Cocoa Beach is known as the surfing capital of the East Coast. It's also the closest beach to Orlando, making it an ideal day-tripping location. These pics, from the State Archives of Florida, depict a Cocoa Beach before an estimated 2.4 million day trippers hit the laid-back town on an annual basis. The beaches were empty, the shops were kitschy (they still are, for the most part) and even the mayor hopped on a surfboard.
Related: Before there was Disney: 29 photos of tourist attractions that were here before the Mouse 44 sweet shots of Daytona Beach in the 1950s 52 vintage shots of Orlando from the ’50s and ’60s 38 classic shots of Orlando from the early 20th century 43 historic shots of Orlando in the late 19th century
Photos by State Archives of Florida http://floridamemory.com/
