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Port Canaveral restaurants?

mspink98

By mspink98,
in Florida Departures

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SteerageJoe

SteerageJoe

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Definitely have some area experts on here so I hope you can answer a question. We are trying to decide between staying in Port Can. or right in Cocoa Beach. Open to either.

 

Is the Cocoa Beach Pier something our two kids (both 13) would enjoy or is just mainly for dining? I am trying to determine if it is more of a cool bar atmosphere?

 

Also, any comments on the Manatee Sanctuary?

 

Are you asking about Manatee Sanctuary Park in Canaveral? Great little park but without a kayak or something you will probably not see any there.

 

Cape Canaveral is residential with only the Holiday Inn Club as a beach option.

The rest of the hotels are highway properties mostly on the wrong side of A1A - which is dangerous to cross.

 

My vote is the northern Cocoa Beach area where your teens can explore beach and shops without the need to drive them around. You have two main areas to choose from:

 

1. The pier area offers a lot from shops to restaurants to bars - the kids can watch the surfers from the pier and you can keep an eye on them while enjoying drinks from the bars! Great sunsets from the tiki bar at the end of the pier where the surfers play below you! You can get rooms with ocean views from at least 2 hotels. Here is a map:

 

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2. The Ron Jon area - great shopping with a busy beach, putt-putt and certainly a cool area for teens but the hotels do not have ocean views (except the Inn) and neither do the restaurants. Here is a map:

 

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Edited by SteerageJoe
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RCmommy

RCmommy

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Posted
Are you asking about Manatee Sanctuary Park in Canaveral? Great little park but without a kayak or something you will probably not see any there.

 

Cape Canaveral is residential with only the Holiday Inn Club as a beach option.

The rest of the hotels are highway properties mostly on the wrong side of A1A - which is dangerous to cross.

 

My vote is the northern Cocoa Beach area where your teens can explore beach and shops without the need to drive them around. You have two main areas to choose from:

 

 

Thanks for the info. After reading a review of the manatee sanctuary park I discovered it is not what I initially thought. No problem, moving on...

 

I think we will aim for the pier cluster of hotels. We will have a rental car so that helps us get around.

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Capt_BJ

Capt_BJ

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the pier is not any great center of entertainment .... a couple of places to eat and bars and a shop or two ..... as compared to many east coast piers .. small time.

 

It IS a meeting place for Orlando surf crowd . . .

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SteerageJoe

SteerageJoe

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the pier is not any great center of entertainment .... a couple of places to eat and bars and a shop or two ..... as compared to many east coast piers .. small time.

 

It IS a meeting place for Orlando surf crowd . . .

 

And that's EXACTLY why we like it. Family-oriented and safe.

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RCmommy

RCmommy

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the pier is not any great center of entertainment .... a couple of places to eat and bars and a shop or two ..... as compared to many east coast piers .. small time.

 

It IS a meeting place for Orlando surf crowd . . .

 

We will still aim for the pier area of hotels because it looks like there is a lot of things all in one area, and we just won't expect a Chicago Navy Pier experience :D

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Swampbabe

Swampbabe

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And that's EXACTLY why we like it. Family-oriented and safe.

 

A lot of underage drinking at Coconuts and some drug activity. They could clean it up a bit. I'm a high school teacher in the area, ask me how I know :cool:

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Swampbabe

Swampbabe

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Coconuts isn't near the pier

 

That's true but Coconuts was mentioned up thread.

 

A quirky restaurant with good food near the port is Preacher Bar. No water view of course but a bit different than the usual. Unfortunately, there are no really GOOD waterfront restaurants in Brevard County, with the exception of Yellow Dog Cafe in Malabar.

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Swampbabe

Swampbabe

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Chart House? Meh

 

Underwhelming and overpriced. Been going periodically since 1986 and I'm still waiting for it to wow me. Other family members like it so I get roped in sometimes.

Edited by Swampbabe
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Capt_BJ

Capt_BJ

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I agree actually .... but it depends on the metric for 'good'

 

By the crowds at Chart House, many people view the price to mean it is a better place as many 'celebrations' find their way here. We only go for the early bird special where a dinner WITH the salad bar can be had for what they charge for the salad alone outside of EB. Not unlike Ruth's Chris which we also find to be over priced so-so steak.

 

If 'good' is to be food based then I'll again mention Cabana Shores as some of the best food in the area at reasonable price. While not 'waterfront' it is just across US-1 and open air so you get the view . . .

 

Yes ... we looked long and hard for an oceanfront venue for a wedding reception and ended up using the club at Patrick AFB as the pickin's are slim in Brevard. Oceanfront = condo's around here . . .

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Capt_BJ

Capt_BJ

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O-Club was nice but sadly the popularity with the retired of the area became part of the reason it wasn't rebuilt! There were so many retired members that folks here on TDY were not allowed in and IMHO that was one of the main reasons base clubs exist. I know ... I was here for several weeks TDY when the club was around and went over one night ... in uniform and I was refused entry unless I wanted to pay a one year membership. Only time I was turned away from a club in my 30 years. I had to pay a 'visitor fee' a time or two, but a full year ?!? I questioned the fee and was told they had too many members so that was the rule, no visiting memberships. If active can't get in then the reason for it slides . . .

 

The Tides - all hands club - has a great beach view from the main meeting room, and an outside bar area adjacent. For those with 'access' a great venue for weddings and the like. (and I only had to be a member on a monthly basis to get the place ... so I was a member from the day of booking 'til the day after the reception)

Edited by Capt_BJ
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