Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Florida City, FL

So first ...the lits are privately owned. There is an HOA. Owner of site has authority over site not the staff. So if the staff makes an error with dates of your visit and the owners show up to stay at their site....you will need to pack up. Happened to us. The area is mostly fulltime/permanent traders that have been converted into a trailer house. Laundry room is not air conditioned. The "store/gift shop" is more of a check in and mail/package pick up. Dog friendly but not alot of grassy areas for dogs to play and do there business. 90% of area is like sand seashell material. There is a very small beach area...no dogs allowed. Kids playground is nice. Pool was opened...I did not go into pool area. We took our 2 digs down to Marathon FL to a dog park. Very nice and quiet with nice walking trail. I would not recommend this camp site.

Just a one night stay so a quick review: this place was spotless and perfectly managed. We expected far less than we got. Every site was manicured and clean which added to an already picturesque setting.

It helped that the weather was perfect (74 with breeze, 60 at night) so mosquito activity was low.

The proximity to Anhinga and Gumbo Limbo trails is a big win.

Despite the light pollution from Miami and Florida City the stars were gorgeous.

Friendly staff as well, though one didn’t know whether generators were allowed when I called ahead. That is a question that should have a ready answer… (yes, by the way)

One major flaw: they were under a Boil Water Order when we arrived due to fecal contamination in the water. This was not disclosed to us before arrival despite the fact that we booked the day before camping. Unacceptable oversight.

All in all this little gem is worth a stop.

This 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.

This campground is in the Everglades National Park but is managed by a third-party. That was good for us because we were able to stay here during the government shutdown. We stayed for 8 nights at the beginning of January 2019.

First, the website shows that sites are first-come, first-serve except for a limited number of sites that can be reserved. I called and was told reservations were not accepted so we took our chances on getting a spot. When we arrived, the agent stated that there were only 3 spots available for the 3 nights we were going to originally stay (we weren’t sure about connectivity). Needless to say, that was incorrect, there were tons of spots available for the time frame we were there. Anyway, we also found out that they do take reservations somewhere on-line, but I couldn’t find the website for it. We stayed three nights in spot #5. It was a good spot, but our solar was struggling because it was in shade most of the afternoon. We decided to stay a few extra days to explore more. Connectivity was not an issue – Verizon has 3-4 bars without booster. AT&T has no service though. With our booster, we were able to get about 1-2 bars of AT&T and thankfully one of our phones as Wi-Fi call capability, so we were able to make and receive calls. Keep that in mind if you are AT&T only. The campground Flamingo about 40 miles from this campground does have AT&T connectivity, but we didn’t explore the campground to see how it compared.

When we decided to stay longer, we were told we had to move because someone reserved spot #5. That was fine because we wanted to move spots for better solar anyway. The agent said she couldn’t look up which spots were available for the time frame we wanted, but we could drive around and find a few spots we wanted and then she could look it up. That seemed weird, but we did that. We found that spot #66 had great access to solar in the mid-late afternoon so chose it. Thankfully that spot was available. There was some confusion about whether we could reserve it or not. Each person we spoke to said something different, but after many tries, it ended up working out and we were able to stay longer. 

We stayed another 5 nights at our new spot #66. Solar was much better there, and we had a nice view of the lake. Both spots we were on were level and it seemed most in the park were level. The road coming in is paved so no issues with accessibility. Since the campground is in the park, you do have to pay the entrance fee, but we have the national park pass. Of course, because of the shutdown there was no one at the gate anyway.

We didn’t inspect the bathrooms or shower houses, but the park was clean and well-maintained. They have a camp host on-site and we did not see any issues that were seen in other parks because of the shutdown.  For some reason, the dumpsters were not emptied until our last day there so some people had put their trash next to the dumpsters, but it was otherwise clean. Very quiet and peaceful as well. 

The campground has a lot of slash pine trees which give some shade, but still allows some solar. There were not a ton of good spots for solar IMO (at least in the winter), but anything by the lake would be good. There are no hookups at this site, but they do have potable water and a dump station near the entrance to the campground.

Tons of things to do near this campground. There are trails and of course exploring the Everglades. Homestead/Florida City is about a 20 min drive and you can get groceries, gas and whatever you need there. Robert is Here is a nice fruit stand in Florida City you may want to check out. Worth a trip to the Flamingo visitor center to see crocodiles and manatees. I would also recommend the Royal Palm visitor center and the anhinga trail.

Overall, despite the confusion and frustration over the reservations, it was a nice place and we would stay again. It is closed in the summer months which makes sense, it would be way too hot, and mosquito infested for the summer. Mosquitos were tolerable when we were there, but you need bug spray.

If you can beat the bugs, stargaze and enjoy the sunrise. But take the bug seriously. Even in late January the mosquitoes or vicious. You'll want insect repellent long sleeve long pants and maybe even a mosquito net when you are out and about.

Flamingo Everglades is the concessionaire that operates this campground and the nearby marina. The campground is arranged into 2 loops (one for trailers; about half of them with electric) plus a bayside field area that also includes a group tent site. For these, you park and walk to your site, but you get a great view of the bay and sunrises. In addition, there are several new eco-tents (platform tents) with beds two chairs and lamps. I stayed in one of these.

