Lake Manatee State Park Campground

We were lucky to grab a weekend spot thanks to a snowbird cancellation. Park rangers were great. Pine firewood available for $5 a bundle. (Not the greatest campfire fuel, but it works.) not heavily wooded as others have stated, but nicely private between most sites. Bathhouses were always clean in the AM and early PM. Options for basic, sand-based hikes. Great views from the lake and I am sure fishing is wonderful, though we did not try. I will say that the racetrack nearby made the location a bit unsettling, but we were thankful that the drivers were only doing quarter mile runs. Cars ran from 8am to 11pm, it seems.

Overall, we would stay on the outside of loop 2 for less than 4 nights of we came again.

Nice trails and great for one day stop. Close to I75.

This park is mostly scrub, mainly turkey oak and some pine flatlands. The lakeside day area and boat ramp are nice. I like the campground, especially loop 2. With the exception of campsites across from each other, the campsites are spacious and mostly nicely separated from neighbors. The only downside and a potentially big one for some people, is the commercial drag strip not far from the park. While we were there engines started roaring after 8:00 am and continued until 10:00 at night.