Brevard County is known not only for the Kennedy Space Center and Port Canaveral but also for its beautiful beaches. It is referred to as the Space Coast and is home to 72 miles of gorgeous Atlantic Ocean beaches, paired with gorgeous weather. So, what are the best Brevard County Beaches?
Brevard has lots of beautiful beaches to enjoy. Head to Cocoa Beach, a great family-friendly destination just south of Cape Canaveral. Enjoy surfing and relaxing in the sun. There’s also Playalinda and Jetty Park Beach, fantastic options for seashell hunting and camping.
Our picks for the Best Brevard County Beaches are as follows:
- Cocoa Beach
- Canaveral National Seashore
- Playalinda Beach
- Indian Harbour Beach
- Jetty Park Beach
- Paradise Beach Park
- Canova Beach
- Melbourne Beach
- Alan Shepard Beachfront Park
- Sebastian Inlet
- Merritt Island
- Spessard Holland South Beach
- Hightower Beach
- Lori Wilson Park
There are many great beaches to enjoy. Read on to learn more about these Florida beaches.
14 Best Brevard County Beaches, Florida
1. Cocoa Beach, Cocoa Beach City
The city of Cocoa Beach boasts of its beaches, aptly named Cocoa Beach, an excellent family vacation destination. While surfing is its best attraction, so is the weather. Here, two climatic zones meet – sub-tropic and temperate, so there are no weather extremes. The best time for beach activities is early morning and late afternoon. The beach is said to have the smoothest and shallowest water.
Cocoa Beach has nature preserves for great hiking and a fantastic site for indigenous wildlife. It also has a splendid pier to take in the incredible views. You can explore the nearby Kennedy Space Center – tour the launch pads and see giant rockets. Don’t miss a visit to Ron Jon Surf Shop, the world’s largest surf shop.
There are many shops, restaurants, and galleries to enjoy in the riverside community. However, a trip to Downtown Cocoa Beach, with its nightlife and fine-dining, is another whole level of experience. Truly, Cocoa Beach is one of the best beaches in Brevard County.
2. Canaveral National Seashore, Playalinda Beach
Canaveral National Seashore is the longest stretch (24 miles) of undeveloped beach on the East Coast. It is very pristine Atlantic sand, quiet and secluded. You will not find vendors here, so you must bring your own supplies. Restrooms are available. There’s also a parking lot and boardwalk access.
It’s located on a barrier island and is the largest sea turtle nesting area in the United States. After sundown, guided tours are offered from May to August to see the nesting turtles. Though the shuttle program is down, space exploration is still alive at Cape Canaveral, and so is its wildlife. Tourists come to see turtles, alligators, migratory birds, and at least 1,000 plant species.
Visitors to Canaveral National Seashore enjoy camping, surfing, fishing, boating, and hunting. There are park rangers that offer canoeing and sea turtle nesting topics.
3. Playalinda Beach, Titusville
At the northern end of the county is Titusville. Here, you’ll find one of the most pristine beaches in the area – Playalinda Beach – a natural reserve in the Canaveral National Seashore. It’s unspoiled, quiet, and private. It offers 24 miles of coastline, including a stretch of sand at the farthest pier where nudists are found. They pretty much mind their own business, though.
The beach is on a thin barrier island, also on the Indian River. It is pretty much undeveloped. But local surfers come here to ride the waves. Some parts of the sandy beach are rough because of the seashells, so children and collectors can find plenty of treasures here.
Playalinda might be a hidden gem, though there are not many amenities here. There is a boardwalk that gives access over the dunes. You will also find a lagoon, hammock, salt marsh, and pine flatland habitats.
4. Indian Harbour Beach, Indian Harbour Beach City
Indian Harbour Beach is a city, just 2 square miles, between the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian River Lagoon, a small oceanfront community. Popular activities include swimming, surfing, boating, and fishing. The recently refurbished boardwalk invites strolling by the ocean and the parks around town. The city is known for protecting its endangered sea turtles, right whales, and manatees.
