After crossing a long and high bridge just east of Cocoa Village, you drop down upon a barrier island. A few miles farther and you'll reach the Atlantic Ocean and picture-perfect Cocoa Beach at Route A1A.
In the early 1960s Cocoa Beach was a sleepy, little-known town. But in 1965 the sitcom I Dream of Jeannie premiered. The endearing show featured an astronaut, played by Larry Hagman, and "Jeannie" in a bottle, Barbara Eden, and was set in Cocoa Beach. Though the series was never shot in Florida, creator Sidney Sheldon paid homage to the town with local references to Cape Kennedy (now known as the Kennedy Space Center) and Bernard's Surf restaurant. Today the town and its lovely beach–-the hometown of surfing champion Kelly Slater–-is a mecca to Florida's surfing community.
