Best Dog-Friendly Camping near New Smyrna Beach, FL

If you’ve landed on this review hopefully its because of a primary decision to visit one of the greatest beach communities in all of Florida – New Smyrna Beach. This super-slim archipelago boasts some of the most perfect white sugar sand beaches anywhere – plus, the best part is that this beach is a proper ‘drive-on’ beach, so whatever you would normally have to haul in a cart or wheeled by trolley to the beach, you can simply keep in the trunk or bed of your SUV / car / truck. And if you are here, hopefully you have planned to be here for some time – or, upon seeing how simply amazing New Smyrna Beach is, have decided that you need a place to stay ... but unfortunately, you and a couple thousand other people have come to the same conclusion. So what do you do? 

Well, you look for simple and affordable accommodations nearby, and that’s what will attract you to Sugar Mill Ruins Travel Park, which is conveniently located only 15 minutes drive or so from beachside bliss. While this is definitely an RV-laden outpost, the vibe here is quite contagious, with its main office greeting you immediately upon arrival, where just past this wooden log cabin structure pure hedonism awaits with vibrant bouncing beach balls popping up and down in this overgrown campside Florida shaped-pool bursting with loud southern country music (yee-haw!) and nearly everyone en towe brandishing a coozie with some cheap domestic beer and endless “hey y’all’s” and smiles to boot at the ‘Tiki Hut’ (warning – there’s nothing here that resembles a ’Tiki Hut’ apart from the drinks they pour, although even here, no umbrellas!). This place feels like Spring Break for the adults toting 2-3 kids with them as they dwell in their mobile manufactured temporary housing. 

With all the proper hook-ups being provided (30 / 50 amp electric, sewer, water), this oversized RV menagerie feels like it’s been carved out of a forest of tall needle-pine trees sheltering its residents from the sweltering heat of NE Florida. The family-friendly restrooms and shower facilities are fairly clean and there’s picnic tables and BBQ grills sporadically littered all over the place. Sugar Mill Ruins also rents out very affordable cabins (12 x 20) with twin bunk beds and fold-out futon (nice) complete with mini-fridge, table, chairs, microwave and even a porch with deck chairs. There’s more than 200 sites to choose from complete with a playground for the kiddos, game room with 2 billiards tables, plus 3 acres of lake fishing along with a cool pavilion with games and events (this is the main building that you’ll first encounter). 

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) While not exactly a destination, Sugar Mill Ruins is so dang convenient to some of the best beach experiences you might ever encounter, depending upon your leaning, leave early and spend as much time as you can at New Smyrna Beach; (2) If you’re looking for a different place to soak some suds, I highly recommend Norwood’s Treehouse Bar, which has fantastic cocktails and local live music; and (3) For simply sublime food, check out Outriggers Tiki Bar& Grille, which has a pretty gracious happy hour where you can spot manatees and dolphins while biting down on some of the freshest catch in Florida, but with outstanding accoutrement, like key lime coconut beurre blanc and sticky bamboo rice or pineapple and peppadew rhum butter infused fish entrees. 

Happy Camping!

Warning: you are not actually on New Smyrna Beach at this RV wonderland, but rather, a good 15-20 minute drive to one of the most glorious drive-on beaches in all of Florida. So what you may sacrifice in terms of immediate beach access, you more than make up for in an affordable place to rock up your RV (max 50 feet length), rent a cabin (1BR or 2BR) or pitch a tent for the night. This destination marries ancient Oaks with swinging Palms and has a very nice forested feel encircling the place (and helping you forget all of that traffic that is whirring by just outside of the property). 

As for the campground itself, all of the typical hook-ups (electric, water and sewage) are available for the mobile-inclined RV’ers out there. For those that prefer to camp au naturale, there’s a handful of spots, but honestly, you won’t feel as though you are out in nature whatsoever, as the noise in the place is pretty unsettling as the individual campsites are too close together. And if you have just rocked up in your car or SUV and are looking for an alternative to hotels, then you have just hit the lottery, as the cabins here, while small, are quaint and fairly new as well as offering a proper front porch swing. 

New Smyrna Beach RV Park & Campground offers up amenities like a nice little swimming pool (at about 4pm, there were some pretty nice cocktails being poured poolside!) along with free WiFi, TV scattered relatively new picnic tables and stand-up BBQ grilles. 

