Canova [Dog] Beach Park, 10/23/2016

Anxious to walk along the beach, we set out for Cocoa Beach, FL, (about 15 minutes from where we were staying at Joy RV Park in Cocoa). We took the Causeway to Highway A1A, the primary road along the barrier islands, and headed south. Our first stop was Lori Wilson Park (www.vrevardcounty.us) along the coast. 

There is a boardwalk to the beach from the parking area, but, alas, no dogs allowed. I walked to the beach to snap a couple of photos while John stayed with our sweet doggy, Sadie. 

There is also a nice playground for kids and shelters for picnics at the park.

I saw a Beach Patrol officer and asked him if there were any dog-friendly beaches here. He advised that the only beach that permits dogs was about 20 miles south near Satellite, FL. Interested in seeing the area for the first time, we drove south on A1A to Canova Beach Park (www.brevardcounty.us). There are a couple of parking areas for the park, but dogs are only allowed at the southernmost part of the beach park.

And there were dogs everywhere! 

Unfortunately, dogs must remain leashed at this dog beach (which is not nearly as much fun as off-leash ones)! And the part of the beach in the park where dogs are permitted is very small. Nonetheless, Sadie had fun going in and out of the water with us. And the beach was just beautiful!

We enjoyed dog-watching, too! Check out this little guy with a life preserver around his neck. And these two German Shepherds were both terrified of the water/waves (well, it was their first visit to the ocean).

After the beach we drove north to Port Canaveral where we had an early dinner at Seafood Atlantic (www.seafoodatlantic.org), both a restaurant and fresh fish market. We sat in the open patio in the rear where we had a view of the Canaveral Barge Canal and the cruise ship ports. 

We enjoyed boat watching and bird watching from our table. There were small fishing boats, pleasure yachts, and a cruise ship at opposite ends of the canal. 

The pilot boat for one of the cruise ships arrived and we watched as they set sail toward the Atlantic Ocean around 4:30 pm.

We met a couple at the restaurant who were scheduled to leave the following day on a cruise from the same dock. It was a very enjoyable dining experience.