Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Blasts Off as TripAdvisor’s #1 U.S. Attraction! TripAdvisor has named Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex the top-ranked attraction in the United States as part of its annual 2025 Travelers’ Choice Awards: Best of the Best Things To Do, based on more than 15,000 five-star reviews. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex was voted #1 on the U.S. list – surpassing iconic landmarks like the Empire State Building – and #3 globally, just behind Sagrada Familia and the Eiffel Tower.
“Our guests have always been our top priority,” said Therrin Protze, chief operating officer, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. “We’re thrilled that families and explorers alike are embracing the journey we offer our visitors, from past missions to future frontiers. We are constantly looking for ways to evolve and improve our guest experience, and this summer opened the Gantry at LC-39, located amidst the most iconic launch pads in space exploration.”
The Gantry at LC-39 is accessible via the Kennedy Space Center Bus Tour and offers 360-degree panoramic views of active launch pads and the surrounding wildlife refuge, a full-scale rocket engine that comes to life during a simulated static-fire test – complete with thunderous sound, dazzling lights, and mist, hands-on exhibits including a Rocket Build Interactive for designing and virtually launching rockets, and a cutting-edge Earth Information Center showcasing NASA’s planet-monitoring efforts through immersive visuals and interactive media.
Every day at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is an opportunity to meet a real astronaut and get as close to space as possible without leaving Earth. With hands-on astronaut chats, interactive exhibits, flight-flown space artifacts, and the unforgettable bus tours through Kennedy Space Center’s grounds, the visitor complex offers an immersive journey from the early days of Mercury and Apollo to the crewed missions of today.
Guest favorites include:
- Space Shuttle Atlantis®: view the orbiter at a dramatic 43.21-degree angle, explore simulators, and pay respects to Challenger and Columbia through the “Forever Remembered” exhibit.
- Rocket Garden: stroll among the iconic giants of the Mercury and Saturn-era rockets.
- KSC Bus Tour: board the bus tour to relive the Apollo-era launches and see the massive Saturn V rocket up close at the Apollo/Saturn V Center. And new this summer, stop at the historic Gantry at LC-39 to see a piece of history and build a rocket.
- Astronaut Training Experience: test missions using multi-axis chairs and Mars-base simulators.
- Daily Astronaut Presentations: Chat with an Astronaut allows guests to interact with an astronaut every day.
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Blasts Off as TripAdvisor’s #1 U.S. Attraction!
For more information visit www.kennedyspacecenter.com.
