Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach houses distinctive glamping accommodations with full-service yurts situated within a 430-acre recreational area. The park's glamping sites feature electricity, comfortable beds, and picnic tables, making them an appealing option for travelers seeking upgraded outdoor experiences near Fort Lauderdale. Paradise Island RV Resort complements the area's glamping scene with upscale accommodations that include full hookups, resort-style amenities, and proximity to urban conveniences. Other glamping-friendly locations include Oleta River State Park Campground and West Palm Beach-Lion Country Safari KOA, which offers both yurts and cabin-style glamping options in a wildlife-rich setting. According to a camper, "It was a great time went fishing had fires and explored nature the park office has everything."
The Sunsport Gardens Family Naturist Resort provides a unique glamping experience with cabin-style accommodations in a naturist setting about 40 minutes from Fort Lauderdale. Guests enjoy amenities including picnic tables, electric hookups, and shower facilities within a peaceful environment. Larry & Penny Thompson Park features glamping-appropriate cabins with nearby pool access when open seasonally. Most glamping locations in the area provide convenient access to South Florida attractions, beaches, and natural areas while offering more comfortable accommodations than traditional camping. Proximity to urban centers means glampers can easily access dining, entertainment, and shopping while retreating to their upscale outdoor accommodations each evening. One visitor noted, "This place has cabins and a shared bathroom, but it is such an amazing park right in the middle of an overcrowded city!"
"The staff are extremely friendly and helpful and will do whatever they can to make you satisfied."
"Campground in the city, great guest services, friendly staff. Near grocery store, and everything!"
"It was on the water, had a grill, electrcitiy, fire pit, tent, running water and was pet friendly. We brought our kayaks and played around. Had a lot of space to walk our dogs."
"Good location in the middle of urban area, cabins to rent. We’ve used for daycamp without overnight, but you can do that if you want"
$55 / night
"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!!"
"sites: no pets allowed. welcoming atmosphere. mostly shaded. near residential neighborhood but quiet. flat sites. amenities: large bathhouse. clean. other attractions: zoo. beach/waterslide."
"The RV's are assigned space around several pods. 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 campground is pretty tight & the sites aren’t very attractive but being next to the safari is awesome! You can hear the lions loud & clear!! The staff was nice."
"Site small and sandy but location is the key to this KOA. Right next to Lion Country Safari."
"Pool is heated comfortably year round. Sauna. Hot tub restaurant fitness laundry pool table clubhouse. Pavilliin. Much is centered around the above area. But more is being done for trails and sites."
Guidesites: no pets allowed. welcoming atmosphere. mostly shaded. near residential neighborhood but quiet. flat sites. amenities: large bathhouse. clean. other attractions: zoo. beach/waterslide. I would go back again.
ScoutMy husband and I rented a campground flat in December. It was on the water, had a grill, electrcitiy, fire pit, tent, running water and was pet friendly. We brought our kayaks and played around. Had a lot of space to walk our dogs. It was really a great time!
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.
TravelerThis is an older campground with a lot of full-time RVers. The staff are extremely friendly and helpful and will do whatever they can to make you satisfied. This is a campground in the middle of the city, so don’t expect a lot of quiet, as this is how it is in a city. We spent 14 months here sheltering from Covid, and it was extremely convenient to all of the Fort Lauderdale area. We never had a single issue during our stay.
ScoutThis is city owned and operated Park/Campground. This fact is significant. It is very pretty with lots of mature shade trees. The RV's are assigned space around several pods. 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. The bathhouse for the RV's is not very far to walk which I would recommend.
The tent area is off to one side and well shaded by mature trees. It's an area rather than sites. You pick your spot, put up a tent and place a large numbered sign by your area and you've got your spot. While there isn't any electric to plug into at the tent sites, water is provided interspersed throughout the area. Picnic tables and barbecue grills are also provided throughout.
There is a great fire ring with benches for bonfires and a great Beach volleyball court. 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. The RVs have WiFi around their pods.
Tenters can stay for a Max of 7 nights while RV's can stay for 180. Tenters can only pay for 3 nights at once before returning to re-up. No such rule for RVs. There is a kind of second class feel to the tenters but if you overlook that (I recommend you do) you will have a great time. Staff is very nice and the park is clean.
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!
Guide3 campers and two RVs crammed into overflow. NO full hookups as indicated over the phone. Showers NOT in the “bath house” adjacent to these crummy sites. The dumpsite is between the office and the fence. This requires you to back into position or drive down a narrow path and make 3 tight turns. Florida has NO dump sites at rest or service areas! What????
RangerThe campground is pretty tight & the sites aren’t very attractive but being next to the safari is awesome! You can hear the lions loud & clear!! The staff was nice. Close to groceries and gas stations.
