Information on Pier opening times, address and parking fees can be found at the bottom of this story.

The start of the day on the Cocoa Beach Pier has never looked better.

"We want people to come here feeling comfortable, enjoying the beach and leaving with the experience I never had this before at any pier," said Rick Lohr, the pier's general manager. "The ambiance is just a new environment."

The Cocoa Beach Pier opened in 1962. It's now a Westgate Resort property, and the landmark recently received a $1 million upgrade.

"Our standards are a lot higher than ever before," Lohr said.

A new shower station sits at the base of the pier, as well as refreshed restrooms with new flooring and clean tile.

Sebastian Baker, a 14-year-old surfer, said the pier was due for an upgrade.

"It was a mess," Baker said.

In fact, watching the teenage surfer ride a wave during breakfast is a draw. The boardwalk begins serving at 8:30 a.m. daily.

"You can sit here, have breakfast, as well, and you can see the amazing ocean view right out your front porch," said Gregory Doiron, executive chef of the pier’s restaurant.

From the giant windows, you can watch surfers catch a wave.

"It brings a nice crowd around," Baker said.

Dorion serves unique dishes at down, like a breakfast beach burrito and a new way to get your eggs.

"You can have an amazing cheese burger with egg right on top," he said.

Fishing starts early, too. You can rent everything you'll need. You can also read the new history panels and peek around in the gift shop.

"Now I feel the pier is that family oriented place," Doiron concluded.

About this Destination

Where: Cocoa Beach, Space Coast, Brevard County

Hours:
Daily from 8:30 a.m. – dusk or later

Phone number: 321-783-7549

General Admission:
Walking on the Pier: $1
Fishing on the Pier: $3

Address:
401 Meade Ave.
Cocoa Beach, Florida 32931

Website: http://westgateresorts.com/cocoa-beach-pier/

Parking: $10 at the Pper. Free parking is within walking distance at public lots

Accessibility Note:
The pier has no steps. A ramp leads from the parking lot to the horizontal level.

GPS Longitude & Latitude:
Latitude: 28.367648
Longitude: -80.602777

Latitude: 28° 22' 3.5322"
Longitude: -80° 36' 9.9972"

Drive Times:
From Orlando: 50 minutes
From Tampa: 2 hours

Tankful on Television
You can catch new Florida on a Tankful stories each Thursday and Saturday on News 13 and Bay News 9. New editions play at the end of each hour starting at 6 a.m. Classic Florida on a Tankful stories can be found each Friday and Sunday on Bay News 9 and News 13 at the end of each hour starting at 6 a.m.


Tankful on Demand
This story was part of the Florida on a Tankful Summer Road Trip.  Catch the 30-minute special with Scott Fais now on Bright House Local On Demand, Channel 999. Use your remote to scroll to the right to the TRAVEL category. Then SCROLL DOWN to TANKFUL.