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.

Although a small park it is very nice, pretty park. Very quiet & relaxing environment. Very, very clean everywhere, especially the bathrooms. The only thing is that the shower heads are low. I’m a 5’6 tall woman & they were lower. My husband says the men’s shower heads were high enough.

Lake Manatee has been a favorite of ours for years. The sites are large, private, and nicely surrounded by woods. It does not have full hookups. There are some hiking trails, which are nice but short. There is a lake for fishing and kayaking, also small craft boating. You can swim, though not sure why you would as there are gators in the area. Not sure I'd go for a full vacation, but its perfect a camping getaway.

Nice quiet family park. Sites we nice and fairly level. Bathrooms and showers were clean. We will be back

Have waited six months into our RV life to start reviews for fair comparisons. Spent 4 nights. Really liked this park, but not our site. Was bordered by the camp road and the bike/walking path so often noisy with no sense of privacy. Bad mosquitoes, but to be expected. And our only site in six months that had noticeable litter- food waste, random trash, etc. On the positive side, we did have a resident armadillo who visited every night and provided hours of entertainment. The sites on the outside of the loop looking out into nature, even right across the road, looked wonderful! And honestly, we were grateful we could even get in during the holiday season with fairly late booking. Good walking/“hiking”/running trails around the park. Good for dog walking. Loved the day use area and water views. Great day trips into Sarasota and nearby beaches. My husband thoroughly enjoyed the drag racing across the street.

I arrived after the park was closed, but called ahead of time and they gave me a gate code to enter. The park is beautiful old Florida. The camping spots are tightly packed, but everyone was very friendly. I would definitely revisit!

We were here last year when the hurricane evicted is, so this is our return. Seemed to be an active weekend at the speedway, but it was not overbearing (though some people obviously feel differently in their reviews). Mostly peaceful. Big sites - but vary somewhat. Enough vegetation to give feeling of privacy. Pleasant staff always help make stay better.

Shower and facilities clean. Well kept park, level pads. No sewer or 50amp, but great anyways. Will return

We’re newer to RVing & have been choosing places close to home for quick overnights. The park was clean, quiet & the other campers were courteous-just not a lot to do unless you go out on the water or have younger kids to take to the playground. We are more interested in eBiking so it wasn’t really for us...

Arrived here in early December for a three-night tent stay. It was a last-minute choice and frankly a miracle that it was available. Arriving is easy off Highway 64 just East of Bradenton. The staff is very friendly. The spots are spaced well and divided by natural brush and vegetation. They're level and bedded in sand and some grass. Water, electric, fire pit, and picnic table. Very quiet location, save for the occasional airplane or distant siren.

The restroom facilities are very well maintained. Clean. The trails within the western side of the park are wide and comfortable for hybrid bikes, even with the occasional sugar sand trap, so to speak.

The lakeside is outstanding. There's a swimming area with benches a few feet from the lapping waters where you can contemplate the horizon and get lost in your thoughts. An occasional turtle might raise its head from within the gentle ripples. Alligators also inhabit the lake. There are restrooms with showers there, picnic tables, plenty of parking, and a beach volleyball court.

Firewood is sold in bundles of $5 at the gatehouse. They will also sell you a 50-gallon drum of firewood for $10! No country store at the park, but Publix is about six miles to the southwest.

Very quiet, peaceful, with near zero light pollution. No critters other than squirrels and rabbits. This is a rare five-star campground in my book, and I can't wait to return.

I love seeing the critters

Stayed here 2 nights. This park has 2 loops for camping with bathrooms and showers, water and electric hook ups. Dump station and garbage near exits. Also has sandy trails and public area near water with tables, BBQs and playground. Enjoyed nice quiet evenings and the breeze kept the bugs at bay.

Good cell coverage with AT&T and Verizon.

Love being in FL nature but red ants moderate problem.

If you’re looking for a place to camp on the west coast of Florida that is quiet and has campsites that give you privacy, Lake Manatee State Park is a great choice. The only noise you might hear is the trucks and cars on Highway 64 or the roar of engines on the weekends from DeSoto Speedway just down the road. Other than that, it’s crickets and frogs because neighboring sites may be as much as 50 yards away.

There are 60 campsites at Lake Manatee State Park located in 2 loops. Sites 1-30 in loop 1. Sites 31-60 in loop 2. All the sites will give you a good distance from your neighbors. We stayed in site#6 that had perhaps 40 to 50 yards on either side.

There are 60 campsites at Lake Manatee State Park located in 2 loops. Sites 1-30 in loop 1. Sites 31-60 in loop 2. All the sites will give you a good distance from your neighbors. We stayed in site#6 that had perhaps 40 to 50 yards on either side.

Of course, there were some bugs. But not as many as you might think. We sprayed ourselves with Repel Plant-Based Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent and we weren't bothered by them. We highly recommend this stuff!

To see our full review of Lake Manatee State Park visit https://lifestyleover50.com/lake-manatee-state-park-camping-review/

No too many trees, so not shade at all. The lake was fine to swim. Very far from. The beaches on Bradenton, 40 min at noon. It was so hot because not too much nature. Clean showers and bathrooms

See a different side of Florida as the sun rises over the lake. While it may be hot in the summer, the winter months are amazing!

A well maintained state park. Very spacious sites. With 20 feet so between sites of vegetation, you can barely see your neighbor. Walking distance of about 10 to 15 minutes from any of the sites to the Lake. Beautiful peaceful lake. As what others have said, I can see it being a bit noisy on weekends with race track down the road. Only heard one or two cars for only a few seconds, guess testing something, but you can definitely hear it. Would recommend staying during the weekday unless your here on weekends and want to see some cool car racing! Water/electric on all sites. Has a dump station and dumpsters. Showers and bathroom clean. Will be back.

It’s a state park close to home. We love the convenience of the park as well as the tranquility. Although there’s not a whole bunch to do we enjoyed walking around near the canoe launch and boat dock area. We’ve stayed in campsite 19 and 26 which are both nice spacious sites. Bathhouses are pretty clean!

Definitely bring bug spray!

Firewood is available for purchase at the ranger station for $5 Bikes are available for $2 an hour also at the ranger station

We will definitely be back for another relaxing weekend :)

Dduring summer you'll need bug spray

Everytime is like an escape! So peaceful and friendly. Only complaint is the camps being so close together.

stayed for the weekend with family. went to watch some races to give us something to do one night. bathrooms were good.

On the bridge headed to Anna Marie/longboat key we got the awesome luxury of riding horses, and got to kayak the oven and lake manatee! one of the best trips we've taken

Very quiet not much to do

It was so hot we left during the day. Nice campground though

Campground is spacious (so you are not right on top of anyone. most are rock/gravel. nice bathrooms, large field and playground. Canoe/Kayak rentals available - nice wide well maintained boat ramp. Favorite fishing spot for locals. Well maintained trails. Sites book up early in fall and winter so book by late spring for weekends in fall.