Unlike Cumberland Island National Seashore, Canaveral lacks the history and intrigue found in its northern neighbor. It is, instead, simply a long stretch of pristine beaches along the Atlantic Ocean...the longest in Florida. This distinction likely exists courtesy of Cape Canaveral's Kennedy Space Center at the southern end of the park.

That is not to say that there are no historical sights within the park, as very ancient Indian mounds exist in the area. A small village of Eldora also existed in the late 1800s before it declined and eventually became part of the park.

The park has two primary entrances, on coming south along the coast and continuing past several beach parking lots to a dead end. The other entrance comes east from Titusville on to Merritt Island, where one passes the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge and the Space Shuttle landing runway! NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building is visible in the distance as you cross the bridge onto the island, and the southern area of the park serves as a good viewing location for rocket launches.

I had already visited this park a few times in the past, entering via the south side, so for this trip, I came down the coast from the north. The advantage of this approach is I could visit the only Visitor's Center, just south of the north entrance. I stopped several times to get some photos, including one stop to climb across the dunes (always on prebuild walkways, of course) to see a mostly empty beach stretching in both directions. It was November, so a little chilly for most (but not all) swimmers. I also stopped to answer the age-old question "Why did the turtle cross the road?". For a photo op, of course!

I do intend to return to this park often, and want to visit the nearby Wildlife Refuge. And maybe even see a Falcon 9 lift off with another crew for the ISS.