I was a kid in the early 70s and watched Apollo 17 and Skylab 1 launch at night. There's something about watching the rocket launch light up the sky like it's day, hear the sound a few seconds later then feel the shock waves from the engines. We were about 4 miles from the launch in Titusville Fla. I've never taken these launches for granted since.
Sorry...you weren't...Apollo 17 and Skylab 1 both used LC-39A, which is about 12 miles away from the closest point in Titusville. If you were on the NASA Causeway (used to be able to drive cars out there, now it's buses only) you'd be about 6, give or take a mile or two depending on where you were on the causeway. The VIP site at Banana Creek is the closest at about 2.5.
Still, I've seen a shuttle launch from there, and it's quite spectacular. I'd love to have seen that Saturn V go!