Florida Trips·Oct 17, 2026

Manatee Hammock: a front-row seat on the Space Coast

Nellie, our blue-gray Noovo Next camper van, parked under palms and live oaks with Spanish moss at Manatee Hammock Campground in Titusville, Florida

This place is all about location. Manatee Hammock is a county campground on the Indian River in Titusville, and Kennedy Space Center is right across the water.

It's in Brevard County, a little over an hour from Winter Garden. Glow kayaking tours with comb jellies run November to May.

Campground: Manatee Hammock, a Brevard County park in Titusville
Our site: Site 69, close to the water
Hookups: 30 and 50 amp, water and sewer
Dump station: In the campground
Bathrooms: Showers and laundry
Camp store: Some essentials at the check-in center
Extras: Fishing pier, pickleball, shuffleboard, small pool
Launch views: From the pier, across the Indian River
Good for: A Space Coast weekend
From Winter Garden: A little over an hour (about 60 mi)
To Cocoa Beach: About 30 min (19 mi)
To Haulover Canal: About 40 min (21 mi), for glow tours

It's an easy drive from Winter Garden, a little over an hour.

We'll be honest. The campsites are tightly packed, and with lots of people close together, the ambiance is just OK. But if you want a Space Coast weekend, the location is perfect.

Rocket launches

The waterfront has a fishing pier that looks across the Indian River to Kennedy Space Center. You can see NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building from the pier. Launches from Kennedy and Cape Canaveral, by SpaceX, NASA and others, go up along that far shoreline. If a launch is on the schedule, this is the place to be.

NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center, seen across the Indian River from the Manatee Hammock fishing pier in Titusville — NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building across the Indian River from the fishing pier.

Check the launch schedule before you book, and again the day before. Times move around, and launches get scrubbed. Spaceflight Now has a good schedule too.

The wooden fishing pier walkway at Manatee Hammock with the sun breaking through clouds — Out to the pier.

Stars over the Indian River with Space Coast lights across the water at night — The Space Coast lit up at night.

Our site

We stayed in site 69, close to the water. It had 30 amp and 50 amp hookups, plus water and sewer. There's a dump station in the campground too.

The check-in center sells some essentials if you forgot anything. The bathhouses have showers and laundry.

Nellie from the rear at site 69, plugged into shore power under live oaks — Plugged in at site 69.

A winding campground road through palms and live oaks at Manatee Hammock — The loop road through the palms.

There's pickleball and shuffleboard on site, and the pickleball court is shaded. They ask for a $20 cash deposit for the equipment, so bring cash.

A shaded pickleball court and shuffleboard courts at Manatee Hammock Campground in Titusville — Pickleball under the shade, shuffleboard next door.

A boardwalk runs down to the water. No motorized boats, only kayaks, paddleboards and canoes, so you can launch your own. The other sign says “Beware of alligators.” Mind the gators.

Boardwalk to the river at Manatee Hammock with kayak-only and alligator signs — Kayaks welcome. Gators too.

A bench under palms facing the Indian River on a sunny day — A bench with a river view.

Sunrise

Sunrise over the Indian River was great. Make your coffee in the van, then sit out on a waterfront bench and watch the sun burst through the clouds.

On Oct. 17 the sun came up at 7:25 a.m. Sunrise times shift through the year, so check the night before.

Palms and oaks silhouetted against sunrise over the Indian River at Manatee Hammock in Titusville

Close by

Glowing water. Bioluminescent kayaking is close by at Haulover Canal, in the Merritt Island refuge north of Titusville. Pick a dark night, and bring bug spray.

Last November we did the Indian River Lagoon Comb Jelly Bioluminescence Kayak Tour with A Day Away Kayak Tours at Haulover Canal. The comb jellies were out, the water lit up blue at the paddle, and we got to hold one and watch it glow up close. It's about 1 hour 30 minutes on the water, and their page lists $60 per person, November to May. Prices may change.

If you bring your own kayaks or paddleboards, you can also go on your own. We think a self-guided night paddle at Haulover Canal would have been fine this weekend. The refuge allows night launching at Bairs Cove, on Haulover Canal, and at Beacon 42. Its other ramps are closed at night, and areas can close ahead of rocket launches.

Play it safe. Go with someone, carry a white light and a headlamp, check the tide (the canal current can run strong), and check the refuge rules before you go.

Bioluminescent kayaking near Titusville under a cloudy moon, with blue glow at the paddle — Our comb jelly tour with A Day Away, November 2025.

A comb jelly glowing blue in a cupped hand, held over the dark Indian River Lagoon at night — A comb jelly lighting up the water on our tour last November.

Cocoa Beach. About 30 minutes south for a beach day.

New Smyrna Beach. About an hour north, and you can drive right onto the sand. Go early, and check the county rules first. Hours and fees change with the season.

Our tips

Plan around a launch. It's the best reason to stay here.
Bring cash for the $20 pickleball and shuffleboard deposit.
Ask about a water-view site when you book. There are only four, and they cost $2 more a night.
Book a glow tour ahead, or bring your own boats and a white light. Pack bug spray either way.
Nellie has a dry-flush toilet, so you'll only use the dump station for gray water.

A simple weekend

Day 1. Drive over and check in (2 to 9 p.m.). Set up, then walk out to the pier.
Day 2. Beach day at Cocoa Beach. Back for pickleball, then a night glow paddle at Haulover Canal, guided or on your own.
Day 3. Catch a launch from the pier if one is scheduled. Check out by 11 a.m.

Good to know

As of Oct 2026. Check the county and park sites before you go.

163 RV sites with water, electric and sewer, plus 19 tent sites. Hot showers, laundry, Wi-Fi, a small pool, a camp store, a fishing pier, pickleball and two shuffleboard courts. Source
Staff assign sites by size and hookup needs, so a site number isn't guaranteed. Only four sites have a water view. Source
Non-residents pay $45.03 a night through Oct. 31 and $47.35 from Nov. 1 to April 30. Sewer sites and water-view sites add $2 a night each. Taxes are extra. Source
Non-residents can book up to 6 months ahead. Book online, by email, or by phone at 321-264-5083. Source
Check-in is 2 to 9 p.m., check-out is 11 a.m., and quiet hours run 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Up to three leashed pets per site. No drones in the camping area. Source
Visit Space Coast keeps a Florida launch schedule. Dates and times change often, and launches get scrubbed. Source
Spaceflight Now lists every upcoming launch worldwide, including the Cape and Kennedy Space Center. Source
Night launching in the Merritt Island refuge is allowed only at Bairs Cove and Beacon 42. Areas can close temporarily ahead of rocket launches. Source
A Day Away Kayak Tours' comb jelly tour is about 1 hour 30 minutes on the water and lists $60 per person, November to May. Prices may change. Source
New Smyrna Beach beach driving is $30 a day for visitors. Speed limit is 10 mph. Source
Through Oct. 31, cars can be on the beach from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. or sundown, whichever comes first. Hours change Nov. 1, and ramps can close at high tide. Source
No pets on Volusia County's ocean beaches. Source
New Smyrna's beachfront parking lots don't allow RVs, so park on the sand instead. Source