Central Atlantic Info
Here’s a short general description of the Central Atlantic Coast.
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Florida’s Space & Treasure Coasts could just as easily be called the Surf Coast, or even the Cowboy Coast or the Wilderness Coast because that’s all here too. Space ships blasting off into the wild blue yonder. Hundreds of great, uncrowded surf breaks in water the temperature of a warm kiss, and we’ve even got the second largest cattle ranch in the country in our county, set in the headwater lakes and hammocks of the Everglades. Cowboy surfers. Who knew?
At the north end of our coast is a long remote beach, 
Playalinda beach, famous for its scofflaw nudeness. The beach is bordered by 100,000 acres of the Canaveral National Wildlife Refuge which also surrounds the Kennedy Space Center where the Space Shuttle blasts off. Head south a bit and you’re at Port Canaveral, converted from a funky scallop port to one of the biggest cruise ship terminals, owing in no small part to Disney’s efforts. The waterfront is lined with bars and restaurants with decks looking onto the water, ships, and the occasional Navy submarine. It’s a pretty cool place to stop on the way home from the long day at the Space Center.
Not far down the beach is the transitioning Cape Canaveral neighborhood, then there’s Cocoa Beach and the famous Ron Jon’s surf shop. Cocoa Beach is about tourists, so there’s plenty to keep you busy. The Cocoa Beach Pier, where world and local surfing tournaments are held, is cloaked in tourism and A1A is lined with it too. Some of the bars have volleyball on the beach, so you can just image the fun come spring break.
If you want a break from the tourism, head to downtown Cocoa across the bridge on the mainland for a stroll through a nice old downtown with pretty trees and good shops, restaurants, and bars.
Still further south on the beachside you pass Patrick Air Force Base, a pretty posh military base with golf course, marina, and a good surf break at the ocean end of the runway.
Heading south you’ll come to the predominantly residential part of the beach running all the way to Sebastian Inlet. Satellite Beach and Indian Harbor Beach have beach parks, but not much more for tourists, and then you come to a length of unincorporated beach that has a few big oceanfront hotels and a good blues club called Lou’s Blues.
Then comes Indialantic, a one square mile beach town with a small boardwalk of surfing fame, surf shops, seafood restaurants, coffee shops, pizza, ice cream and some nice beachfront rentals close to the little downtown but far enough down the beach to be private. No hotels. Just you and the locals in a little beach town with great surf and good views of the shuttle launches.
It’s also the closest beach to DisneyWorld, Oh My Gosh! 
Downtown Old Melbourne with a wide variety of shops, restaurants, and bars, is just across the bridge on the mainland. It is also the site of the Melbourne Art Festival which is one of the best art shows in the country due a big patrons program that guarantees the artists’ sales.
Melbourne Beach comes after Indialantic and the rest of the beach to Sebastian Inlet pretty much runs under that name. Mel Beach is mostly residential, but there is a nice pier on the river/lagoon for sunsets and a small beach park. Its little “downtown” street is the last vestige of civilization before running down the beach about 15 miles to Sebastian Inlet with its great fishing and world famous surf break. If you’re looking to really get away, there are a few VRs on the way down the beach, and there is a good grocer down that way.
Cross the Sebastian Inlet bridge and you’re soon in Vero Beach with its polo fields, gated oceanfront communities and fancy shops. It’s obviously a priviledged place to be, but scrape that way and there’s a nice beach. This is also the coast where Mel Fisher got his start with a great find of gold doubloons in the knee deep surf. Plus Dodgertown is here, the spring training complex for the baseball team, set among orange and grapefruit groves, as any spring training baseball field should be and with seats from back when all our fannies weren’t quite so wide. It’s a real slice of history and lots of fun.
On the riverside north of Vero you’ll find Sebastian, the closest thing to a New England fishing village you’re going to find in Florida, with nice restaurants along the river and a large fishing fleet ready and rocking at the docks.
This coast is a full range from space ships in the night skies to great surf in the warm ocean waters, treasure hunting at low tide, and airboat rides in the wilderness.
Watercolor by Peter Bailey