Best Glamping near Hawthorne, FL

Very close to the University of Florida. Nice campground recently renovated.

Nice sites and some even have full hookups which is unusual for a Florida State Park.

Has beautiful sandy trails and near the silver springs park that allows kayaking and boat access on 40. You can rent a cabin or park rv. Not the most beautiful Florida park.

Lots of Floridas natural beauty but it felt like the camp sites were a bit close together. Very few full hookups most with electricity and water only. Probably won't stay here again

We love this campground. The sites have nice shade ( important in Florida) the bathrooms are clean and well designed. We love hiking down to the Santa Fe river.

We really enjoyed this park. We camped at a tent only site which was private as there weren’t many tent campers while we were there during the week. Stayed at site 31 which is probably the furthest walk from parking but the most private. We saw wild bison, wild turkeys, deer, snakes, and several different species of birds. Disappointed we didn’t see any wild horses but will most definitely be back. Beautiful part of Florida.

The campsite was nice and private. The bathrooms were clean. The park had nice hiking trails, but I enjoyed the kayaking most of all. There is a swimming section. The river goes underground but you can’t kayak in this area. The river has a small rapids area, for Florida. Got to see a snake sunbathing next to two turtles with kayaking. Fun park!

Just a beautiful state park, with that old Florida feel. The sites are big and have plenty of space between them. The the park staff we interacted with were very friendly and informative. The glass bottom boat tour is an absolute must, we had such a wonderful time and the boat captain had lots of interesting information. We have a 4 year old and a 10 year old and they both really enjoyed the boat tour also.

We've stayed @ O'Leno 3 times over the past year and love it! The campsites are spacious, well shaded, and with in easy walking distance to the Bathhouse/Restrooms. The facilities are kept clean and neat. There are plenty of trails and a swimming hole on the Santa Fe River. 

We also like that O'leno is 15 -20 minutes from some of Florida's beautiful Natural Springs.

O’Leno State Park Review| Site 50 Oleno State Park is the camping I always remembered. You know, like quintessential state or national park imagery where you would expect to see“Smoky The Bear” around the next bend. It was one of Florida’s original state parks being built by the Civilian Conservation Corps after WWI as part of the make work project by FDR. This is probably why it has that National Park Vibe… you feel immediately at ease and that you are outside in nature. The campground surely has that feel as well as the facilities down by the river. 

There are still a few remaining buildings from the original town of Keno. This park reminds me of Hillsboro State Park with its suspension bridge over the Sante Fe River before it disappears into the ground only to appear another 3 miles downstream. The hiking in this park is OUTSTANDING. In addition, the campsites are really nice. 

We camped in Dogwood Campground which is near the entrance of the park. Most of the reviews seem to indicate that people prefer Magnolia Campground which is about 1.5 miles down the road near the river and most of the activities but after riding through that campground we were happy we were in Dogwood with it’s narrow dirt road and very rustic primitive appearance even though the sites have power and water. 

We would certainly return to this park when we can stay longer and visit some of the nearby Springs like Gilchrist Blue or Ginnie. We were in site#50. The bathhouse was clean as they are in all Florida State Parks and kind of cool that it is in the middle of the campground with small trails leading to it from a number, if not most of the campsites. 

NOTE: Some of the photos were from a trip earlier in the year as we didn’t take many pics this trip. It may appear“greener” than it actually is in North Florida in February. By the end of March it will look like this again.

Nice camp ground. Most of the space were pull through for Rv/campers. They were pretty narrow spaces. Lots of trees and shade. The entire campground was dirt and some gravel. The bathrooms were ok. Not kept the cleanest, but not the worst I’ve seen.

Super close to the river for easy access. Be prepared it almost rains every day in Florida, so if tent camping be prepared for rain.

My husband and I camped at Silver Springs Campground in our 33' RV and we loved the spacious sites this park offers! We rode our bikes around the campground and were amazed as almost all the sites were huge! Live oak trees with Spanish moss...this campground is truly the "Real Florida". Each site is shady, clean and the the bathroom facilities are close by and have a washer & dryer along with a sink..

The park also has several pretty cool looking cabins/cottages that were nestled in the forest. There is a museum and even a library!

You can hike or drive over to the adjacent Silver Springs (we rode our bikes) and take a boat tour of the mag. 1 crystal clear spring! We got lucky and scored with Oscar Collins, who has been a tour boat captain at Silver Springs for 49 years...he takes the tour to the next level with his knowledge, wit, and what can we say...the man is a Rock Star!

The park offers a launch where you can either rent a kayak or use your own to navigate the beautiful and serene Silver River and you just might see a gator or two...we did! The grounds at Silver Springs are beautiful with all types of flora & fauna. Grab a quick lunch at the restaurant or have an ice cream.

This park is one of our favorites in Florida and is great for all ages...especially for families with children. A fun place for adventure and exploring!

Older Florida park with roots in the CCC and Forestry Service. Large park with hiking, bike and equestrian trails. Along the Santa Fe River there is a swimming hole, suspension bridge, old buildings and a small museum. Magnolia loop would be the best loop for RVs, but spots can be had. Facilities are clean, albeit old. Camping loops and pads are hard sand. Sites vary in size and level. Separation between sits is not bad but suffered in hurricane damage. Some sites appear a bit tight with overhanging trees.

