Kennedy Space Center Tour

We bought admission tickets (the normal bus tour is included) + the ‘KSC Up-​Close Explore Tour’ that goes to the Launch Control Center, which is a separate bus tour at additional cost.
We absolutely loved the tour — our guide was John and the driver, Tom, and both of them were incredibly knowledgeable and as enthusiastic about the Space Center as if they were little kids on an exciting field trip. They told us wonderful stories about the history of KSC, the building of the rockets and shuttles, the astronauts and people who ran the launch control — lots of fun. Even if you do not have time to visit do all of the activities at the visitor center, try to make time for one of these special tours (probably best for kids over 10+ since there is lots of talking). The teenagers enjoyed seeing the control panels in the Launch Center (older hardware — don’t expect anything up-​to-​date). The mission plaques in the downstairs entrance hall were touching — and brought home to human aspect of the missions. This was great tour — thank you, John and Tom!
At the Atlantis exhibit (boy, those tiles are amazing) you can sometimes find a retired NASA engineer — someone who really loved their work and is happy to answer your questions and explain things in layman terms. Again, talking to someone who was around when the shuttles were being built gives you a better insight into the space program.
*We did not eat here and instead packed our own food and the kids bought ice-​cream at the café. I remembered that the food was so-​so from a previous visit.

Family really enjoyed this! It was a bit on the pricey side … So be prepared and arrive early! They have plenty of ago times and things to see and do. But you need a whole day. The cafés were a crowded mess! Not enough cashiers and no accountability for the food. Some people were picking up food and putting it back in the heating windows… No one around to keep it clean. Minor hiccup. The rest of the place was amazing!!!