Kennedy Space Center

Kennedy Space Center is NASA's launch headquarters, on Florida's Space Coast about an hour east of Orlando. Its Visitor Complex turns the working spaceport into a full day out.

You can walk beneath a preserved Saturn V moon rocket, stand next to the retired Space Shuttle Atlantis, meet a veteran astronaut, and tour launch facilities by bus. If your dates line up, you may even catch a live rocket launch from a nearby viewing area.

It's the farthest of our featured attractions — roughly an hour's drive from the Orlando homes — but an easy and memorable day trip, especially for space-minded families.