What is the Indian River Lagoon?
The Indian River Lagoon is a 156-mile-long estuary on Florida's east coast, bordered by six counties from Volusia County south to Palm Beach County.
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What is Merritt Island, Florida?
Merritt Island is in Brevard County, and its land north and west of Cape Canaveral holds NASA's Kennedy Space Center and a national wildlife refuge.
In 1962, NASA acquired land and water next to Cape Canaveral for the John F. Kennedy Space Center. In 1963, the federal government acquired more than 140,000 acres north and west of the Cape on Merritt Island. On August 28, 1963, the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge was set up there by agreement with NASA, sharing the space center's land. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the Kennedy Space Center lands that NASA is not using for its operations. A second agreement created the Canaveral National Seashore in 1975.
The refuge covers 140,000 acres, about 60 miles east of Orlando. Fishing is allowed, with a refuge permit, in its open waters of the Indian River Lagoon, the Banana River and Mosquito Lagoon. It has more than 1,500 kinds of plants and animals, and 15 of them are federally listed species. Black Point Wildlife Drive is a one-way drive of about 7 miles through salt and freshwater marshes.
A refuge pass is needed for Black Point Wildlife Drive, Bio Lab Road and three boat ramps. The daily pass is $10 per vehicle, the annual pass is $25 per vehicle, and the daily pass on foot or bicycle is $10 per person. Refuge roads, trails and boat ramps are open daily from sunrise to sunset; NASA may restrict access during launch operations.
The refuge visitor center is 4 miles past the refuge entrance, at 1963 Refuge Headquarters Road, Titusville. It is open 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, and its phone number is (321) 861-0667.
Brevard County's commission page lists Merritt Island in District 2, with Cocoa, Rockledge, Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach.
Where to go from here.
Where can you watch a rocket launch in Florida?
On the Space Coast in Brevard County, where rockets go up from Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center.
Read the answer →Where is the birdwatching in Florida?
Florida sits on the Atlantic flyway with the Gulf on one side, so it carries both resident wading birds and everything passing through.
Read the answer →Brevard County
Population 632,780. Typical home sale price $368,859 in the three months ending June 2026; typical condo $229,000 in May 2026. Median household income $78,476; 24.5% of residents are 65 or older. (Source: Redfin; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, published January 2026)
Open the county guide →Where this comes from.
- About Us, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗ Read October 28, 2026
- Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge home page, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗ Read October 28, 2026
- Visit Us, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗ Read October 28, 2026
- Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge brochure, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (no date shown) ↗ Read October 28, 2026
- Board of County Commissioners, Brevard County ↗ Read October 28, 2026
More questions like this.
Which Florida beaches have the sunset?
Any beach on the Gulf coast faces west, so the sun goes down into the water the length of that shore.
Which Florida beaches have the sunrise?
The whole Atlantic coast, from Amelia Island down to Key Biscayne. The ones worth setting an alarm for are the undeveloped stretches, where nothing stands between the dune and the horizon.
Where are the lighthouses in Florida?
Florida has more standing lighthouses than any other state and about a dozen let you climb them.
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