Charles and Lillie Woodrows

The Woodrows and others stayed at sea for almost nine hours before it was deemed safe enough to continue island hopping. Despite almost participating in one the worst natural disasters of the past century, they still describe their experience as “most enjoyable.”

“It’s hard to pick a favorite island in Hawaii as each has its own distinct beauty,” said Charles. “It’s very difficult to pick one over the other and I don’t think I can.”

Their vacation was even more enjoyable because they saved money by using Cruises, Travel and Attractions’ travel agency and utilizing its website, www.thevacationstationmembers.com.

When it was all over, they rated the company’s customer service as excellent.
Best of all, because the Woodrows are members of Cruises, Travel and Attractions, they received a rebate check after their vacation was over, saving them even more money. While they are staying closer to home for their next vacation, Cruises, Travel and Attractions will still be available to help them plan their trip and keep more money in their pockets.

Charles and Lillie Woodrows

Charles and Lillie Woodrow of Hopkins, South Carolina, have been members of Vacation Inspiration for two years but didn’t decide to take their first trip to Europe until last year.

“We had a good experience, so we booked another vacation this year through Cruises, Travel and Attractions and headed to Hawaii,” said Charles Woodrow. “While we won’t travel as far from home next time, we will definitely utilize our membership with Cruises, Travel and Attractions again.”

A 15-day vacation to Hawaii is a dream vacation and one the Woodrows won’t soon forget – but for another reason.

“We were on a cruise visiting some of the Hawaiian Islands when the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan,” Charles explained. “It was incredible, but we were kept informed of what was happening the entire time. The cruise line took us out to sea for about 25 miles to avoid getting hit ourselves. It was definitely a new and once-in-alifetime experience for all of us.”…

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Charles and Lillie Woodrows

The Woodrows and others stayed at sea for almost nine hours before it was deemed safe enough to continue island hopping. Despite almost participating in one the worst natural disasters of the past century, they still describe their experience as “most enjoyable.”

“It’s hard to pick a favorite island in Hawaii as each has its own distinct beauty,” said Charles. “It’s very difficult to pick one over the other and I don’t think I can.”

Their vacation was even more enjoyable because they saved money by using Cruises, Travel and Attractions’ travel agency and utilizing its website, www.thevacationstationmembers.com.

When it was all over, they rated the company’s customer service as excellent.
Best of all, because the Woodrows are members of Cruises, Travel and Attractions, they received a rebate check after their vacation was over, saving them even more money. While they are staying closer to home for their next vacation, Cruises, Travel and Attractions will still be available to help them plan their trip and keep more money in their pockets.

Anyone who has ever driven through Merritt Island, Florida knows that you can’t go far without encountering a body of water. Brevard County is fortunate to have a seemingly endless network of rivers, lakes and canals that provide some pretty spectacular waterfront locations. One of the newest and most luxurious condo communities in this coastal town is the elite gated residences of Island Pointe, a hard-to-miss set of sunny yellow buildings that stretch out into the Indian River. Built in 2006 by prestigious developer Homes by Towne, this riverfront complex is widely known for its luxurious floor plans and incredible views. Designed to provide every resident with the ultimate waterfront experience, every single condo in this community features a private balcony on the Indian River and a front row seat for some of the most breathtaking sunsets you will ever witness. Manatees and dolphins are spotted almost daily in the waters along the community boardwalk.

In addition to the amenities provided by Mother Nature, there are many other benefits to living in Island Pointe. The community features two heated pools with spas, an exercise room, sauna, recreation center with meeting/party room and community kitchen, basketball and tennis courts. There are also plenty of entertainment options outside the gates, with nearby marinas for the boating enthusiast, kayaking and canoeing spots for the nature lover, and several shopping and dining hot spots. Just across the bridge from Island Pointe is the picturesque area of Cocoa Village, known for its quaint storefronts, fine dining, shows at the Cocoa Village Playhouse, concerts at the amphitheater in Riverfront Park, and one heck of a fireworks display every Fourth of July!

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State Theater: past and present

By Norma J. Leighty Baird

THE STATE THEATER originally began as the Aladdin Theater. This theater was built in 1924 for approximately $80,000 by W. H. Bower Construction Company, a qualified company with 20 years experience in building quality homes and office buildings. The Aladdin Theater of Cocoa was a modern building in a progressive town on the central east coast of Florida, a town that was becoming well-known as a tourist area.

A dream of Fred Bryan and Herbert M. Cogswell was to have a more stable and pretentious facility for the type of entertainment they felt the town of Cocoa should have. From all accounts, many of the citizens of Cocoa were not in agreement with these two gentlemen. Apparently this did not deter them as they decided to look on this project as a “dream come true rather than an investment.”

As in a lot of cases, the dream became a reality. Cocoa and its citizens were proud of this building and Bryan and Cogswell for their tenacity. The Aladdin Theater was one of the finest theaters in the state and Cocoa was probably the only town of its size in the whole country to process “such a magnificent structure for entertainment.”

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ONCE A KEY PLAYER IN FLORIDA’S BOOMING citrus industry, Merritt Island joined the space race in the 1950s and 1960s, its prosperity and popularity soaring along with the rest of the Space Coast, a vibrant and growing stretch of the beautiful central Florida shoreline.

In the mid-1800s, the area was known for producing world-famous Indian River oranges and grapefruit, and pineapples also thrived in the sandy soil. The small towns that once dotted the island–Georgiana, Courtenay, Tropic, Fairyland, Orsino, Angel City, Wilson and Indianola among them–have vanished, leaving Merritt Island to be administered by Brevard County. Water and sewer service come to the island’s residents from the nearby town of Cocoa.

Nearby attractions include the Kennedy Space Center, the Astronaut Hall of Fame the American Police Hall of Fame in Titusville, and the Veterans Memorial Center

Originally named Artesia, Merritt Island is located just six miles southwest of Cape Canaveral, the heart of America’s space program. Because of its central location in Brevard County, between Titusville and Melbourne, the area has developed into an economic hub, tucked between the Atlantic beaches to the east and the mainland cities of Rockledge and Cocoa to the west. There’s more to do on Florida’s Space Coast, however, than lounge on the beach, search for seashells and gaze at space shuttles soaring skyward. Residents and visitors enjoy golf, tennis, horseback riding, hiking, biking, surfing, water-skiing, windsurfing, snorkeling, boating, sailing and shopping. Parks provide playgrounds, picnic tables and barbecue grills, and nearby historic Cocoa Village offers tree-lined streets and a wide variety of shops, cafes and art galleries.

In addition to the Kennedy Space Center, nearby attractions include the Astronaut Hall of Fame; the American Police Hall of Fame in Titusville; and the Veterans Memorial Center, which includes a military museum.

And if you simply seek a peek at the unspoiled beauty of the Florida coast, you can visit Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, located adjacent to the Space Center. The 22-square-mile wetlands area, managed by the federal government, attracts more than 300 species of birds and also is home to ghost crabs, loggerhead and green sea turtles, raccoons, bobcats, alligators, manatees, dolphins, bald eagles, ospreys and even the elusive Florida panther. You can see many of them along the seven-mile-long Blackpoint Wildlife Drive.