The Flamingo area still shows the effects of Hurricane Irma a couple of years ago and some neglect. The B & C loops are not open, though NPS is working to clean them up. An employee I spoke with indicated that they hoped to have those open next year. I was there midweek and only the trailer loop was full. On the weekends they do fill up.

The campsites in the loops have picnic tables and fire rings. The bayside field sites have scattered picnic tables and fire rings in various states of rusty disrepair. The eco-tents some picnic tables closer to the bathrooms for the field sites are not occupied, you can use one of those. You can't use a stove in your tent or on your deck, so you do need to cook elsewhere.

Bathrooms include flush toilets and free showers, although the water never got very warm. They are solar heated.

Remember everything you need because it's a long trip back to Florida city or Homestead the nearest places for picking up supplies. Stop at "Robert is Here" on your way in or out for a smoothie or milkshake. The shop at the marina has some basic snacks and drinks. Tuesday to Saturday afternoons there is a food truck available. For activities, campers get a discount on bike rentals. They also rent kayaks & canoes and offer boat trips, though I wouldn't do the boat trip again.

If you choose to stay in an eco-tent, there is a cart with bicycle tires to quietly take your gear to your tent. The boardwalk lights up at night so you can safely find your way to the bathroom. You'll be conscious of the sound the zipper makes when you leave and return to your tent. These are tents and not cabins, so you may hear some neighbors talking or snoring. Even so, it was a welcome change from a sleepless, noisy night at a campground in the Keys.

If you're looking for birds, nearby Eco pond or the waterfront near the bayside campsites offer a nice variety for minimal effort.

No Verizon coverage, but I've been told there is AT&T. Wifi is available at the visitors center.

We stayed thirteen nights at this park.  We really enjoyed the stay and recommend.  The campsites are mostly nice.  There are a lot of seasonal campers and it seems those sites are nicer.  The sites closer to the cabin area are closer together.  I wouldn't recommend this campsite for actual campsite, but rather the excellent location and fun activities and amenities of the park.  

The park has lots to do and while dated, it is kept in good shape.  The pool is lovely with lounge chairs, palm trees and a tropical feel.  They have a hot tub, too.  Everything clean and had a resort-feel.  There are an abundance of activities: pickle ball, shuffleboard, a nice mini-golf course, walking trail, clubhouse, fire pits and large open grassy space.

We have two active dogs and they have a huge field where we were able to run our dogs off-leash and chase the frisbee.  I am not sure if it is allowed, but there were others as well so seemed okay.  This was a real benefit when camping with pets that like to run.  

The park is in a beautiful, agricultural area in the town of Redlands.  It is very tropical with farms, nurseries and lots of tropical fruit stands and interesting parks.  It feels rural but it is close enough to town to go to the Miami beaches or other activities.  If you go, check out all the agricultural farms, the Fruit and Spice stand, the 'Robert is Here' fruit stand and the Knaups Berry Farm for world class cinnamon rolls.  The lines were too long for us to wait, but we heard they were the best.

This is one of the most friendly parks I have stayed.  We were there on Christmas and New Years and had a total blast.  They had music, karaoke, dancing and potluck dinners. The staff was nice too, we met Jason who was super helpful.  My friend flew in to visit and she rented one of their deluxe cabins.  It was really nice, with a fireplace, fenced patio, loft, kitchen.  The entire experience at this resort was enjoyable and felt like being at camp.  Highly recommend a visit.

I am writing this review to shield anyone who is camping & going through a difficult time in life, because no one deserves to be treated as we were. Unfortunately, I would never stay at this KOA ever again. It makes me very sad & upset to know that such unkind, greedy people run this campground- one of the few KOA’s in all of Florida. My family and I are going through a very rough time due to illness. We come here to be at a family wedding, to forget, to be happy & comfortable. We are big travelers all across the continental United States, and have stayed at nearly every KOA in the entire country. This is the first and hopefully last time I have ever had to write a review to protect people from coming to a campground. If you HAVE to stay here do not stay in spot 89. The KOA workers walk dogs they cannot control, that bark VERY loudly at 8AM. And all throughout the day, dogs walking past and barking. Absolute torture. We were charged for having 2 cats, $10. Never been charged for two cats that don’t leave the camper but, okay. When we got to the site, we discovered that we paid $120 for a spot with an enormous pile of dirt & construction on it. Not being dramatic. But honestly, I really didn’t care about that much. What bothered me was how they treated people. I pride myself on always being kind to people because you don’t know what anyone is going through. What bothered me was a man with facial hair on a golf cart telling me (who owns the camper & paid for the spot) to leave immediately because my sisters rental car was “not registered at the office”. He saw us come in and drove all the way back to the office to look at our registered cars. How bored and and angry at life do you have to be to care about that? Just wow. He tried to charge us money to register my pregnant sister coming to visit us for 2 hours because we “didn’t register her rental car at the office?” I have never experienced anything like that. Turns out there was one nice woman who is shorter and has dark brown hair in a ponytail, she was kind enough to tell us the TRUTH that we just had to park it in a designated spot. LOL. Why wouldn’t you tell someone that in the first place? Because you can get money out of them the first way. How cruel and greedy is that? I will never associate myself with this campground ever again. The nasty looks we received from staff during our stay was laughable. I look forward to sending a very accurate depiction of our lovely stay at the Davie KOA to the KOA Owners Association Board of Directors. I hope you desperately unhappy people can heal yourselves and find true happiness & love in this life.