Titusville, Florida
Titusville, Florida – Gateway to Nature and Space
Titusville, Florida is one of our favorite towns. We have spent nine of the last 10 winters at The Great Outdoors RV, Nature and Golf Resort (TGO) in Titusville living in our motorhome and enjoying all that TGO has to offer. We fell in love with TGO on our first visit and had a contract on an RV lot before our week visit was over.
Titusville is approximately 30 miles from Orlando, FL. The town is part of the area that is known as the “Space Coast” due to the close proximity to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Over the years, we have been fortunate to witness a number of the shuttle and rocket launches. We were extremely pleased when KSC was selected receive a one of the retired space shuttles. The area is rich with space history. If you are interested in our space history, you need to visit KSC.
If you come to Titusville for our space history, you may want to read one or more of these space program books
But there is more to Titusville and the surrounding area than the space program. Here are just some of the treasures Titusville and the surrounding area has to offer:
U.S. Space Walk of Fame Foundation and Museum – The U.S. Space Walk monuments for Mercury, Apollo, and Gemini are completed with the Shuttle monument scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2012. Located at the The Space View Park, the U.S. Space Walk is the first and only walk in America that honors our astronauts plus the men and women who worked tirelessly behind the scenes in the United States leadership of space exploration. Visit the museum a couple of blocks from the Space Walk to learn of our space history.
Space Walk of Fame Museum – located a couple of blocks from the U.S. Space Walk, this museum is full of great exhibits related to the U.S. space programs.
North Brevard Historical Museum – Titusville lies within the very large county of Brevard. Visit this museum to gain an understanding of the history of the area and of the space program.
Canaveral National Seashore, operated by the National Park Service (NPS), Canaveral National Seashore is a barrier island that is a sanctuary to an abundant blend of plants and animals. Recreation opportunities abound and include boating, fishing, surfing, canoeing, sunbathing, swimming, camping, hiking and nature and historical trails to explore. Be sure to visit Playalinda Beach.
Located approximately 4 miles east of Titusville, you will find the 140,000 acres of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the refuge offers varying habitats, including saltwater estuaries and marshes, pine flatwoods, coastal dunes, scrub, freshwater impoundment and hardwood hammocks, supporting over 1,500 animal and plant species. This area is a real treat for bird watchers and the Black Point Drive, especially during January and February, is teeming with birds (and a few alligators sunning themselves). Be sure to check out the Manatee viewing area when the water is warm.
If your tastes are more for vintage airplanes, then a trip to the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum is in order. There is a fabulous air show every March with many vintage airplanes participating.
Do you enjoy poking around thrift shops? Titusville has many to choose from and I seem to frequently find a treasure or two to keep or sell on eBay
American Police Hall of Fame which houses many exhibits related to our brave law enforcement including auto alley, K-9 unit, crime lab and more.
Before The Great Outdoors RV, Nature and Golf Resort (TGO), became an RV resort, the land was Jack Eckerd’s (of Eckerd Drug Stores) hunting preserve. A large portion of the park remains in its natural state so there are many trees and nature preserve areas. Because of the large amount of natural preserve area, there is an abundance of wildlife at TGO. We have seen bobcats, armadillos, raccoons, otters, bald eagles, and numerous birds.
TGO is like a small city, it has a golf course, two restaurants, RV sales and service and a golf cart sales/repair/rental company. All sites are back-in sites. RVs must be at least 18 feet long and self-contained. TGO, like many Florida RV parks, can get very busy during the winter months as it is a destination for snowbirds. If you plan to join us in the winter months at our little paradise, make reservations early.
Many residents of TGO own golf carts and that is our primary mode of transportation within the park. If you like nature, friendly people, a plethora of things to do inside and outside the park, you’ll love TGO.
Do you need some restaurant recommendations? In TGO, we have the Juke Box Café with very reasonable prices – try the Rueben sandwich. Our Plantation House Restaurant which overlooks part of the golf course is excellent and known for its prime rib on Thursday nights – in season make reservations in advance to get a table. Corky Belle’s on U.S. 1 in the Port St. John area has excellent seafood and the portions are large. El Leoncito and LaBamba II located on U.S. 1 are our places to go for Mexican food. Durango’s on Highway 50 has wonderful ribs and the Whistle Junction on 405 is a buffet style restaurant.
Whether you enjoy seeing wildlife, bird watching, enjoying areas of natural beauty, visiting museums, and/or learning about the U.S. space history then Titusville, Florida is a treasure trove. Come see why we love it so much!
