Best Equestrian Camping near Bell, FL

Recent Equestrian Reviews in Bell

180 Reviews of 11 Bell Campgrounds

• 

  Lorilee S.

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 6, 2024

  Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park Campground

  Pretty and quiet

  This campground is really dark, quiet and pretty. The bathhouse was always clean. You can smell the well water in the bathhouse. Brings me back to my childhood memories. We rode our bikes to the observation tower, but we were not lucky enough to see any bison or wild horses. Still nice to see the open prairie. We had a big rainstorm and the back of our site did become a lake, but it was gone overnight. The bugs lit us up all hours, so make sure you different bug sprays.

• 

  Stuart K.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 1, 2024

  Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park & Campground

  Music Wonderland Camping Experience

  I imagine that Suwannee Music Park Campground was borne out of the wonderful brainchild idea of someone who was fortunate enough to attend the original Woodstock back in ’69 and after leaving the upstate NY experience, woke up 3,000 miles away here on the shores of the Suwannee and said to themselves,“hey, why not try to create that experience here in NW Florida?!” And thus, this nature-embracing outdoor musical playground was given birth.

  Let’s begin with the sheer size of this place: with 800+ acres and over 600 campsites to choose from, this thickly wooded sprawling campground expanse is massive. And when it comes to the camping itself, no matter what type you might be thinking of - from RV and 5th Wheelers to those towing Horse Trailers and, Primitive Camping and Treehouses as well as Cabins for lease, every type of outdoor camping is offered here.

  The major attraction here, apart from the live music performances that get booked very frequently in this camping outpost, is the direct access you’ll have to the historic Cypress tree-lined Suwannee River, which is nothing short of fantastic if you enjoy paddling a kayak or canoe. If you are looking for something just as active but different, there’s a dedicated disc golf course as well as endless miles of trails, perfect for hiking and biking.

  Other amenities include: horse stables, children’s playground, covered pavilions, a bird sanctuary, chapel, small lake with fishing dock (catch & release only), bat house (apparently the largest in the US), tree house, craft village, boat launch, barn museum, drum circle, horse wash / manure disposal, arcade game room with pinball machine, live music pavilions, shelters, potable water stations, karaoke, riverside beach, viewable bee hives, golf cart rental, designated dump stations, WiFi, on-site cafe and general store (firewood, ice, beer, T-shirts, hats and caps), bar and music hall, pickin’ shed, geocaching, rock waterfall, first aid stations, swimming pool (that also serves up ice cream and pizza poolside), multiple music stages, restrooms and shower facilities and Suwannee River dock. For the RV crowd, Suwanee Music Park offers 20 / 30 / 50 amp electric, water and sewage hook-ups.

  Insider’s tips? Here’s a handful: (1) Despite being pretty far removed from civilization for those really wanting to embrace a nice chunk of untouched nature, I have to admit this place was overwhelmed with golf carts when we visited, which really takes away from the ambiance of being out in nature in the first place IMHO. Many times this place felt more like the Villages (the world's largest and most well-heeled retirement community located south of here in central Florida) than a remote camping outpost; (2) Should you need anything, the town of Live Oak is just a 20 minute drive south of here wherein you’ll find just about everything you are looking for, including a Busy Bee for excellent bathrooms, showers and laundry facilities, Walmart Supercenter and Publix for groceries as well as just OK restaurants like Beef ‘O’ Brady’s, Zaxby’s and a Waffle House, but for actual really good food, keep on heading south to the center of town where you’ll find Big Wood BBQ & Grill, The 406 or Brown Lantern; (3) If you were fascinated by the drama, murder and mayhem on the Netflix series Tiger King, then head south of Live Oak to Mystic Jungle where you can see all of their amazing wild cats that normally you would only be able to see while on safari; (4) For my primitive tent pitching bredren, of all the amazing places to consider here, I would strongly recommend those primitive camping spots that are either located near the Bat House over just north and west of Farm Field or the primitive camping sites just east of Spirit Lake; (5) Only downsides include: very overcrowded in some places, lots of bugs (so be sure to bring the Citronella!), uneven land to pitch a tent in the primitive camping area, RV sites are pretty close to one another, WiFi is intermittent and weak in many places, ‘golf carts gone wild’ scenarios, lots of restrictions and rules (destroys that Woodstock vibe I thought we would find here), dated bathrooms will take you back to the 1970s; (6) Upsides include: incredibly friendly staff, very close to Highway 10 making this spot very easy and quick to access, incredibly well-stocked general store; and (7) For best bat viewing, come at dusk to watch them leave by the tens of thousands turning the sky dark, and then come before dawn to watch them all return while sipping your Americano in a lawn chair.

