If you find yourself driving down the second busiest road arteries (Route 4) in Florida you are likely either heading towards or fleeing from the Magical Kingdom – you know, the one with the mouse ears – and are looking for a spot to drop anchor for the night, or longer, and don’t mind intermingling with the 45+ crowd, then Land O’ Lakes might just be the spot for you. With very quick on / off access to Highway 4, which is less than 2 minutes drive from here when you turn off on the Orange City exit, you’ll either get lucky if you rock up and they have space, or if you are reading this, you will have called ahead to reserve one of the handful of spots that exist at the front of this property.
And while not the typical RV parking lot that you would normally find up and down busy stretches of highway like this, what you will appreciate is all of the amazing amenities this place has and with the average age of other residents being higher than average, you’ll rest easy at night knowing that there won’t be any late-night partying or loud music to contend with. The layout of the place is a pretty simple football field shape grid with 2 or 3 roadways. But make no mistake about it, this place is not only geared towards more of a retirement community, but also those that embrace living pretty much year-round in semi-permanent structures.
As far as amenities are concerned, there’s quite a few. The recreation room and the very sweet in-ground heated community pool is located towards the front of the property when you first arrive along with the community center that offers up a nice billiards table and shuffleboard courts in the back. And I have to say, discovering this place that has basically a brand new pool, complete with an awesome deck with chairs, tables and sun umbrellas was a great find! With ample elongated parking lanes for your parking pleasure, all of the sites come equipped with the typical 30 / 50 amp electrical hook-ups, waste disposal and water connections. There’s the standard picnic table, garbage receptacles and even a community BBQ.
Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) While I wouldn’t characterize Land O’Lakes as a destination, it is certainly great for a single night stop-over that isn’t crowded, very peaceful and despite being a couple stone’s throw from I4, is very peaceful and quiet. But if you are going to stay here, as there are only a few spots earmarked for overnight or seasonal RVs, you’ll want to call ahead of time to reserve a spot; (2) If you are thinking that this place might make a decent location from which to access Disney World, I would caution you to think again as it is definitely too far to go back and forth everyday – but fret not as there are a ton of other RV / camping options available to you much closer to the Magic Kingdom; (3) Should you want to explore nature while you are in these parts, you are in great luck as both Blue Springs and Wekiva Springs SPs are located just a short jaunt either due west or south of Land O’Lakes respectively; and (4) When you grow tired of trying to figure out that next meal from the innards of your onboard mini fridge or roto-molded Cordova cooler and want to try out some local fare, check out Riverwalk Pizzeria & Brew Pub where they have Kona and Stella on draft, beer cheese fries by the basket, pepper rub chicken wings by the dozen, some very decent baked Ziti and all manners of pizza pies to consider.
Happy Camping!