Insider’s tips? This spot is perfect whether you are heading to Daytona 500 or watching a rocket launch form Kennedy Space Center. I’d also highly recommend Central Florida Zoo, which has 116 acres of exotic animals and botanical gardens to explore. Of course, there’s 25 miles of pristine Atlantic shoreline encompassing the dunes and Mosquito Lagoon, which is one of the state’s longest stretches of undeveloped and protected preserve to explore. 

Happy Camping!

If you find yourself heading to one of the best Atlantic-side beaches in all of Florida – New Smyrna Beach – then you are already in-store for what will be a fantastic experience. Until they actually let beachgoers camp out on the beach itself, finding a spot to ‘pitch your tent’ isn’t all that difficult to do in this area. That said, what you give up for convenience and close access to the white caps you’ll encounter in this beach destination makes you want to be somewhat more forgiving of the campground options available to you. 

Only about 2 miles away from the soft lulling of lapping waves, you’ll come across one of a few good options (see my other reviews for those other options), one of which is Gold Rock Campground & RV Park. Conveniently located off State Road 44 (which you’ll take after getting off the main I95 highway), you’ll head south when you come to Old Mission Road, which is just a short drive to this location. I would describe what you’ll find as basically a big open football field with a few lanes of mostly RV’s lined up side-by-side. The vibe is definitely pleasant and the place is communal with fringes of hippiness (just look at some of the psychedelic painted camper vans and buses – the owners of which will certainly not disappoint!). 

There’s a small office upon entry that you’ll check in at, pay your nightly deposit and then you’re off to find an open space of greenery that you’ll call home for the night. There’s all the standard hook-ups for the RV’s and as a tent camper, you really have the run of the town to place your portable home for the night pretty much anywhere you want to. The only real insider tips I can give you if staying here or in the area is to get to the beach early – and note that the white sandy beaches in these parts are ‘drive-on only,’ so bring everything with you, find your perfect spot at the beach and open up the backgate of your SUV or Jeep and set up your camp in the sand there for the entire day. Simply one of the best beach experiences I’ve ever had in Florida (and I live here, so that should be saying something). 

Happy Camping!

This place is gargantuan and has so many roads and alleyways that I got lost navigating the place at least a couple of times. And just when I thought that I seen all of Southern Palms RV Resort, upon exiting the place, I realized that there was even more of Southern Palms right across the street where the expansive RV parking lot continued. 

Located on the outskirts of Eustis here in the Sunshine State, this place has just about everything you could be looking for – from parks, shuffle boards, evening themed dancing and lakes to bike paths, swimming pools and bocce ball. But wait, there’s more… there’s also: clubhouse/ lounge for large group gatherings, whirlpool / spa / jacuzzi for those late night relaxing moments, fitness center to get your workout in, showers / restrooms that are just decent, ballroom for those evening dance parties, WiFi that is pretty superb, basic and expanded TV cable packages, picnic tables galore, BBQ grilles as far as the eye can see, the whole place is pet friendly, a horseshoe pit (where Joey is the local hero), mail center, game room complete with billiards table, a dog park that is always jam packed with man’s best friend as well as a laundr-O-mat (bring your quarters!) an extensive library (without its own Dewey decimal system) … and the list goes on, but I will end here. 

Downside to this place is that, well, it’s a mega mall of RV’s, campers and semi-permanent, yet mobile housing solutions, and there’s a lot more people and accommodations than there is really space for, so it is quite overcrowded and you will definitely hear your neighbors at all times of the day, in addition to all of the scootering traffic going by your ‘campsite’ whether day or night. So if you are simply looking for a place to stay for the night enroute to somewhere else, this is not a bad place, but given the overpopulation and the fact that every single amenity offered, while great for some, makes me feel like I just left home to go somewhere else where they have everything that I just left at home. 

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few… First, if you are looking for a great meal and something out of the ordinary, head on over to The Dam Smoker and you will discover some pretty outrageous BBQ, which you can order and eat there (or order by the pound and go find a nice lakeside bench to enjoy) albeit in some very modest settings. Second, if you’d like to escape your asphalt slab for a nice slice of nature, then head over to Long Leaf Pine Trail, which has a decent hike, or check out the wildlife at Hidden Waters Preserve, both of which are near Lake Joanna.


Happy Camping!