Wildlife
Cocoa beach's wild side
Wildlife tours and viewing
The Cocoa Beach area is abundant with wildlife tours and viewing opportunities. Home to a large population of Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, manatee, alligators and countless birds. Searching for our wildlife can be done by boat, car, bike or on foot. With so many opportunities and unique animals and landscapes this is a great area to get in touch with your wild side.
Dolphin and Manatee tours
Cast Away Adventures
The folks at Cast Away Adventures spend lots of their time fishing but they also offer great dolphin and manatee tours. We like that the business is family owned and operated and the boat is a comfortable 26ft deck boat with a max of 6 passangers. This makes their tours very personal and they are very affordable as well. Not only is there lots of wildlife to be seen but the knowledgeable crew will tell you all about the area.
Hiking and Driving
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1963 for the protection of migratory birds. Consisting of 140,000 acres, the refuge provides a wide variety of habitats: coastal dunes, saltwater marshes, managed impoundments, scrub, pine flatwoods, and hardwood hammocks. These habitats provide habitat for more than 1,500 species of plants and animals and 15 federally listed species
The refuge is a truly beautiful place with hiking trails as well as driving trails (Black Point being one of the most popular). Common sights are birds, alligator, wild hog and more. Stop at the visitor center for information, maps and passes.
Brevard County Zoo
The Brevard zoo located in Melbourne Fl about 17 miles from Cocoa beach is a fantastic family zoo, in fact it was voted #3 in North America in the USA Today poll. The zoo is not just a education facility with many close encounter opportunities but also is helping lead the way with local conservation programs like the oyster restocking program for our lagoon and the sea turtle rescue program.
Not only is the zoo beautiful with over 900 animal species but there are some really cool adventure opportunities. The Brevard zoo has kayaking through the Africa exhibit for a small add on and for the more adventurous there is Treetop Trek, a zipline and ropes course. The family will certainly enjoy a trip to this zoo.
“While it's fresh in your mind, let old Mother Nature do the rest.”
Jimmy Buffet