Back to Nature: Kayaking the Waterways of Florida

The early pioneer settlement of LaGrange Community in Brevard County in 1858 pre-dated the missile launches on North Merritt Island by just one hundred years. During that span of time, the northern part of Brevard County underwent significant growth and development--homes were built, land farmed, businesses established, and churches built. The citrus industry provided North Brevard with a productive agricultural economy that remained strong until the advent of the space age. With the federal government's purchase of the land north of the port of Canaveral in the 1950s, the Cape Canaveral Missile Test Center was established. Later, when more land was needed, the Kennedy Space Center was built on North Merritt Island. Many North Brevard towns, communities, and homesteads disappeared when the governmental acquisition of land forced residents to relocate, but it was this new era of technology that helped shift North Brevard from the farm age to the space age.

Visitors and residents alike will enjoy exploring Brevard County, a recreational paradise where the high-tech space program exists alongside amazing natural areas like the Indian River Lagoon estuary; the most diverse marine estuary in the U.S. Comprehensive listings make this your most informative and entertaining vacation-planning tool. Full-color photographs throughout

ompletely updated yet again, the latest edition of Canoeing & Kayaking Florida is the most comprehensive guide to the best of Florida's unique streams, springs, creeks, and rivers. Engaging and concise, yet filled with carefully selected details vital to any successful Florida paddling adventure, Canoeing & Kayaking Florida spares readers encyclopedic fluff in favor of practical, no-nonsense information. With expanded regional maps and revised river maps, Canoeing & Kayaking Florida is simply the best and most informative Florida paddling guide available.

Birds of Central Florida covers the area from Ormond Beach south to Sebastian on the east coast and from Crystal River south to Punta Gorda on the west coast. This waterproof guide beautifully illustrates 124 species of birds that can be found in Central Florida. Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Florida Scrub Jay, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Wood Stork, Snail Kite, Limpkin, Mangrove Cuckoo, Gray Kingbird are some of the “specialties” included in this guide. This pocket-sized guide features color photos in a side-by-side format that makes it ideal for field use. It includes common and scientific names, length, wing span and season when these birds can be seen. Nature enthusiasts of all ages will enjoy using this guide.

This first comprehensive history of the Kennedy Space Center, NASA's famous launch facility located at Cape Canaveral, Florida, reveals the vital but largely unknown work that takes place before the rocket is lit.

Cocoa Beach welcomes millions of visitors every year, but the city has always managed to keep a small town atmosphere. In 1940, it was a cozy little waterfront town with less than 50 people. A few years after World War II, America’s space race began, and the city was never the same.