  Happy Camping!

• 

  Jeff E.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 26, 2024

  Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park Campground

  Immersed in Nature.

  Quiet, lots of wildlife (wild horses, bison, alligators, deer, birds, turtles); plenty of hiking and biking trails with beautiful sunsets on the lake. Restroom facilities are showing some age but clean.  Walk-in tent sites are pretty close to the Restrooms.

• 

  Eleanor the Airstream R.

  Ranger

  

  Jun. 18, 2024

  Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park Campground

  Wooded and quiet

  Great state park well off the main road. Quiet and wooded with limestone pads.

• 

  Erin M.

  Traveler

  

  May. 26, 2024

  Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park Campground

  Fantastic camp sites

  There aren’t many bad sites. Great trails and walking. BRING BUG SPRAY. I wish I had time to stay longer to see everything the park had to offer. I will be back!

• 

  David G.

  Traveler

  

  May. 5, 2024

  Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park Campground

  Great park!!!

  This is now my top 2 in parks for camping. The tent only spots are nice and secluded. You do have to walk maybe 100-200 ft from your car to the campsite. I was in site #24. Nice and open with a lot of trees for protection. Great fire pit. No power or water at this site… site #25 has those. The whole grounds were well kept and the trails were easy. At the observation tower you can see a lot of the prairie and if you’re lucky you can see wild horses.

• E

  Elie D.

  Traveler

  

  Feb. 24, 2024

  Collins Farm

  Quiet and relaxing

  Great hosts; their farm animals are friendly and delightful to watch.

• b

  bret

  Traveler

  

  Feb. 7, 2024

  Manatee Springs State Park Campground

  My review

  Stayed on site 22, cell service was very bad, no laundry, only stayed two nights to check the park out, very small store, gravel bumpy road in campground, would stay here again if I was passing through area

• 

  CM M.

  Traveler

  

  Jan. 10, 2024

  Manatee Springs State Park Campground

  Beautiful spring, tons of wildlife, clean facilities

  The springs are amazing and full of wildlife. The manatees will only be in the springs early in the morning or later at night as they go out to the river to eat during the day. The campsite was made of small gravel so it took a little while to get the tent stakes in, but no other complaints. Facilities were clean and well stocked. Some of the wildlife seemed especially comfortable in the campsites. It rained while we were there and a few armadillos hung out under our tarp overhang and a large group of deer slept maybe 15 feet from our side. We didn’t have any issues with the animals, they were just a cute addition to the experience. The concessions and kayak rentals were open so the contract issue a few reviews mentioned must have been resolved.

• S

  Sarah S.

  Guide

  

  Nov. 25, 2023

  Dogwood Campground — O'Leno State Park

  Beautiful

  We enjoyed our stay even though it rained. We went to see the springs and it’s was gorgeous!

• 

  Sonya R.

  Traveler

  

  Nov. 10, 2023

  Goethe Trailhead Ranch Campground

  Nasty

  ROACHES ROACHES ROACHES (not palmetto bugs german ROACHES)

• T

  Thalia P.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 6, 2023

  Manatee Springs State Park Campground

  Beautiful Spot

  Quite possibly my most favorite camp site. The hikes are fun and the water is just gorgeous. I haven’t seen manatees yet in my travels here but many others have! Great spot. Clean. Quiet. Fun.

• 

  Steph M.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 7, 2023

  Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park & Campground

  My Favorite Place

  I love everything about this place. The trails & the river are amazing. Very laid back vibe.

• 

  Mica H.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 24, 2023

  Manatee Springs State Park Campground

  All and all gorgeous

  Beautiful swimming and kayaking.

• A

  Amanda W.

  Guide

  

  May. 1, 2023

  Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park Campground

  Dense woods, trails, boat ramp

  I love these big, well shaded spots. 30 or 50 amp depending on the site. No sewer but there is a dump station. Water pressure at the site was a little low. The bathrooms & showers were clean with super hot water. Tons of trails to hike and see the wild horses and bison. There’s a boat launch to the lake with tons of fish. Very nice rangers. Super dark at night & was very quiet when I was there. Lots of wildlife. Close to Gainesville shopping.

• 

  rhughes46@comcast.net

  Scout

  

  Apr. 13, 2023

  Manatee Springs State Park Campground

  Manatee Springs State Park Campgrounds

  Campgrounds are nice. Sites are a little small. More tent campers than RV. Bathrooms in good shape. Magnolia 1 loop has sewer hookup. We were site 029 pull through with a 34ft TT. Awesome site No cell coverage period. You'll get 1 bar to tease you and think you can do something. NO TV antenna coverage either. One radio station (98.5). We just downloaded a few Netflix movies and watch them on the computer. Spring is nice, hiking and biking trails are nice. Lots of wildlife.

