Atlantis
As if in flight.
Paulo Guereta from São Paulo — CC BY 2.0 · Olga Ernst — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Paulo Guereta from São Paulo — CC BY 2.0 · Antony-22 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Antony-22 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives — Public domain · Paulo Guereta from São Paulo — CC BY 2.0 · Purple Slog from West Allis Wisconsin, USA — CC BY 2.0
The visitor complex at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island on Florida's east coast, about an hour's drive from Orlando, where the Apollo missions to the Moon and the Space Shuttles were launched. It has exhibits, historic spacecraft and two giant-screen cinemas; its star is the Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit, with the orbiter displayed as if in flight and a simulated shuttle launch into space, along with the towering outdoor Rocket Garden. Admission includes a bus tour into the launch area, passing near the launch pads and the vast Vehicle Assembly Building, ending at the Apollo/Saturn V Center, where a real Saturn V rocket lies full length overhead, and veteran astronauts may give daily talks. Adult tickets are about $77, per visitor guides. Give it a full day and check upcoming launch dates, as you may be able to watch a real rocket launch from the coast.
As if in flight.
Full length.
Outdoors.
Merritt Island, Florida's east coast, about an hour from Orlando
Sometimes, if your visit matches a launch date, so check upcoming launches before you go.