Summer vacation is your chance to escape your day-to-day responsibilities and create lasting memories with the ones you love. While many may travel abroad this summer, some may not be able to get away for a major trip. This summer, SpaceCoast Living will be exploring some of the cities that make up the beautiful Space Coast. Check back weekly for your staycation guides and let Brevard County surprise you all over again.
Palm Bay
The most populated city in Brevard County, over 100,000 people call Palm Bay home. This remarkably diverse, 67-aquare-mile city has every imaginable type of housing. Palm Bay Hospital is located here, as are 30 schools, including EFSC and a branch of UCF. Turkey Creek Sanctuary, one of the city’s 29 parks, is a favorite with nature lovers.
Malabar
Malabar is one of those towns that retains its “Old Brevard” flavor. Malabar’s residents live – usually quite comfortably – among tall oaks and pines, sometimes with cattle and horses.
Visit
Malabar Scrub Sanctuary
The variety of habitats found at this 395-acre sanctuary makes it an ideal place for visitors to learn how wetland and upland 
communities interact. Hike through trails that weave through protected habitats that include: xeric (dry) hammock, scrub, pine flatwoods and depression marshes. The sanctuary is also home to the Florida scrub-jay, gopher tortoise, and the Eastern indigo snake. Click here for more information.
Palm Bay Community Center
The Palm Bay Community Center is a recreation center open to the public. Play basketball, lift weights and get your cardio in. The kids can also skate at the skate park! The facility is equipped with men’s and women’s locker rooms, as well as fitness classes for all ages, from kids to seniors. Guests may pay a daily fee or a monthly/annual membership. Membership is not required to take these classes. Click here for more information.
Attractions
Bass Pro Shops
For those who haven’t been in a Bass Pro Shop, it is more like a museum or monument to outdoor recreation than a retail outlet. Inside the Palm Bay location, a 16,000-gallon fish tank is home to small mouth bass, reds, crappy, bowfin and catfish. Live feeding demos take place every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 1 p.m. BassPro.com
Palm Bay Aquatic Center
Take a break from the summer heat and cool off at the Palm Bay Aquatic Center. The pool area is kid-friendly and offers many amenities for the kids to enjoy. With a zero entry depth, play toys, a large slide and lifeguards on duty, kids will be entertained for hours. The center also offers swimming lessons and swim team. If you’re looking for a place to exercise, lap lanes and exercise classes are available too. Click here for more information.
Getting Physical
Kayak with Palm Bay Kayaks
Play golf at The Majors Golf Club
Take a walk at the Turkey Creek Sanctuary
Upcoming Events
July 18: Brevard County’s 11th Annual Hispanic Expo
August 9: Skate Jam
September 13: 4th Annual Hard Hats and High Heels Gala
September 13: Florida Tech Football
September 20: Concert in the Park
Taste of this Town
The Yellow Dog Café, which specializes in “comfort food with a flair,” is consistently well-reviewed for its diverse, creative menu, which includes specialties such as pecan-crusted mahi-mahi accented with a vanilla bean infused praline sauce; rack of lamb; and its signature dish: onion-crusted chicken with caramel citrus glaze. Located on multiple levels along the banks of the Indian River Lagoon, its panoramic views have led to Yellow Dog Café to be described as one of the most romantic restaurants in Florida. YellowDogCafe.com
