Larry & Penny Thompson Park in Miami houses upscale glamping accommodations just 30 minutes from Biscayne National Park, combining luxury amenities with a convenient base for exploring South Florida's natural wonders. The park's glamping options include air-conditioned canvas structures with comfortable beds, private decks, and access to full bathroom facilities with showers. Southern Comfort RV Resort in Florida City and Oleta River State Park also feature elevated glamping experiences with electricity, furnished accommodations, and modern conveniences not found in traditional camping. One guest shared, "A surprisingly pretty park with mature shade trees, clean facilities, and great amenities including a swimming pool with lifeguards."
Glamping guests at these luxury retreats enjoy convenient access to Biscayne National Park's maritime attractions along with proximity to the Everglades and Key Largo. The eco-friendly accommodations serve as ideal basecamps for kayaking through mangrove forests, exploring coral reefs, or visiting the nearby Miami Zoo. According to a recent visitor, "This campground is a great central base camp for those visiting Biscayne NP, Everglades NP, and Miami." Year-round availability makes these glamping options suitable for any season, though winter months see higher occupancy with seasonal visitors. Each location offers a unique blend of natural surroundings and comfort, with Larry & Penny Thompson Park providing additional amenities like a clubhouse, fire ring with benches for evening gatherings, and a beach volleyball court.
"sites: no pets allowed. welcoming atmosphere. mostly shaded. near residential neighborhood but quiet. flat sites. amenities: large bathhouse. clean. other attractions: zoo. beach/waterslide."
"In southern Florida, campgrounds don’t usually come cheap, but we found Larry & Penny’s to be a great value with close access (30 minutes) to Biscayne National Park."
"This park is located right off Route 1 in Florida City. For the area this is a large park. I believe over 150 sites. The sites are decent in size."
"Not many frills, certainly not a resort and bathroom frequently ran out of TP, but as a relatively affordable base of vacation operations it was good."
"The basketball court on the other side of the fence can be a little loud until about 11pm but I'm a night guy so it didn't bother me."
"Clean bathrooms and showers. Quite place. A lot of trails to walk in the middle of the nature. Mini golf. Water park wasn't open on March."
"Hard to believe that this oasis is so close to major urban centers, but it's true. It boasts 15-miles of trails in more than 1,000 acres!"
"This place has cabins and a shared bathroom, but it is such an amazing park right in the middle of an overcrowded city!! I love going here is like 55 bucks a night or so!!"
Campground full this weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $55 / night
"There’s no pool but there are laundry facilities and a clean bathroom. There’s a community grill, picnic area, and chairs to enjoy the sunsets"
"Nice pavilion down at water, nice little beach, dock, restrooms, showers and laundry"
"Campground in the city, great guest services, friendly staff. Near grocery store, and everything!"
"Staff very friendly! Very respectful of COVID as well. Always appreciate that."
from $68 - $97 / night
ScoutIt's great to be in Fort Lauderdale, so close to activities. RV park is old, poorly kept, and crowded. Mostly long-term campers who were very friendly. Vehicles parked onto narrow black top roads. Dead leaves blown to the side but not picked up. Peeling paint in showers. Friendly staff to our faces, but overheard them being unkind when they didn't know we could hear.
LegendJust south of ‘The Magic City’ (a.k.a. Miami), you’ll come across Kendall, which while definitely NOT a destination in and of itself, it does offer one of the ONLY real campgrounds within the Miami vicinity. Here, you’ll discover Larry & Penny Thompson Park Campground, which upon arrival, immediately feels like a breath of fresh air the moment you turn in off SW 184th Street, trading bumber-to-bumper grinding traffic and endless miles of jam-packed strip malls in exchange for tall palms, shady roads and a surprisingly peaceful park setting. The campground is tucked away within a sprawling county park operated by Miami-Dade, and the vibe leans more tropical retreat than urban escape, with birds chirping, breezes moving through the trees, and a calm that makes you forget you are still very much in South Florida.