• M

  Marina O.

  Traveler

  

  Mar. 30, 2023

  Manatee Springs State Park Campground

  Gorgeous area- dog friendly

  This place is beautiful. While there ddogs are not allowed on the boardwalk or in the swimming area- there are other hikes they can go on and they turn a blind eye to dogs wading in the boat ramp area as long as they are on leash. Note that not all sites allow you to park in the site. This was a little inconvenient because I was in a rooftop tent and had to pitch it on the other side of a barrier. There were other sites that had better configuration for that so take a look at site layouts as they are not all uniform. No reception, though- which was disappointing as I planned to work remote from the campsite and ended up having to log on from the nearby Walmart parking lot instead. Scenery not as good…

• 

  Kiva R.

  Guide

  

  Mar. 18, 2023

  Dogwood Campground — O'Leno State Park

  Really Pretty!

  Beautiful campground. Very rustic. Unpaved roads with potholes that may not be bad at other times but we were there on a rainy day so it was a bit of a rough ride getting to our site. Probably a bit tight getting in if you are in a big rig but it was no problem in our van. Sites are natural but maintained and not terribly overgrown. The park itself is absolutely lovely.

• 

  Cory P.

  Scout

  

  Mar. 3, 2023

  More Than Welcome

  Us27 X CR137 S.Lawn Site

  Camping on the lawn was our choice. We grabbed a shady spot! Property 100% Fenced in... dogs can Run!

• K

  Kathleen A.

  Traveler

  

  Feb. 20, 2023

  Manatee Springs State Park Campground

  Beautiful state park and campground

  Well maintained campground with clean facilities and showers. Campgrounds are in walking distance to the river where there's a boardwalk, kayaking and swimming. I saw manatees and lots of birds.

• T

  Tiffany E.

  Scout

  

  Feb. 18, 2023

  More Than Welcome

  Wry nice place works with you

  This place is amazing she helped get my family on our feet amazing place to stay

• 

  Aliceon W.

  Guide

  

  Feb. 1, 2023

  Manatee Springs State Park Campground

  Great state park

  Nice, spacious, semi-private spots. Great spot to see wildlife.

• 

  Richard B.

  Guide

  

  Dec. 17, 2022

  Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park Campground

  Great CG lots of nature.

  Spaced out sites, long road in so no outside noise, bathrooms could use heat in the fall/winter time.

• 

  Jeff A.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 29, 2022

  Manatee Springs State Park Campground

  One of the best Florida Parks

  Manatee Springs seems to have been my family’s de facto go-campground for 40 years. Great campsites, trails, swimming spring, kayaking and canoeing, boardwalks, and the wildlife, oh my word the wildlife. Go in the winter and you’re sure to see manatees, other times of the year you’ll encounter deer, tortoises, otters, wild cats, birds, and more. In July ‘22 they were installing a cell phone booster so that should fix the historical no signal issues in the park. Can’t recommend this park more. Magnolia Loop 1 has tighter spaces but has full hookups. Magnolia Loop 2 has much larger sites but with only water and electric (30 and 15 amp).

• R

  Rhonda H.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 5, 2022

  Dogwood Campground — O'Leno State Park

  Awesome park!

  A fun state park to visit. The river was over the banks so we couldn’t tune in the river but there was so much to do and see that we didn’t even care. So much history to learn.

• 

  Aubrey O.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 11, 2022

  Lafayette Blue Springs State Park Campground

  Remote riverside spring

  Great little park with walk-in tent camping, all sites have power and water which is an awesome bonus! Beautiful spring for swimming featuring a limestone bridge way you can snorkel under. If you're into diving they also have an underwater cave, just make sure to check in with the ranger station 2 miles north before diving. 5 two bedroom cabins are also on site for rental. Super clean bathrooms and an outdoor rinsing station/ shower (no indoor hot showers available unless you book a cabin). Rangers & volunteer staff are awesome! If your main purpose for visiting is to swim in the spring make sure to call ahead or go online and check water conditions as this spring is attached to the Suwanee river and can sometimes be "browned out" due to river levels. (*handicap friendly)

• s

  sonja O.

  Traveler

  

  Apr. 8, 2022

  Manatee Springs State Park Campground

  Nice

  The wi-fi was limited and practically nonexistent. Rangers were very nice, bathrooms were clean. Check reservations when checking in because we have a 35 foot travel trailer and they tried to out us in a tent spot.