Merritt Island, Florida

Just north of the Kennedy Space Center is Merritt Island.  Established in 1963, this is a National Wildlife Refuge consisting of 140,000 acres and home to a wide array of wildlife including 21 animals that listed by the State of Florida or US Federal Government as endangered.There is a lovely visitors center with a wooden walkway around a pond where you can easily view local wildlife like turtles, frogs and native birds.They also have alligators and it’s probably for the best that you do not feed them. I did go for a bit of a drive around and found the place just teeming with incredible wildlife. I was in search for Manatees but instead found feeding dolphins.And pretty much everywhere you look, there are vultures at every corner. The visitors center is free, but to enter the National Park, you will be required to pay a nominal fee. You can fish on the beach amongst the awesome NASA engineering, but be sure not to forget your fishing license. Merritt Island is super easy to get to.  Basically, if you can get to the Kennedy Space Center, you’re half way to the National Park.  There are signs everywhere, and alligators, so be sure to watch where you step!