Before I get into the ‘nuts& bolts’ of Larry & Penny Thompson Park CG, allow me to share – that I had a fairly HORRIBLE experience here. So let me share some more – not to be a ‘negative Nancy’ - but rather, in the hopes you can learn from my mistakes (or rather, the omissions of this CG) and not replicate the issues I experienced for yourself, allow me to shed some light on some concerns. To begin with, if you are a tent camper (like I was in this scenario) there is NO WAY to make a reservation. You simply have to show up and IF the folks in the park office feel like there’s enough room for you to stake out a piece of land on their garbage-strewn tent camping plot of grass, they alone have the DISCRETION to ALLOW you to pay them for the privilege. Given that ALL OF THOSE WITH RVs have reservation privileges, this relegates us tent campers to ‘second class citizens.’ Second, paying $28/ night gets you basically a patch of uneven land (with more tree roots that reminded me a lot of Stranger Things with all of those root-like moving alien arms all over the ground preventing a flat piece of outdoor nirvana to be discovered) and the right to access the community bathrooms. While there is solid shade and about a half dozen bag-lined garbage bins in the tent camping area, the picnic tables are all dilapidated (unlike those in the RV area that are nearly brand new), half of the water spigots didn’t function, there are no in-ground fire rings, the stand-up grills are a joke and there is ZERO electricity. Um, so what am I paying for you ask? Great question. But this wasn’t even the worst part. So here it is: I arrived at Larry & Penny Thompson Park Campground having driven nearly 8 HOURS all the way from St. Augustine and arrived at 5:13pm only to be greeted by incredibly RUDE county park staff who could only say “Sorry, you arrived after 5pm and we don’t allow any TENT CAMPERS to arrive after 5pm.” What I found preposterous is that NOWHERE – not online, not on TheDyrt and NOT EVEN ON-SITE – does it mention that one (OK, well at least us tent campers anyway) has to arrive BEFORE 5pm. Had that vital piece of information been shared with me during 1of the 3 phone calls I made to the property before I arrived – TRUST ME – I would have arrived 13 minutes earlier. You know what the worst part about this whole experience was? Apart from the fact that I was famished and exhausted, was nearly out of gas and my cell phone just died? There was absolutely NO REASON to deny me entry for arriving 13 minutes after their (artificial) deadline. All I can say is that I’m glad Mary and Joseph didn’t have to deal with Miami-Dade County Park staff that acted like hostile and rule-abiding ‘inn keepers’ otherwise our Lord and Savior would have had no other choice, like I did, but to check in to a nearby hotel. Thankfully, I had enough Marriott Bonvoy points to spend the night at a hotel, albeit an hour away.
OK, deep breath. Let it go, I say. So I returned the next day, registered my complaints and stayed for 2 nights. With this, the rest of my experience (apart from what had been previously noted) was a fairly positive one.
Before I move on, you're probably scratching your head saying "Why did this guy return after such a horrible experience?" Well, because it is the reason most choose to stay here - it is nearly the ONLY campground in the Miami, so it's either shell out $200 or $300 a night for a hotel or sleep under the stars.
The campground itself is fairly decent size with – count ‘em– not 3, not 7, but a total of 11 RV parking ‘pods’ (think small loops with about 20 slots in each) that have been thoughtfully laid out, with over 200 sites total offering full hookups, paved pads and a mix of sun and shade depending on your preference. Sites are mostly level and easy to navigate (even for larger setups) with the roads being wide enough to remove whatever stress you may be dealing with upon arrival. Amenities are strong across the board, including clean restrooms, intermittent hot showers (some days they were hot, some days they were ice cold, but no matter the day, the pressure was always incredibly low), pay-for-play laundry facilities, a few scattered playgrounds, an amenity center that offers up a large screen TV, lending library, DVDs and ample space for group gatherings. The best amenities? The amazing community pool located right next to the community center (note: only open between 10am– 5pm, so if you’ve come here because of work, that’s a bummer, unless you can work from the pool, which I couldn’t) and the freshwater lake with a sandy beach that feels like a built-in bonus for families. Oh, and during the summertime, there’s a waterslide facility that looks AMAZING! The park is pet-friendly, somewhat well-maintained if you’re not staying in the tent area (which, unfortunately, I was) and has a safe, welcoming feel throughout.
Beyond the campground, you are perfectly positioned to explore both nature and convenience. The park itself has miles of paved biking and walking trails, plus open green spaces and water access for a relaxing afternoon. Just a short drive away, you will find grocery options like Publix Super Market, Walmart Supercenter and additional essentials along US-1 along with a Costco that’s only like 20 minutes away. If you are looking to explore further, Biscayne National Park offers boating and snorkeling opportunities, while Miami Zoo is practically next door for an easy family outing. Not too far away from here you can also find fast food and casual dining spots for a bite to eat in case you grow tired of black beans w/ hot dogs for the third meal in a row.
