Camping in Florida

[CAFarmerGirl]

We will obviously be camping at FW, but hubby wanted to step foot in the Atlantic Ocean, I want to see the Everglades and there is a Big Cat Sanctuary in Tampa my dd wants to see. We would also like to hit Crystal River area before going back out north/east.

Any suggestions for camping/RV'ing?

Thanks!!

 

[TEENEE]

State Parks are usually the best bet. How long will you be in FL?

 

[CAFarmerGirl]

I was hoping just a couple (beyond the 9 days at FW and 2 days at Universal), but it is flexible. Our road trip (coming from Northern CA with 8 days of travel on each end) is already about a month long...

 

[john59]

The middle of September, we left Disney to camp at Manatee Springs State Park. This is about 50 miles north of Crystal River. They have water/elec and a dump site. Some pictures below. Seeing manatees this time of year was hit or miss. That clear water is awesome. We did pick up TV stations on our antenna. No cable or wifi in FL State Parks. There are springs all over Florida, you just have to check if RVing is ok. Can't beat $20/night

OUR SITE--A short walk to the Spring Head

DW SHIRLEY EXPLORING--Leaving the ledge to look down 70ft where 100 million gallons of water pump in daily. Cold and crystal clear water.

LOOK WHAT I FOUND--The manatee was saying that. He/she found me and I had no idea it was following me.

A GREAT EXPERIENCE--Eyeball to eyeball at 3 ft. They are gentle giants.

 

[CAFarmerGirl]

Wow, John...that looks amazing!!! Thanks, so much! And....$20 is right in our budget range (I even have a few Walmart sites marked on the map for *really* cheap sleeps!).

 

[StregaLuna]

I'm fairly new to RV-ing myself so don't have a lot of experience w/sites yet, but we recently stayed at a nice (and reasonable) park in St Augustine. Not sure if that's a town you're looking to visit, but if so check out Indian Forest Campground.

I'm a new member here so can't post pics or links yet, feel free to PM me and I'll send you a link and some pictures of the campground.

 

[KristinU]

The middle of September, we left Disney to camp at Manatee Springs State Park. This is about 50 miles north of Crystal River. They have water/elec and a dump site. Some pictures below. Seeing manatees this time of year was hit or miss. That clear water is awesome. We did pick up TV stations on our antenna. No cable or wifi in FL State Parks. There are springs all over Florida, you just have to check if RVing is ok. Can't beat $20/night

OUR SITE--A short walk to the Spring Head

DW SHIRLEY EXPLORING--Leaving the ledge to look down 70ft where 100 million gallons of water pump in daily. Cold and crystal clear water.

LOOK WHAT I FOUND--The manatee was saying that. He/she found me and I had no idea it was following me.

A GREAT EXPERIENCE--Eyeball to eyeball at 3 ft. They are gentle giants.

WOW, WOW, WOW! Amazing pics!

So, as a northern girl my first thought was "what about alligators???" Do you need to worry about them when you're snorkeling those areas?