Fort Pierce West KOA

If you are looking for an outdoors ‘nature’ experience that is well-manicured, perfectly organized and brand-spanking new – and you find yourself in Central Florida – then look no further than Fort Pierce West KOA Holiday, which is so close to I95 (exit 129 FL70 Okeechobee Road) that you will feel (and hear) the constant SWOOSH! of passing traffic 24 hours a day. This could either make this destination just outside of Fort Piece (a.k.a The Sunrise City) a gem or nightmare, depending upon what you are looking for. 

While I’m sure the very great folks at this ‘Treasure Coast’ KOA would make room for tent campers, this destination is really geared towards those that are towing their campground living room behind them. There’s perfectly flat and evenly situated diagonal RV parking lanes with which to park your wheeled campground wherein you will enjoy traversing the entire campground on freshly poured black asphalt. Each pull-through or back-in evenly laid pebble-strewn site comes complete with a little swath of green grass, on-ground BBQ grill rings, picnic table and all the traditional hook-ups (50 / 20 / 30 electric, water and sewage). 

But wait! There’s more (and because this is a KOA, that actually means, a LOT more!): complimentary WiFi, horshoe pit, Kamp K9 dog park, cable TV, endless neon-colored outdoor tables and chairs, community firepits, corn hole, ladder ball (don’t ask me), laundr-O-mat, library, shuffleboard, group picnic areas, pickleboard as well as being satellite friendly. There’s an absolutely gorgeous (too gorgeous IMHO for any campground, but hey, it’s KOA) in-ground heated pool as well as a small ‘catch& release’ pond that you can either fish from the perimeter of or drop in a little boat/ kayak. And, just in the event that you’ve forgotten anything, this KOA has an on-site camp store that would put Disney World to shame – there’s hats, shirts, tchotchkies and all of the food and drink items you would expect. 

Insider’s tips? Here's a few: (1) There’s a lot to explore in and around Fort Pierce and a I highly recommend heading on over to Indian River Lagoon and Manatee Observation & Education Center for some excellent fishing and kayaking; (2) If you’re looking for a few restaurant recco’s – I’d steer you towards Manatee Island Bar & Grill, Sailfish Brewery and Jack & Diane’s (big nod to my hero John Cougar Mellancamp); (3) Of course, being this close to the ocean, you need to get yourself over to the beach where I would recommend a day-trip to Hutchinson Island, and if you’re toting your fishing poles with you head on over to Herman Bay for some excellent fishing and sundowners  where The Jetty Lounge is very well regarded; and (4) If you'd like to discover a really nice slice of paradise in close proximity to this KOA, then head no further than a few miles south to George Le Strange Preserve where there are a handful of really great hiking trails (all basic BTW), a very decent lake to do some decent fishing in as well as a small canoe launch.

Happy Camping!