Indian Harbour Beach boasts several parks, such as Gleason Park, which offers many walking trails, and Bicentennial Park for surfing, sunning and building sandcastles. Millennium Park is for picnics, strolls, and ocean views and has a large wooden playground near the beach. The city boasts of a Recreation Center and a Sports Complex that host festivities and shows.
5. Jetty Park Beach & Campground, Cape Canaveral
Jetty Park is one of the best beaches in Brevard County, especially for camping. It also features picnic tables, hot showers and toilets, electric hook-ups, a playground, a small beach bar, and a small shop. The beach has a pier, too, which is a popular fishing hub.
Jetty Park Beach is excellent for families. Compared to other beaches in Brevard County, its water is calmer. So it is ideal for small children. Besides, they have security and lifeguards at the beach.
6. Paradise Beach Park, Melbourne
Now renamed Howard E. Futch Memorial Park at Paradise Beach, the former 12-acre Paradise Beach Park is excellent for group activities. They feature picnic pavilions, dune crossovers, volleyball courts, grills, playground, restrooms, and outdoor showers.
On the beach one and a half miles south of Eau Gallie Boulevard, the park is expansive yet quiet. Locals come here to surf and play Frisbee and volleyball.
There are other parks in the city, like Lake Washington Park, Wickham Park, POW/MIA Park, and Kiwanis Park.
7. Canova Beach, Indian Harbor Beach City
You might be wondering about dog-friendly beaches in Brevard County. Canova Beach is the only dog-friendly beach in Brevard County, free and open to the public. It has 12.4 acres of warm, soft sand, a landscaped garden, a pavilion, grills, picnic areas, dune crossovers, showers, and restrooms.
Canova Beach Park is a 9-acre beach park full of dogs playing in the water. If you’re taking your pooches along, be sure to bring their current license and vaccination records, leashes, and waste bags. Cleanliness and safety are strictly enforced here.
You and your pets can grill food, eat at the pavilion, and enjoy the sunshine on a bench or the sand. Rinse the saltwater off your dogs at the outdoor showers for good measure. Any day is a furry day at Canova Beach.
8. Melbourne Beach, Melbourne Beach City
What’s great about Melbourne Beach is not just sand and surf. Though it is referred to as the Surfing Town of Brevard County, there’s a lot of fishing, boating, camping, and more going on. There are 33 miles of beautiful, undeveloped powdery sand, making it perfect for walks. The waves are great for surfing and snorkeling.
This barrier island is home to an abundance of wildlife. Nature lovers appreciate hiking trails, like the Coconut Point Sanctuary and Maritime Hammock Sanctuary. Visit historic Rickman Park, which holds sports activities, or learn more about sea turtles at Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge.
Melbourne Beach’s community offers plenty of great shopping, local restaurants, theatre, and art. There is a couple of interesting treasure museums. You will come across street parties, bands and festivals; if you’re lucky – the world-famous Melbourne Art Festival.
9. Alan Shepard Beachfront Park, East Cocoa Beach
A 5-acre park fronting the Atlantic Ocean was named in honor of famed astronaut Alan Shepard, the second man on the moon. The site known as Alan Shepard Beachfront Park is just south of Cape Canaveral, with impressive views of space launches.
This mini-getaway has a boardwalk, large picnic pavilions, picnic areas, barbeque grills, playground, restrooms and showers, and lifeguards, and also offers rental of chairs and umbrellas. They have a 300-unit parking lot for a small fee.
Reviews talk about Alan Shepard Park’s cleanliness, soft sand, and gorgeous waves. It’s great for kids, families, and groups and truly one of the best beaches in Brevard County.
10. Sebastian Inlet State Park, Melbourne Beach City
Sebastian Inlet is at the southernmost point of the Space Coast, 12 miles south of Melbourne Beach. It’s one of the best beaches in Brevard County that attracts thousands of surfers. They hold monthly events and surf camps and the World Qualifying Series – the Sebastian Inlet Pro – every January. This brings out some of the biggest names in the surfing kingdom.
