FL for 2 weeks in Jan, suggestions requested

[RudysWorld]

Looking to spend 2 weeks in FL in January. That time of year I think we need to be Orlando or south, but north of Fort Myers so it would be a 2 day trip down from TN. We are into glamping not camping so I think state parks are probably out. Access to water within campground a plus. Liked The Great Outdoors in Titusville prefer some water access. Stayed at wekiva falls rv resort last year and that was too close to camping and didn't care for the sulfur smell. Thanks in advance, everyone has always been great here!

[phillyg]

Ramblers Rest in Venice and Myakka River Motorcoach Resort in Port Charlotte.

[R3Jones]

Fort Wilderness


-R.Jones
Nitro 31FQSL

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by R3Jones

Fort Wilderness

Just bring a VERY open wallet. We are Disney nuts and actually have reservations for this February for a week. But still, $135/night hurts! That's over double (heck, closer to triple) my budgeted $50/night for camping the rest of the year.

In Clermont, I stay at Thousand Trails Orlando but mostly because the price is right ("free"). Otherwise, I've heard that Lake Louisa SP is nice (has hookups). I've also heard good things about Turkey Lake in Orlando (also has hookups).

[Bob Vaughn]

Originally Posted by ependydad

Just bring a VERY open wallet. We are Disney nuts and actually have reservations for this February for a week. But still, $135/night hurts! That's over double (heck, closer to triple) my budgeted $50/night for camping the rest of the year.

In Clermont, I stay at Thousand Trails Orlando but mostly because the price is right ("free"). Otherwise, I've heard that Lake Louisa SP is nice (has hookups). I've also heard good things about Turkey Lake in Orlando (also has hookups).

Turkey Lake is an Orlando city park and over looks the Turnpike. You can hear that at night. Plus it is located in a neighbor hood and kinda tricky to get to.

[jonnystef]

Ft. Desoto state park is beautiful and a short walk or drive to the gulf. Miles of beach almost all to youdelf. Hookups and water but no sewer. Gorgeous that time of year.

[clarinetone]

A really nice place to stay is in Kissimmee, FL. It is the KOA Campground on Seven Dwarfs Blvd. If you like glamping, then this is the place. I've been there a couple of times. You wouldn't believe that you are in a metropolitan area. Close to everything. Target, Sam's Club, etc. have fun.

[360true]

Look at Moss Park southeast of Orlando. It is a great county park, long sites, level. No pets however. Electric and water, maybe sewer, I forget. Good water access for small boat and fishing. Lots of sandhill cranes and herds of deer (thus no pet rule). One of our favorites!

[CampingGator]

What ever you decide, decide quickly and make your reservations. Winter is when the snowbirds come down and it is harder to find available sites.

[360true]

2x on tough to find a site during season.

[clarinetone]

KOA Kissimmee you probably will have luck finding a site. They usually pretty good at accommodating reservations at this time for January. When I went a few years ago I did not have any reservations at all. Have fun.

[poppytoymaker]

Sarasota Sunny South rv, 9.1 rating on rv park reviews, check it out. We went their at the end of August as a last minute 4 day trip because the one we had planed had to be rebooked for end of this month. Wonderfull campground, imaculate lots of sights and things to do and the manager is one of the most helpfull and nicest. I deffinately will be going back.

[clicker1944]

Bay Bayou in Tampa. Really nice and water on premises for fishing or staring.
Also Lazy Days in Seffner just east of Tampa. No water but Hillsborough River State Park is a short drive away for hiking and scenery.

[leefl]

FL resident here. Most of our state parks are really nice, but not all are great for bigger rigs, and not many have sewer hookup.

Fort De Soto near St Pete's is one of my favorite beaches in west-central FL, and the campground is pretty nice (limited bigger sites tho', and you'll need to book early).

We'll be staying at the St Augustine (historic city on atlantic coast) KOA this weekend, so will report on that. (Stayed at Anastasia state park in St Augustine before, but limited bigger-rig sites there, and very limited availability, none at short notice).

John Pennenkamp state park on Key Largo is excellent, but again it gets booked as soon as sites are available so unlikely to get availability for Jan. There are quite a few private sites in the keys, but they tend to be like Disney prices.

Disney's Fort Wilderness is indeed great, but pricey, and most of the sites are packed fairly close (tho' no worse than most KOAs)

Wekiva Springs state park is nice too (staying there for the weekend in 2 weeks), with access to the springs (for swimming) and the river (kayaking) etc.

