peace of mind that when Bo is in the RV and we are working out or out to dinner or taking a hike where pets are not allowed, that we can know that the temperature is safe for him. 

We use a device called the Nimble Pet Safety Temperature Monitor. It uses a cell signal on the Verizon network to send me text alerts if the temperature exceeds the limits I set (85 degrees F). That way I can return to the RV and address the issue by turning on or adjusting the AC. The device also works through an app and I can call it up to display the RV interior temperature on demand. Another great system to use for this is Waggle, and it works in the same manner. Bo has his own Amazon List, too!

Florida RV trip to the Space Coast visit to the Kennedy Space Center

Our other Space Coast visit was to the Kennedy Space Center, where NASA and SpaceX launches are conducted. 

Admission at the Kennedy Space Center is steep. $75 (it was $50 when we went) for each of us, plus $15 for parking. There was plenty of parking available for RVs and that free air-conditioned kennel where Bo could chill out while we were touring the center.

Allocate at least half a day to fully explore the Kennedy Space Center, which takes visitors from the dawn of space exploration to current and ongoing missions. This is a working space center and rocket launches happen frequently. 

If you visit the space coast, we highly recommend the bus tour, and if it is open when you visit the Kennedy Space Center, take the tour. It goes behind NASA’s gates to show you mission-critical areas of Kennedy Space Center from an air-conditioned bus, areas like launch complex 39B and the Vehicle Assembly Building.

If you plan a Florida RV trip to Space Coast, the best time of the year to visit is during the winter and early spring months. Alas, that is when the Jetty Park Campground charges the most and the space coast crowds are the busiest. The Kennedy Space Center crowds are lowest in the summer, but the heat and humid is always high.

Want to plan your own Florida RV Trip? 

We can help with three different 7 Day Adventure Guides to Florida.

Check out:

• Seven Day Adventure Guide to Florida's Gulf Coast 
• Seven Day Adventure Guide to Florida's Atlantic Coast (this is the one that covers the Space Coast, Kennedy Space Center, Jetty Park Campground and lots, lots more!)
• Seven Day Adventure Guide to the Florida Keys and Key West 

Florida is a great state for RVers, any time of the year!