Cost: $20 per night (1/2 price for FL residents over 65)
+ Located in Northwest Florida, 12 miles from Interstate 10 and 35 minutes from Pensacola, FL.
+ Campsites are level and graveled with W/E/S, tables, bbq grills, fire pits and clothesline.
+ Bathrooms are very clean with a row of private shower stalls equipped with a bench and hooks and plenty of hot water.
+ Campground has playground and two hiking trails.
Chain of Lakes Trail - 1 1/2 mile easy, level trail.
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Lakeland, Florida
Address: 16000 State Road 471, Lakeland, FL 33809
Our rating: *****
Cost: $24 per night, $168 per week (1/2 price for FL residents over 65)
+ Located in Central Florida.
+ Campsites are graveled and very large with grill, firepit and table.
+ Bathrooms were very clean and had 2 extra wide showers with large bench and plenty of clothes hooks.
+ Campground amenities include a community sink for washing dishes, one washer and one dryer and snack vending machine all located near the bathroom.
+ Additional Comments: The park had three trails. We did the Mack Lake Trail which was 0.3 miles. The other two trails were 10 and 7 miles long but we were able to do a shorter route on both trails. There is canoe/kayak rentals in the park. It costs $8 to rent a kayak for the first two hours which was enough time for us. Then $3 each additional hour.
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Sebring, Florida
Address: 5931 Hammock Rd., Sebring FL 33872
Our Rating: *****
Cost: $22 per night (1/2 price for FL residents)
+ Located in Central Florida off US-27
+ Campsites are on the smaller size. All have picnic tables and grills.
+ Bathrooms are clean. Showers are large with roomy benches and plenty of hooks. The ceiling fans worked great to keep the bathroom cool and were a welcome sight.
+ Campground amenities include a large camp store, museum and 9 walking trails.
Fern Garden Trail
Additional Comments: There is a band shell where Music in the Park Concerts happen. It costs $10 per person and children 12 and under a free. We highly recommend the park tram tour. Make reservations for the last tour of the day for a longer tour. The cost is $10 per adult, $5 for kids aged 6-12. Kids 5 and under are free.
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Key Largo, Florida
Address: 102601 Overseas Highway, Key Largo, FL 33037
Our Rating: ****1/2
Cost: $36.00 per day (1/2 price for FL seniors)
+ Located in South Florida.
+ Campsites were narrow and just long enough to fit a van in front of an 18 ft. trailer. (Most vehicles were parked horizontally in front of their RV's to fit.) Campsite amenities included W/S/E, grill, picnic table.
+Bathrooms were very clean. Showers were spacious but didn't have a shower curtain in between the shower and dressing area but were long enough for the dressing area to remain mostly dry. There is a long bench and plenty of hooks in the dressing area.
+Campground amenities included a dishwashing sink, washer and dryers and soda/water vending machine.
+Additional Comments: Park amenities included kayak and paddleboard rentals, food truck, dive shop/boat rental, visitor center and aquarium (no charge), boat tours including a glass bottom boat, 3 hiking trails and 2 small beaches.
Cannon Beach
Aquarium
Grove Trail
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Fruitland, FL
Address: 3089 Hwy. 441-27, Fruitland Park, FL 34731-4470
Our rating: *****
Cost: $18 per night, $126 per week (1/2 price for Florida residents 65 and over)
+ Located in Central Florida.
+ Campsites are on the short side but level with metal lantern posts (we like to hang our garbage bags on them), grills and picnic tables.
+ Bathrooms are clean with 4 large fans that kept the room comfortable. The shower stalls were a good size and each had a bench and clothes hooks.
+Campground amenities included laundry area and community sink.
Additional Comments: The small public park was just steps away from the campground. The many amenities here included a couple of trails, including the trail that led to the Mammoth Live Oak. Other activities to enjoy here was the playground, outdoor exercise apparatus and canoe and kayak rental (the $12 per hour, 2 hour minimum was worth the price and 2 hours was enough time to kayak out to Lake Griffin and back).
Mammoth Live Oak
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Lake Wales, Florida
Address: 14248 Camp Mack Rd., Lake Wales, FL 33898
Our rating: *****
Cost: $20 per night, $140 per week (1/2 price for FL residents)
+ Located in Central Florida. Approximately 1 1/2 hours south of Orlando attractions.
+ Campsites are private and many are very spacious with tables and grills. Sites have water and electric but no sewer. We couldn't get wifi at our site.
+ Bathrooms are clean and have an extra long bench outside the individual showers so plenty room for all your stuff.
+ Campground amenities include laundry room, lookout tower and small store.
Additional Comments: We sat outside the store which had wifi available when we needed it. The trails were flat, no hiking stick needed. There is a also cowboy camp here worth checking out.
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High Springs, Florida
Address: 410 SE O'Leno Park Rd., High Springs, FL 32643
Our rating: ****1/2
Cost: $18 per night (1/2 price for Florida residents over 65)
+Located in North Central Florida.
+ Campsite (Loop: MAG1 - Site #11 - 20' back-in) was long enough for our car to fit in front of our 18' trailer with the front bed extended. The fenced in area to the right of our trailer contained a picnic bench and fire ring with attached grate. No wifi but got a couple of TV stations to come in clear with an indoor antenna.
+ Bathrooms were very clean with very large handicapped toilet stall and shower. Other showers were a good size with a plastic shower curtain separating the shower from the dressing area which had a bench and clothes hook. The only problem with the shower was that the faucet handle was on the dressing area side of the space which made adjusting the water temperature a bit awkward. Ceiling fans kept the air circulating.
+ Campground amenities included a playground and community sink.
Additional comments: O'Leno State Park is one of Florida's first state parks and one that was developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's. There is a museum that is dedicated to this important group but it was closed when we visited the park. The 6,000 acre park has miles of hiking, cycling and equestrian trails. We were able to walk from our campsite to the two trails we hiked.
River Trail
(The suspension bridge here, built by the CCC, crosses over the Santa Fe River.)
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COUNTY PARKS
Tierra Verde, Florida
Address: 3500 Pinellas Bayway South, Tierra Verde, FL 33715
Our Rating: *****
Cost: 33.50 - $38.50
+Located on one of 5 interconnected islands (keys) located on Florida's west coast in Pinellas City.
+Most of the campsites we saw, including ours, were short and narrow. Amenities include water and electric, picnic table and grill.
+Bathrooms were clean and well-ventilated by a gap between the top of the wall and the roof. I really appreciated the way the shower was designed with the water on one side of the wall and the dressing area on the other so that it kept this area completely dry.
+Campground amenities included a camp store, large playground, beach, bike and kayak rental and three trails.
Additional Comments: We did not run out of things to do here and never needed to leave the campground to find entertainment. One of our favorite experiences here was a ferry ride we took from the park to Shell Key Preserve. I brought back lots of shells but the highlight of the trip was spotting dolphins from our ferry on the ride back to the park.
Check out these posts for things to do in Florida.
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