The Best of Cocoa Beach: Surf, Food, Stays & Local Spots

Every so often someone captures this town so well that all you can do is sit back and nod. That's exactly what happened when I watched local filmmaker Dalton Smith and his crew at NPI Productions put together their Cocoa Beach tour — the surf, the food, the stays, the local spots. I didn't make a single one of these picks. Dalton did. But I've lived a block from the water here longer than I'll admit, and I can tell you: he got it right.

What I love most isn't just the beautiful footage (though it is beautiful). It's that Dalton clearly gets Cocoa Beach. He didn't parachute in and film the obvious. He showed the places that make this town feel like home, and he did it with the kind of warmth and energy that makes you want to grab your flip-flops and go.

So watch his tour below, and let me walk you through why I'm nodding along at every stop.

He Starts Where It All Starts: The Surf

You can't tell the story of Cocoa Beach without the surf, and Dalton knows it. This is the East Coast surf capital, the town that gave the world Kelly Slater, and the waves out front are as friendly a place to catch your first ride as you'll find anywhere.

His first stop is Cocoa Beach Surf Company — and it's the right one. It's one of the biggest surf shops in the world, multiple stories of boards, rentals, beachwear, and enough stickers to cover a lifetime of coolers. Whether you're renting a longboard or hunting for a souvenir, this is the anchor. And the beauty of it, as Dalton points out, is that the beach is right out the back door.

He also swings by Drift House — apparel, skateboards, gear, and a bar where you can grab a cold one while you shop. Keep an eye on their calendar for movie nights on the back patio. And he stops at the Cocoa Beach Skate Park, a local institution for over twenty years, with plenty for the little ones and some serious bowls (including the cradle) if you're feeling brave.

Where He Eats & Drinks

This is the part folks ask me about most, and honestly, Dalton's list is one I'd hand a visitor myself.

He pulls up to Long Doggers — a Space Coast staple, relaxed, dog-friendly, and the kind of place the whole crew leaves happy. Loaded dogs, fresh seafood, and their Hatteras Red on tap, which you can only get at their locations.

Fourth Street Filling Station is one of his "only in Cocoa Beach" stops, and I couldn't agree more — an old gas station turned gastro bar with over 100 craft beers, street tacos, poke bowls, and monster milkshakes. The real magic is the patio under a hundred-year-old oak with the sunset coming in. Bring the dog. Bring the kids.

When the sun goes down, Dalton finds his way to The Alibi downtown, a speakeasy vibe done right — plush seating, low light, and a smoked old-fashioned worth lingering over. And over at Port Canaveral, he lands at Rising Tide Tap and Table, a genuine food-lover's paradise: open-air, killer sunset views, one of the biggest beer lists around, and a burger he calls one of the best in Brevard. He's not wrong. Fun detail he catches — some of the fixtures are made from real rocket parts, and if you time it right, the back patio is a front-row seat to a launch.

The Sweet Stuff

Two stops of Dalton's that I'd never skip either.

After a morning in the water, he recharges at Açaí Express downtown — fresh açaí and pitaya bowls loaded with fruit and granola. Light enough to get you back out there, good enough that you'll be thinking about it later.

And he doesn't leave out the Florida Key Lime Pie Company — classic key lime pie the way it's supposed to taste, sweet, tart, fresh, plus homemade ice cream and the world-famous "Cocoa Beach Crack" (a key lime yogurt pretzel that's exactly as dangerous as it sounds). Swing by on a weekend and say hi to Sweetie the alligator.

A Little Local Character

Two spots Dalton highlights that make this town this town.

The Cocoa Beach Mural Project has quietly turned downtown into an open-air gallery — local artists, real stories, everything from marine life to space exploration. Dalton lingers on them, and I'm glad he did; it's some of the best free art on the coast.

And the Dinosaur Store — a Cocoa Beach original with real fossils, interactive exhibits, a reptile room with live animals, and an adventure zone for the kids. Part science, part nostalgia, all fun.

Where He Stays

Dalton covers a stay for every kind of traveler.

For location, he points to the Four Points by Sheraton — right in the heart of it, surf shop practically at your feet, beach steps away.

The Radisson Resort at the Port brings the full resort experience: renovated rooms, an onsite restaurant, that famous waterfall pool, a free cruise shuttle, and — if you're lucky — a rocket launch from your room.

The Beachside Hotel is his family pick, with a lazy river, live music, dining, and free rentals for guests.

For a home base with more room, he tours the Coastal Scandinavian Retreat, a beautiful modern Airbnb with a private pool, hot tub, and every beach essential waiting for you, and Seasons in the Sun, another gem with waterfront views, a heated pool, a game room, and kayaks and beach cruisers ready to go.

Look Up — and Get on the Water

Dalton closes with the two things you truly can't leave without doing.

First: watch a launch. The Space Coast is the world's premier gateway to space, and Cocoa Beach has front-row seats up and down the coastline — the beach, the pier, Jetty Park, or right off a boat. Check the launch schedule before your trip and don't forget to look up.

And for a day offshore, he heads out with Sea Leveler Sport Fishing at Port Canaveral — mahi, sailfish, red snapper, even shark trips day or night. There's nothing quite like reeling one in with a rocket climbing the sky behind you.

About the filmmaker

All the credit for this one goes to Dalton Smith — a local videographer, content creator, and the founder and creative director of NPI Productions, based right here in the Cocoa Beach and Satellite Beach area. If you spend any time online around the Space Coast, you've probably seen his work: Dalton is best known for the NPI City Series and for his high-energy surf, storm-chasing, and local adventure edits that show off this coast better than just about anyone. His company regularly partners with Space Coast brands and shines a light on the spots that make our towns special.

For the past decade, Dalton has built NPI into exactly the kind of company he imagined — one rooted in adventure and creative challenge, and built on the idea that working with friends is the best way to work. That spirit comes through in every frame of this tour, and it's backed by a talented crew: filmmaker JD Harding, project managers Sydney Sutherland and Devyn Deboer, office manager Dee Ann Allen, and social media manager Madison Smith.

If you liked what you saw, go see more of their work at npiproductions.tv, follow Dalton on Facebook for his latest local adventure edits, and — most of all — support the local businesses he featured. They're what make this town home.

Thanks, Dalton. You nailed it.

See you around town,

Patrick