LegendWe tent camped here. Site small and sandy but location is the key to this KOA. Right next to Lion Country Safari. We are used to hearing birds and frogs when we camp, but here it is lions...and other noises I was not able to identify. Weather great to explore park in late Winter. Kids loved it and we will be back!
Fort Lauderdale camping options exist within a subtropical climate zone that receives approximately 60 inches of rainfall annually, primarily between May and October. The region's flat terrain with an average elevation of just 9 feet above sea level creates unique drainage considerations for campers during summer storms. Winter months offer the most comfortable camping conditions with temperatures averaging 65-75°F.
Wildlife viewing at Lion Country Safari KOA: Located about an hour from Fort Lauderdale, this unique campground borders an animal safari. "Real Lion Alarm Clock... We are used to hearing birds and frogs when we camp, but here it is lions...and other noises I was not able to identify," notes Jeffrey W., who enjoyed tent camping at West Palm Beach-Lion Country Safari KOA.
Paddle sports in urban parks: Rent kayaks or bring your own to explore waterways. "We've used for daycamp without overnight, but you can do that if you want," mentions Alex P. about Quiet Waters Park, which offers water access for day visitors even when overnight facilities are limited.
Mountain biking urban trails: Several parks feature dedicated bike trails within city limits. "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!" shares a reviewer about Oleta River State Park Campground, noting some trails may be seasonally flooded.
Cabin camping options: Several parks offer cabin rentals with varying amenities. "My husband and I rented a campground flat in December. It was on the water, had a grill, electricity, fire pit, tent, running water and was pet friendly," shares Ashley J. about the accommodations at Quiet Waters Park.
Urban convenience with natural settings: Campers appreciate the blend of accessibility and nature. "This is an older campground with a lot of full-time RVers. The staff are extremely friendly and helpful... We spent 14 months here sheltering from Covid, and it was extremely convenient to all of the Fort Lauderdale area," explains Richard H. about Paradise Island RV Resort.
Affordable yurt camping near Fort Lauderdale: Specialized yurt accommodations provide unique experiences. "The reason why I titled this 'relaxing' is because I enjoy the feeling of the place! The people (mainly the snowbirds) the come down seem to be the friendliest! My favorite is their drum circles!" writes Lisa C. about Sunsport Gardens Family Naturist Resort, which offers alternative camping options beyond traditional tent sites.
Seasonal availability varies: Some facilities close during certain times. "Right now, nothing is open until memorial day weekend. So no beach and no pool. Also half the park is under construction," reported one camper about Larry & Penny Thompson Park during a visit, highlighting the importance of checking current conditions.
Security concerns: Take normal precautions as with any urban camping area. "This is city owned and operated Park/Campground. This fact is significant. It is very pretty with lots of mature shade trees. The RV's are assigned space around several pods. Each pod has its own bathhouse with laundry facilities," notes Tod H. about Larry & Penny Thompson Park.
Insect management is essential: Seasonality affects mosquito activity. "When we were pulling in we noticed a train of 7-8 RV's and trailers leaving... That's when we noticed that it was literally swarming with mosquitos," cautions Daniel G. about a summer visit to Lion Country Safari KOA, suggesting spring or winter visits might be more comfortable.
Pool access for kids: Many parks offer swimming facilities during specific seasons. "Great family campground... This has all the amenities as a typical KOA campground except you get a bonus by hearing the Lions roar in the morning," writes Burton M. about the family-friendly environment at Lion Country Safari KOA.
Nature programs for children: Look for parks with educational opportunities. "Big Rig friendly with nice pull through sites and a wilderness feel that I enjoyed," mentions Coral W. about Lion Country Safari KOA, which offers discounted safari park tickets to campers.
Safety with wildlife encounters: Urban parks often have resident wildlife. "The Raccoons like to come out in the evening, so make sure you pick up you garbage at night. The rabbits were having fun playing in the primitive camping area every evening and early morning hours," advises a camper at Lion Country Safari KOA.
Hookup quality varies by park: Check specific site amenities before booking. "Good 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," shares Christoph about Paradise Island RV Resort.
Gates and access times: Some parks restrict nighttime entry and exit. "The campground is gated during evening hours with the gate closing at 10:00 pm, so you will need to get a gate key card with a $20.00 deposit which will be refunded when you turn the key back at the end of your stay," advises a visitor to Lion Country Safari KOA.
Yurt camping alternatives for Fort Lauderdale visitors: For those without RVs seeking more comfort than tent camping, consider yurt options. "Rustic. Freedom. Old timers. Families. AANR. Pool is heated comfortably year round. Sauna. Hot tub restaurant fitness laundry pool table clubhouse," notes Sandra C. about the facilities at Sunsport Gardens, which offers alternative accommodations.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Fort Lauderdale, FL is Paradise Island RV Resort with a 3.5-star rating from 6 reviews.
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