Insider’s tips? Here’s a handful: (1) Aim for sites deeper into the loops for more shade and less road noise; (2) The freshwater lake and beach area are perfect for kids to cool off on warm afternoons; (3) Bring bikes as the paved trails throughout the park are ideal for cruising; (4) Keep an eye out for iguanas and wading birds around the water’s edge; (5) Shade varies quite a bit so a canopy can be helpful on sunnier sites - but if you are tent camping, you won't really need any shade, unless you want to be protected from the intermittent rains; (6) For a great nearby bite, check out Shiver’s BBQ at 28001 S Dixie Hwy, Homestead, FL 33033; (7) You will hear non-stop urban noise and traffic from anywhere in this campground, so while you may be shuddered from the noise inside your RV or camper, you won't be so lucky inside a tent, so if that bothers you, bring earplugs; and (8) OH, how could I forget!!! Don’t arrive here AFTER 5PM!!!
Happy Camping!
GuideStayed here 2 nights. Well maintained, clean and quiet place. Close to Everglades National Park. Campsites were large enough with shade. Bathrooms were clean and staff was friendly.
GuideThis is a very nice campground which is part of the Miami-Dade County park system. It is close to the Encore Everglades park (about 4 miles) so we stayed here after we departed. The campground is divided into pods and each pod has about 15 or so sites. We were in pod 4 site 20 (420 lol). We booked this camp with the intent to stay for a month or longer as my husband had an opportunity to Captain boats in Miami.
The park was very quiet. Most of the campers were retirees, a few families with kids, but we were there in early January. The grounds are nicely maintained with lots of places to walk and open space with trees. They don't allow dogs off-leash and although it is adjacent to the rest of the Larry & Penny park, dogs are not even allowed in the main park, at all. We did however find a few dog parks within four miles or so which were nice.
They have a very nice pool which was open daily Wed- Sunday 11am - 5pm. It was raining and rather dreary during our stay so we didn't use the pool. They have a nice Clubhouse and it looked okay with tables, chairs, books, puzzles, but again very quiet. Not many activities except for a few and we didn't stay long enough to participate. After a week, we decided to make moves back home to Lake Tahoe. It was unseasonably cold, raining so no boat work and not an ideal spot for the dogs. They don't have WiFi and since we were planning a longer stay, purchased the Starlink system since I work remote during the winter. Starlink worked great, but costs $500+ to get started and then $120 or so a month. If you are looking for an affordable long term/monthly stay, it is great. The rates were $850 a month for full hook-ups. They had last minute space available, too.
If you are in the area, check out the Miami Zoo. We were there when they had the "Zoo Lights" a super fun evening event. They have other events at the Zoo and lots to do nearby. You are closer to town than Everglades Encore, but still close to the agricultural area. I recommend but not as fun or as many activities as some other places.
ScoutThe good: The campground is very reasonably priced relative to accommodations in the surrounding area. The facilities are clean and functional. The meh: This is a family campground so you may end up with noisy neighbors (and/or their children). The bad: Code Compliance is strict and will lurk until you leave your site and then stick a nasty-gram to your door about whatever rule you violated. Apparently good tape is in short supply - I found my note under my camper by chance. They placed the note after nightfall.
ScoutCalled to inquire pricing and was told they do not have RV sites
ScoutGood experience, this was the first campground we ever visited with our RV but it was smooth. Price was okay (I guess), front desk lady was very friendly, slot was spacey and the pool seemed nice although we didn't use it (what a shame)
GuideA little confusing getting here if it’s your first time. GPS will tell you to turn left into the campground when it’s a right at the stop sign from 184th/127th. The staff at the front was super helpful, but we never got info on a wifi code and didn’t notice until it was too late. Super clean bathrooms, which was surprising since we generally don’t expect much when staying in a public park setting. Very quiet and great for what we needed. The sites have enough room. Our site backed up to the bathrooms / laundry but there was enough space between to not be disruptive.
