Cocoa Beach Pier FL

Cocoa Beach Pier FL

After our field trip in March of 2016 to the Brevard Museum of History & Natural Science, my son and I decided to go cool off at Cocoa Beach and each lunch at the Westgate Pier.  The weather was great in March for going to the beach and we finished up at the museum just after lunch time, so it worked out!

We parked in a parking lot close to the pier and walked down the beach letting my son play in the water a bit before going to eat lunch.  After cleaning up, we went to a restaurant on the pier to try some fried gator.  He loved it!

Cocoa Beach is my favorite beach on this side of Florida because it’s more of a quiet beach that doesn’t really get crowded.  We don’t usually go to the pier area where most of the crowd goes.  We go down the beach a way to get away from the crowd.  I just like the peaceful, serene beauty of waves crashing into the soft sandy beach.  Especially without a bunch of people around.  Unlike Daytona Beach, Cocoa has refrained from building up entertainment venues along the beach line so it’s still mostly natural Florida coastline.  I love that.

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About Cocoa Beach Pier FL

Following the Civil War, a family of newly freed slaves attempted settlement in Cocoa Beach.  But a hurricane in 1885 changed their plans.  The land was then bought by a group of Cocoa men in 1888 where it remained untouched until the arrival of attorney Gus Edwards.

Gus bought Cocoa Beach and began development.  The City of Cocoa Beach was established on June 5, 1925 and then was incorporated as a City on June 29, 1957.  It really came to life in the 1960s, though, due to the American’s space program at NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center being located only 15 miles away.

Space program employs began to inhabit the city where their children began being referred to as “Cape Brats.”  Astronaut parades were held after manned space flights.

Cocoa Beach was also the setting for “I Dream of Jeannie”, a 1960s sitcom.  However, only one episode ended up actually being filmed here, which was Jeannie’s wedding episode.

The Westgate Cocoa Beach Pier is a historic landmark on the Space Coast of Florida, stretching 800 feet over the Atlantic Ocean.  It is home to many restaurants, bars, gift shops and live music entertainment.  The pier gives beachgoers access to equipment rentals, freshwater showers, bathroom facilities, lifeguards, sand volleyball courts, and fishing gear.

The pier is located at 401 Meade Avenue, Cocoa Beach, Florida.  Hours of operation are Monday through Thursday from 11am to 9pm, Friday 11am to 10pm, Saturday 8:30am to 10pm, and Sunday 8:30am to 9pm.

Summary

We didn’t make a Roadtrippers itinerary for this trip because there were only two places we really wanted to go that day.  I used Roadtrippers to find the museum and then just went to the beach from there.

If you find yourself in the Cocoa Beach area of Florida and you enjoy a day at the beach, I definitely recommend Cocoa Beach.  It is my favorite beach on the east side of Florida as it’s not so crowded, like Daytona and it’s a prettier beach in my opinion.  There was a little bit of a crowd at the pier but that’s where you get food and beverages so I can’t blame them really.

Have you been there?  I’d love to hear what you thought of it.  How does Cocoa Beach compare to your favorite beach?

Please drop a few lines in the comments box below and let me know how your visit went.

In the meantime, safe travels!

~Kris M.

P.S.  If you happen to use travel journals, be sure to check out the travel journal I created for my future Orlando Day Trips.

Written by Kris M.