Sebastian Inlet is also known for swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing, camping, canoeing, kayaking, and Jet-skiing. Nearby Pelican Island is known for some of the best fishing spots in Florida.
The popular park offers many campsites complete with hookups for water and electrical needs. They have powerboat rentals, boat ramps, fishing bridges, full restroom facilities, a dump station, laundry facilities, and even payphones.
11. Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville
Merritt Island is a huge refuge at 140,000 acres of wetlands where flora and fauna thrive. It has more than 1,500 types of plants and animals, including 300 species of birds, loggerhead and green sea turtles, ghost crabs, reptiles, raccoons, and bobcats. The refuge is surrounded by the Indian and Banana Rivers and is NASA-owned and maintained.
You can explore four different hiking trails; the longest is five miles long. Visit a manatee observation deck, the marshes, coastal dunes, saltwater estuaries, and enjoy nature photography via this wildlife experience.
Apart from water activities, have a city adventure by visiting Merritt Square Mall and Merritt Park Place for shopping, movies, and dining.
12. Spessard Holland South Beach Park, Melbourne Beach
Spessard Holland Beach Park is divided into two – the north and the south side. The north park is slightly more than 4½ acres and has three dune crossovers, three boardwalk pavilions, grills, a drinking fountain, showers, and restrooms.
The south park is 7 acres of beach with seasonal lifeguards and has a 150-foot boardwalk and raised picnic areas. There are two pavilions, six dune crossovers, showers, and restrooms. Fishing is popular on both sides of the park.
Positive reviews of the south park side talk about the quiet and serenity of the beach, stunning views, wide parking, and clean bathrooms.
13. Hightower Beach Park, Satellite Beach
Tiny at 2 acres, Hightower Beach Park, is a quiet neighborhood spot just 4 miles south of the SR 404-Pineda Causeway. The beach is pristine, preserved, and well maintained. The dunes and beach system are unique here, so improvements are being made, and public education is encouraged by the city of Satellite Beach. Hightower Beach Park is one of the four beach parks in the city.
They have a pavilion, picnic area, a pier, and a boardwalk. Parking is free, but you can bike or walk to the park. Popular activities here are surfing and fishing.
14. Lori Wilson Beach Park, Cocoa Beach City
The 32-acre Lori Wilson Park has a gorgeous beach with consistently small surfs and shallow water. The sand is clean and latte-hued and invites walking barefoot.
You’ll find all the amenities at Lori Wilson. There’s a 1,000-foot boardwalk, three pavilions, six dune crossovers, restrooms, outdoor showers, and drinking fountains. There’s also a dog park, though only service dogs are allowed at the beach.
Lori Wilson has its own natural wonders – dunes with sea oats, seagrass, palmettos, and a maritime hammock. The park is listed in the Florida Birding Trail, so you’ll meet migratory songbirds, Painted Buntings, warbler species, as well as shorebirds and seabirds.
Conclusion – 14 Best Brevard County Beaches, Florida
To summarize, here again, are the 14 Best Brevard County Beaches, Florida
- Cocoa Beach
- Canaveral National Seashore
- Playalinda Beach
- Indian Harbour Beach
- Jetty Park Beach
- Paradise Beach Park
- Canova Beach
- Melbourne Beach
- Alan Shepard Beachfront Park
- Sebastian Inlet
- Merritt Island
- Spessard Holland South Beach
- Hightower Beach
- Lori Wilson Park
Brevard County is a vacation destination, not just because it is the site of the famous Kennedy Space Center, but it is the home of some of the most beautiful, breathtaking beaches in Florida State and the country. It is also known as Florida’s Space Coast. Find here the busiest to the most secluded, the smallest to the most expansive beaches.
From Cocoa Beach, Playalinda, Canova Beach to Merritt Island and Hightower, there’s a beach that’s a fit to your temperament and preference. Here find what we believe are the best beaches in Brevard County.