Nice campgrounds on gulf coast of Florida

[sueb]

Hi,
We are looking to spend a couple of weeks in Florida in either January or February.
This will be our first time doing Florida in our 28 foot Flying Cloud.
I would appreciate any ideas of nice waterfront campgrounds.
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Susan

[A W Warn]

Choose a location and make reservations as soon as possible. Most people reserve a year in advance, so your choices may be limited.
I suggest looking south of Tampa if you want to be in bathing suit weather in January.
Good luck!

[HowieE]

Top Sail is the premier State Park on the pan handle. a mile of beach. Bike to beach

Ft De Soto is the premier on the west coast. Voted #1 beach int the country. Drive to beach

My favorite is St George Island if you want to be removed from the world and 8 miles of beach. Walk to beach

All 3 are north of the normal snow birds and can be cool.

Anything south of Tampa will be full by now

[xrvr]

I'd check around Naples, ft Myers in January. It's a long coast line.

[jim.waters]

Check out Turtle Beach Campground on Siesta Key owned by Sarasota County. Great location on a great beach. Only limitation is no pets are allowed.

[beachbouy]

Generally speaking, if you have not made your reservations one year in advance...you won't find much. Snowbirds start arriving in October and leave in April. They come from anywhere north of Georgia as far west as Montana... Many Canadians.

We live in Venice and have sold our home to escape the madness of snowbirds and moving to a secluded lake property in Texas.

Originally Posted by sueb

Hi,
We are looking to spend a couple of weeks in Florida in either January or February.
This will be our first time doing Florida in our 28 foot Flying Cloud.
I would appreciate any ideas of nice waterfront campgrounds.
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Susan

[Tampatomgirl]

As a Florida resident, i must agree with other postings about looking at a Southerly park. It is very cold in North Florida in January & February. The further south you can go, the more pleasant the weather will be. I assume you plan to spend time on the beach? That's no fun when it's 20 degrees outside. I recently searched State Parks in Florida. Many to choose from. Enjoy!

[markc12v30]

We live on Sanibel Island and the traffic can be a problem in Jan and Feb. But the new causeway to Sanibel includes some beautiful beach spots for day camping---closed at night, so no overnight camping. Sunrises on the east water and sets on the bay water toward the west. Beautiful sunsets and nice beach walking. And its free once you pay 12 bucks to get on the causeway. Good luck.

[melindamcmul]

My husband and I are planning a sojourn through the Florida coast in January/February as well. We finalized all our arrangements about 2 months ago, but if you're willing to work hard I think you still have time. If you are members of Good Sam, they have a fabulous "trip planner" tool that allows you to map your journey. We are going to stay 3-7 days at each location and make an easy go of it -- about 125-200 miles when we move to the next stop. Our preference tends to be State Parks and we found a number that look amazing. We are also at a couple of City Parks (who knew?). Before finalizing any bookings, we went to TripAdivsor and checked the reviews, but you'll likely have your own spots. P.S. If you message me back with an email address, I'll be happy to send you a copy of our itinerary so you can get a sense of our journey at least! :-) Good luck and happy 'streaming!!!

[DaveFL]

Best advice is south of Tampa for warmer weather but fronts can make it cold all the way to the keys, daytime temp would still be pleasant for you as your blood from the north will keep you warm We have been here 40 yrs and try to go on cruises to the southern Caribbean in Jan to stay warm. If you don't have luck beachfront try inland, a short drive can make for an easy day at the beach and keep the salt off the aluminum.

[Naper]

Paradise Park in Punta Gorda , Fort Myers area. It's an X Airstream only park. It's a nice spot plenty to do. They also have a 9 hole golf coarse. The park has a guest area you can stay as long as you like. Been going there for years never seen it full.
(941) 639-2680

[sealaker]

Here is the view from our campsite in Key Largo.... Beautiful place to spend winters. Likely booked for this January but search for any cancellations....Cheers..

[veratipton]

try this link on the forum

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f42/...era-37772.html

[JLAbne]

Originally Posted by sueb

Hi,
We are looking to spend a couple of weeks in Florida in either January or February.
This will be our first time doing Florida in our 28 foot Flying Cloud.
I would appreciate any ideas of nice waterfront campgrounds.
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Susan

If you do not find a commercial waterfront campground you could possibly stay at Koreshan State Park just south of Estero, FL. They have water and electrical power at most sites. You can rent a kayak to see nearby Estero Bay. There are many nice beaches nearby, including Lovers Key and of course our (usually) warm Naples beaches. Stays at FL State Parks are limited to 2 weeks.

[ajcannon]

Try Grayton Beach State Park. But like others have said, it is very likely booked by now for this January.

[Grateful2]

Originally Posted by sueb

Hi,
We are looking to spend a couple of weeks in Florida in either January or February.
This will be our first time doing Florida in our 28 foot Flying Cloud.
I would appreciate any ideas of nice waterfront campgrounds.
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Susan

We have a reservation at stock island for 2 months starting 15 dec. 2300 month. We may not go this yr. if your interested in last min wait. Key West.

[happycampr]

Originally Posted by sueb

Hi,
We are looking to spend a couple of weeks in Florida in either January or February.
This will be our first time doing Florida in our 28 foot Flying Cloud.
I would appreciate any ideas of nice waterfront campgrounds.
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Susan

We stayed 5 days at Red Coconut RV Park in Ft. Myers and liked it quite a bit. The campsites are small and it can feel cramped, but the location is great. You are literally a few steps away from the nice white powdery sand beach. We booked only a few weeks in advance this April. If you are willing to move a few times (they do have a person who moves and parks your trailer for you) you can get a spot on the waterfront side. But like others have said the earlier you book the better.

[AWCHIEF]

Susan, Welcome. Florida has quite a large coast line on the Gulf side. You did not say what area you are interested in. The northern Panhandle can get cold and wet during the winter. My favorite part of Florida next to the lower Keys is around Cedar Key. I have stayed at the Sunset Key campground several times. It is an excellant little mom and pop operation with some long term resident characters and is popular with snow birds. Ceder Key is a lot like Key West was 30 years ago. It is one of the few places left where you can get truly fresh seafood right off the boats.

[Silver Burrito]

Susan
Most of the replies you received are accurate about most parts of Florida, advance reservations are critical during that time of year. And yes north Florida can be cold during January and February but hey, still better to be on a beach with sunshine and 40 degree weather than snow.

My wife and I live in an old fishing cabin on a bay that flows into the Gulf here in North Florida. Sometimes it is warmer outside in the sun than it it is in the house. And I think there are still some places here you can find a site that may not be right on the water but very near good fishing and nice beaches. I can think of half dozen parks within 50 miles of here you would probably enjoy. There is a private RV park on the Bay just 2 miles down the road.

Keep the faith and something will work out. It gets crazy busy in some places but still not as bad as our experience in California this summer. Be flexible and keep looking. There is always boondocking in the national forests.....lots public and private RV parks and beautiful springs in Ocala National forest. Take a chance and see parts of Florida others pass by.

[SuzyHomemakr]

You can probably get the great State Park campgrounds mid-week, if you book now and are lucky. Many commercial campgrounds will also have spots, though not as nice, more expensive. Search for various county campgrounds, many of which are on a first-come basis, no reservations. The best strategy is to find campgrounds at your favorite destinations, and then search for the best to fill in the trip.

I'm an organizer for Florida Paddlers and Trekkers, and some of our camp spots are reserved 11 months in advance through ReserveAmerica! You Yankees can't just stroll in here whenever you'd like!