Top 5 things to do at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex before year is up

Since 1967, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has given millions of visitors a closer chance to witness the birthplace of American spaceflight. 

As one of Central Florida's main attractions, each year the complex is flooded by tourists from all around the world.

Not only can guests ride the legendary bus tours which takes them to the Apollo 8 launch site and Saturn V rocket, they can also enjoy attractions such as the shuttle launch experience or the Astronaut Training Experience.

More:5 new additions to look forward to at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

With the holidays fast approaching, the visitor complex is a great vacation stop for those who want to get closer to the space industry.

Ticket prices are $57 plus tax for adults (ages 12 and over) and $47 plus tax for children (ages 3 to 11). Admission includes the bus tour, Space Shuttle Atlantis, Shuttle Launch Experience, Apollo/Saturn V Center, Heroes & Legends featuring the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, 3D space films and all attractions and exhibits. Attractions such as the Astronaut Training Experience or "Lunch With An Astronaut" are not included in the general admission tickets. 

Next week, guests can watch from the space center as SpaceX's new Falcon 9 rocket launches their first-ever Air Force satellite GPS mission from Cape Canaveral as well as experiencing the annual "Holidays in Space" which features a kinetic light show starting at 5 p.m. at the Atlantis North Lawn every day (with the exception of Christmas) until Dec. 30. 

This year, the light show will center around the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 8 mission where astronauts, Bill Anders, Frank Borman and Jim Lovell became the first to leave low-Earth orbit, Kenna Pell, assistant public relations manager at the visitor complex said. 

"Telling the NASA story is an important part of our history, our current time and our future," Rebecca Shireman, manager of communications and public relations at the visitor complex said.

Though there are tons of things to do at the complex, so much that one day is simply not enough, below are some of the must-do's, especially for first-timers. 

1. Bus Tour

Since its inception, the bus tours have been an integral part of the visitor complex. 

Taking guests to Launch Complex 39, the inside of the 525-foot-high Vehicle Assembly Building, the Apollo/Saturn V Center and other stops, the 40-minute tour gives guests access to NASA's restricted areas.

The narrated video bus tour ends at the Apollo/Saturn V Center where guests get to see for themselves one of the three Saturn V rockets in existence, relive the Apollo 8 launch at the Firing Room Theater, witness the final moments before man landed on the moon as well as enjoying a meal at the Moon Rock Cafe where guests can dine next to an actual moon rock.

For those who want more, the visitor complex also provides special interest tours for an additional cost.

• Explore Tour: The two-hour-long tour gives an insider's view of the U.S. Space Program, from the launch sites of today to the past and future of space exploration at the space center. Visitors can see the rocket launch pads supporting launches by NASA, SpaceX and United Launch Alliance. 
• Cape Canaveral Early Space Tour: The three-hour-long tour takes guests back in time by providing them with the 50-year history of space exploration at Cape Canaveral. Guests can see the site of the first two Mercury launches, the Air Force Space and Missile Museum, the Mercury Memorial and many more.
• Ticket prices are $25 for adults and $19 for children for each tour. 

2. Space Shuttle Atlantis

With over 60 interactive exhibits, Space Shuttle Atlantis brings guests nose-to-nose with the space shuttle orbiter that first launched in 1985. 

Inside the exhibit, guests can learn more about the Hubble Space Telescope, experience life aboard the International Space Station, take astronaut training simulators where visitors will learn how to pilot the space shuttle, dock on the space station and land at the space center.  

3. Shuttle launch experience

Also at the Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit, guests can enjoy the shuttle launch experience. 

Meant to convey what it feels like on-board a space shuttle launch, guests strap into the eight-and-a-half minute simulation until they ascend into orbit. 

Immersing visitors with the sights, sounds and feelings of a space shuttle launch, guest "crew members" can see a firsthand view of Earth from space. 

4. Astronaut encounter

Held daily at the Astronaut Encounter Theater, guests get face-to-face with the people who have experienced space travel.

"We have an astronaut here every day of the year that you can actually meet, shake hands with and ask questions," Pell said. 

The half-hour interactive program lets visitors hear how astronauts eat, sleep and live in space, as well as a question-and-answer session and photo opportunity with the veteran astronaut. 

"[The astronauts] are very accessible too," Shireman said. "It's not just like there's an astronaut on a stage making a presentation." 

5. Experience a rocket launch

One of the special perks of being on the Space Coast, guests can also experience an actual rocket launch while at the complex if planned accordingly.

In fact, the visitor complex offers the closest public viewing of launches. 

Guests can either watch the launches at the main visitor complex, which is included in their daily admission or they can head to the Apollo/Saturn V Center or LC-39 Observation Gantry for an additional cost. 

As mentioned earlier, next Tuesday, guests can watch from the complex as SpaceX launches its first Air Force GPS III satellite. The launch window is from 9:11 a.m. to 9:37 a.m. ET. 

"I remember seeing space shuttle launches growing up and I never expected to really be working here at Kennedy," Shireman said. "But the visitor complex has such an amazing capacity to reach so many people and communicate the importance of the space program, the benefits of it and it's really an exciting time to be a part of that."

For those who have an extra day to spend at the complex, the Astronaut Training Experience and Mars Base 1 lets guests experience what it's like to land and drive on Mars, walk on Mars or do a spacewalk like on the ISS. 

Astronaut Training Experience & Mars Base 1

Added earlier this year, the full day programs invite guests to either train like an astronaut who's preparing to embark on a mission to the red planet or experience the opportunity to live on Mars for seven hours while performing base operations.

Guests can conduct a spacewalk in a microgravity environment, harvest vegetables in the botany lab like in the film, "The Martian," and navigate the Martian terrain in a Mars rover. 

These attractions can be add-ons to the regular admission ticket, or if visitors only want to experience these attractions, they can also be purchased separately.  

"A lot of people, I think, don't necessarily understand the value sometimes of what's here, and it's really quite remarkable," Shireman said. 

Contact Jaramillo at 321-242-3668 or antoniaj@floridatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at @AntoniaJ_11.

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