I like Silver Springs too, tho' the zoo that used to be there is gone, and it's now a state park (tho' the glass bottom boat ride is still there).

Sanibel and Captiva islands have amazing beaches (some of the best on the gulf), but the only campsite I stayed there (probably the only one actually on the islands) didn't have great bathrooms (we had our popup at the time, before we got the 5er).

In the pan-handle Falling Waters state park (with the only large-ish waterfall in FL) is really nice, and fairly close to the beaches around Destin and Panama City, and nearby Florida Caverns state park has the only cave tours in FL.

If you have a particular area in mind let me know, and I can give some more specific recommendations.

[James Briar]

Tampa East RV Resort great place, all services plus free wifi. Very clean and nice folks. Orlando about 1 hour, Busch Gardens 15 min.

[GlennFC]

If you plan on going to the Disneyworld parks and / or Downtown Disney treat yourself and stay in Fort Wilderness. It is pricey, but in January a premium site with all the hook ups is not much more than the surrounding area parks. The price to park your car of RV when you go to the theme parks is about $15 a day now so when you stay at Fort Wilderness it is free. Take this off the camping cost and you are really close to other parks.
There is also everything to do at the Fort including our favourite restaurant in all of Disney called the "Trails End". We have stayed at the Fort at least 20 times and have never found a place we like better!

[Life Without Whine]

Get on your computer & start now ... snowbirds fill FL up (but we tend towards state parks for the open space). We book 3-7 days camping every month & booked the Keys for before thanksgiving (great price & weather) and a mix of Federal / State parks in Jan (had to mix in order to stay out a week)
Feb & April are music festivals in Dade City camping. We head to Fort Desoto next weekend for our every 6-7 month waterfront stay (no sewer) ... 2 weeks stay & they are probably booked every weekend even if you did want to get in

[dave961]

Every site in Florida fills up in the winter. Look quick and get a reservation.

[VinceU]

Originally Posted by RudysWorld

Looking to spend 2 weeks in FL in January. That time of year I think we need to be Orlando or south, but north of Fort Myers so it would be a 2 day trip down from TN. We are into glamping not camping so I think state parks are probably out. Access to water within campground a plus. Liked The Great Outdoors in Titusville prefer some water access. Stayed at wekiva falls rv resort last year and that was too close to camping and didn't care for the sulfur smell. Thanks in advance, everyone has always been great here!

Try Treasure Coast in FT Pierce it's glamping, pretty far south and close to Atlantic. Easy 2 day trip from TN

[RudysWorld]

Originally Posted by phillyg

Ramblers Rest in Venice and Myakka River Motorcoach Resort in Port Charlotte.

Originally Posted by leefl

FL resident here. Most of our state parks are really nice, but not all are great for bigger rigs, and not many have sewer hookup.

Fort De Soto near St Pete's is one of my favorite beaches in west-central FL, and the campground is pretty nice (limited bigger sites tho', and you'll need to book early).

We'll be staying at the St Augustine (historic city on atlantic coast) KOA this weekend, so will report on that. (Stayed at Anastasia state park in St Augustine before, but limited bigger-rig sites there, and very limited availability, none at short notice).

John Pennenkamp state park on Key Largo is excellent, but again it gets booked as soon as sites are available so unlikely to get availability for Jan. There are quite a few private sites in the keys, but they tend to be like Disney prices.

Disney's Fort Wilderness is indeed great, but pricey, and most of the sites are packed fairly close (tho' no worse than most KOAs)

Wekiva Springs state park is nice too (staying there for the weekend in 2 weeks), with access to the springs (for swimming) and the river (kayaking) etc.

I like Silver Springs too, tho' the zoo that used to be there is gone, and it's now a state park (tho' the glass bottom boat ride is still there).

Sanibel and Captiva islands have amazing beaches (some of the best on the gulf), but the only campsite I stayed there (probably the only one actually on the islands) didn't have great bathrooms (we had our popup at the time, before we got the 5er).

In the pan-handle Falling Waters state park (with the only large-ish waterfall in FL) is really nice, and fairly close to the beaches around Destin and Panama City, and nearby Florida Caverns state park has the only cave tours in FL.

If you have a particular area in mind let me know, and I can give some more specific recommendations.

Ft De Soto looks great, but I think it is no sewer and no pets in many of the areas. We will be bringing our dog and would really like sewer. We are looking from south of Orlando to north of lake Okeechobee. Any suggestions appreciated.