GuideVery nice people and great fishing community
Biscayne National Park area offers upland tent camping and luxury glamping options within 30-45 minutes of the park entrance. The subtropical climate keeps temperatures moderate year-round, with summer highs averaging 85-90°F and winter lows rarely dropping below 60°F. Camping locations range from urban parks with amenities to more secluded spots along the coast, providing varied access points to explore both Biscayne's marine environment and nearby Everglades ecosystems.
Fishing at local lagoons: Tent campers at Larry & Penny Thompson Park can fish in nearby ponds, but should be prepared for wildlife encounters. According to one camper at Larry & Penny Thompson Park, "We camped here for 6 nights as a home base while fishing the area... Fishing was good in the pond nearby. Beware of the feral cats and raccoons though. We spent an entire night fending them off with a slingshot and they didn't bother us again."
Kayaking through mangroves: Bring your own kayak or rent one to explore the waterways near Oleta River State Park. The park offers "15-miles of trails in more than 1,000 acres! You can bike, snorkel, paddle, run, picnic, rent cabins, primitive camp, and even get married. No bugs during the day."
Visit both Biscayne and Everglades: Use the camping areas as your central location to explore multiple parks. "This campsite is a great central base camp for those visiting Biscayne NP/ Everglades NP and Miami. Clean and safe, with spots for both rv's and tents."
Affordability near expensive areas: Budget-conscious glampers appreciate value options near Southern Comfort RV Resort in Florida City. As one visitor noted, "Very cozy place, plenty of shades, little swimming pool and friendly people all around. You just can't beat the price! $18 if you have Passport America membership."
Urban escape contrast: Despite being in metropolitan areas, several glamping locations offer surprising natural settings. One camper at Oleta River State Park called it "an oasis in the middle of an overcrowded city" with cabins available for around "$55 bucks a night or so!"
Water access and sunsets: Waterfront glamping near Biscayne National Park provides memorable sunset views. A visitor to Riptide RV Resort mentioned, "This campground is small with tight sites (short and close together). There's no pool but there are laundry facilities and a clean bathroom. There's a community grill, picnic area, and chairs to enjoy the sunsets."
Limited stay durations: Tent camping has stricter time limits than RV stays at some locations. According to a reviewer, "Wish the website was clearer on length of stay - 30 days for RVs and 7 days for tent campers. After 7 days, you have to leave and can't return for 30 days. They do provide a list of other local campgrounds you can move to, though."
Noise considerations: Urban glamping locations near Biscayne National Park may have traffic or entertainment noise. One camper noted: "Near a major street, so it can get noisy - and on weekends you can hear the music from a local bar."
Security concerns: Take normal urban security precautions at Paradise Island RV Resort. One unfortunate experience demonstrates why: "Our Ford F-250 King Ranch 4x4 diesel got stolen in the middle of the day from right in front of our RV at this park. This state park is NOT secure!"
Swimming amenities: Children appreciate the pools and water features at several locations. "The pool is clean and guarded by life guards. There is a lounge where you have access to WiFi and plus to charge your phones."
Zoo proximity: Larry & Penny Thompson Park offers convenient access to Miami Zoo. According to a camper, "I'm a tent camper and loved this area. Overall great value with a swimming pool and washer/dryers. Grounds mostly quiet with expected weekenders. Miami Zoo and groceries nearby and great location."
Washroom considerations: Bathroom facilities vary by location and camping area. One camper observed, "Each pod has its own bathhouse with laundry facilities. There are pull through spots for the big motorhomes and spots reserved for the handicapped. The bathhouses for the RV's were in good shape and well maintained. The bathhouse for the tenters not so much."
Gate access timing: Note restricted entry hours when glamping near Biscayne National Park. "Fairly dispersed camping lots of grass, big park, gates locked at 8pm. Lots of trees scattered but ok shade."
Alternative access points: Some RV parks have tricky entrances requiring planning. "The entrance is a little hidden and tight but doable. We were towing a 36' travel trailer. If heading south and coming off the FL Turnpike, you have to get over several lanes in a short distance to make the left turn on to Palm Drive."
Connectivity challenges: Internet access varies greatly between glamping locations. One RVer reported, "No WiFi due to construction whilst we were there. Verizon data slow even with booster."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Biscayne National Park?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Biscayne National Park is Larry & Penny Thompson Park with a 3.4-star rating from 21 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Biscayne National Park?
TheDyrt.com has all 7 glamping camping locations near Biscayne National Park, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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