Surfers are drawn here but it’s also a major attraction to anyone for walking out over the ocean. Enjoy this impressive structure and its frequent events.
Cocoa Beach Pier is near Cape Canaveral on the Space Coast. It’s a superb place for its constant provision of things to do and see, as well as for its cooling sea breezes. Walk out over the Atlantic Ocean for 800 feet (240 meters). Visit the assorted businesses on the pier, including restaurants, boutiques, tropical bars and gift shops.
A local businessman built the pier in 1962. Cars were initially allowed to drive on it. Notice the 270 sturdy pilings driven into the ocean’s bottom to hold up the structure and its 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) of plank decking. Back then, citizens and tourists drove out on the pier to watch sunsets or the liftoff of space missions from nearby Cape Canaveral, about 2 miles (3 kilometers) away. About 20 years later, the pier’s name was changed from Canaveral Pier to its current one and it underwent a $2-million remodeling and expansion.
The pier became the focal point for surfers as Cocoa Beach evolved into the Surfing Capital of the East Coast. The first Easter Surfing Festival was organized in 1964. The pier was the original location of the well-known Ron Jon Surf Shop that has since relocated to a nearby address. Imagine the attraction for youth in the ‘70s when a pier disco known as Asylum was the venue for popular bands including The Beach Boys, The Edgar Winter Group, Bachman-Turner Overdrive or BTO, UB40 and many more.
More recently it’s been the location of the famous Pier House Restaurant, now known as the award-winning Atlantic Ocean Grille. Find the Rikki Tikki Tavern at the end of the pier, surrounded with amazing sea views, as you enjoy a hunger-busting selection from the menu. The pier has undergone a $4-million investment after it was purchased by a hotel interest from the original owners in 2014.
Find Cocoa Beach Pier in Cocoa Beach off Meade Avenue. There is a fee to go out on the pier; some businesses refund this amount on purchases. The admission is worth the price even if you’re here just for a stroll, refreshing sea breezes or a spectacular sunset.
