Visit Florida - Worth the Drive 2008 - (Page 36) 36 WWW.AAA.COM/ VISITFLORIDA >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Ron Jon, which covers more than two acres in city blocks, stays open 24 hours, so no matter what time you’re up, you can be buying your board wax and rash guard to get ready to hit the waves. Inside its rental shop, you’ll find the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame & Museum (321-799-8820, ecsurfinghallandmuseum.org) and its homage to pioneers and surf artists. The historic Cocoa Beach Pier (321-783-7549, www.cocoabeachpier.com) provides the perfect waves and comes equipped with beach shops, snack joints, bars and restaurants. Take a picture of Cocoa Beach the kids posing on Pier provides a board with a faux good break and wave background. hosts highly Surf demos and publicized surfing schools can teach the finer points of competitions. the sport. If the waves are wimpy, buy a skimboard to play in the shore break. Or try kite-surfing, an increasingly popular sport that requires special training – and wind. If you prefer more solitude at the beach, drive along A1A through Titusville and Merritt Island Riverview Hotel, New Smyrna Beach surf brand Billabong. Non-surfers in the group can enjoy the beach or fish from the jetties and bridge catwalk. In and around the park, you can also visit a fishing museum and a treasure museum. At nearby Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge (772-562-3909, www.fws.gov/ pelicanisland), an observation tower overlooks the nation’s first federally designated refuge. The drive along A1A is an attraction in itself, between glimpses of the Atlantic and the birds and other marine life that call the habitat home. The beaches of Melbourne offer lodging for those who prefer a bit of creature comforts with their surfing. (On Melbourne Beach, one church’s sign even welcomes surfers on a board-shaped sign.) Swells in all varieties give good rides along the way. Cocoa Beach Day 2: Cocoa Beach/Titusville Cocoa Beach, however, wins acclaim as Florida’s Surfing Capital for three reasons: Cocoa Beach provides good break and hosts highly publicized surfing competitions; the famous Ron Jon Surf Shop (321-799-8820, www.ronjons.com) rules in the game of surf shop one-upmanship; and world champion Kelly Slater hails from here. http://WWW.AAA.COM/VISITFLORIDA http://www.ecsurfinghallandmuseum.org http://www.cocoabeachpier.com http://www.fws.gov/pelicanisland http://www.fws.gov/pelicanisland http://www.ronjons.com
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