Silver Springs Silver Springs SP Beautiful Florida campground with 60 sites, many pullthrus. The sites are huge with lots of space and privacy. Lush surroundings. Water, electricity, fire pit, grill and picnic table on level gravel sites. The bathhouse is modern, clean, good sized. They have family showers too. Nice laundry facility. There is an environmental museum and a Pioneer Village and the grounds. Campgrounds are next to the Silver Springs where you have to take the glass bottom boat tour.$10 pp for seniors. You can also kayak the Springs but watch out for gators!The grounds on the Springs and campground have great trails.

This park is more than just a glass bottom boat tour. Within the park radius—> You have the “Silver Springs Attraction”, the state campground with all it’s hiking/biking trails, Silver River kayaking/paddling , a small museum and lots of history at this park. Then within an aprox 6mile radius (easy biking) you can enjoy Majorie Cross Greenway,Florida Trail, Swamp Lake trails and the state park equestrian trails. Wow! RV and tent sites -some with full hook up and really nice cabins. This was some the best kayaking up and down river....both ways were a joy to paddle. (Watch our kayaking the silver river video on our YouTube channel...resident manatees are often seen on river!!) We were here in a 34 foot Class A with only 2 bikes and 2 kayaks Happy Camping www.travylcouple.com

Silver Springs State Park Lovely state park in central Florida. Quiet, well spaced forested sites. We stayed in #27 in Feb 2021 but all the sites are nice. Bathrooms and showers all clean and there are some coin-operated laundry machines. Several good hikes from the campground although they don’t show up on the AllTrails app. The trail heads are near the Museum and they branch off into various trails. No trail maps at trail heads though - the only one we saw was deep into one of the trails. The River Trail and Swamp Trail are very nice. The campground is about a mile from Silver Springs SP day use area, and there are more hikes there. There are also kayak abs canoe rentals there. We rented a kayak for two hours and it was great. We will come back!

Spacey sites, though tent campers run the risk of RV generators in your ear as per most Florida state park sites.

Took me two days to see monkeys. I'd recommend staying 3 days if this is your primary reason for visiting the park. The Swamp and River trails (both trailheads are near the campground) are your best bet for seeing them on foot, but I only saw them by boat.

If you have your own boat or paddleboard, you can launch from the ramp half a mile off the River trail ($2 launch fee) and paddle upriver, then float down in the hopes of seeing monkeys.  You can also launch from Ray Wayside Park and paddle all the way up (6 miles, get wrecked).

In addition to a troop of rhesus macaques I saw gators, cormorants, anhinga, hella fish, great blue heron, red bellied cooters, and one otter!

This campground is nice the sites are nice sized and level. The campground is not located at the head springs where the glass bottom boats are and kayak rentals. This makes it even better. The campground is quiet. It's a 15 minute drive to the head springs. 

We had our own Kayaks so we put in at the head springs and paddled down to the campground. It's a 2 to 2 1/2 hour trip or more because of all the beautiful landscape and the wildlife. At the campground exit to get out of the river you have to have wheels to transport the kayaks back to the parking lot. It's about a 1 mile hike pulling the kayak.

You can also do a longer trip an paddle further to Rays Wayside. It's less busy paddling that part of the river. You will need to leave a vehicle parked at Rays Wayside to get back to the headsprings. There is a company for $10 per person that will pick you up there and brings you back. Silver Springs charges $55 per person. 

I was in site 53 and there are trails you can hike from behind many of the campsites. There is a cracker house village and a great museum with artifacts and giant skeletons of big creatures. Lots of fossils and arrowheads. The Museum is only open on weekends.

The bath houses are very clean and if cold out nice hot heaters. There is a washer and dryer at the bath houses too.

They sell firewood and ice at the campground. You use a QR code scanner to purchase it. The wood is nice and burns like wood should.

I went to Silver springs as a kid and always thought of it as a tourist trap. I never had a desire to camp there yet I will say I have changed my mind and have already booked for next year. 

Florida residents have a one month booking advantage which started this past January. If your a Florida senior resident you get 1/2 off the price. The campsite hang tag gets you into the headspring for free. 

The park is nice I will visit again.

I had relatively low expectations of Silver Springs mostly from childhood memories of hot, humid, crowded and touristy. Well, it was a real retro experience and I'm happy to say that not much has changed and that's a good thing!

The camp ground was exceptional with lots and lots of room. The river, as pristine as ever. The tour boats were the very same vessels of my childhood memories and provided a great backdrop to the overall setting.

I think we were in spot 51 which was a pull through and probably the very largest campsite we have ever had and it dwarfed our little travel trailer but we loved it.

It pretty much rained most of the weekend but we still enjoyed our long paddle with all kinds of wildlife INCLUDING THE MONKEYS!!!

The only reason I give this park a 4 and not a 5 star is you have to drive to the kayak launch which is in the same parking lot as the access for the day guests (and there are many). 

I applaud Florida State Parks for managing such a great facility in spite of all the pressure over the years. WE WILL RETURN.

We stayed here in the winter and the weather was very pleasant. The sites are all RV friendly with hookups but there are some sites that are designated as tent sites with a softer spot to stake in. Each site also comes with a standard fire ring and picnic table. The sites are large and spacious with shady trees surrounding each site. It is very quiet and peaceful. Note that pets are allowed in the campground area but not in any other areas.

The bathrooms and showers are close by and are very well kept and clean. It was never crowded. There are also laundry machines and vending machines there as well.

Near the campsites there are cabins for rent and a small museum. There is also a playground for children. Our favorite feature was that we were able to visit Silver Springs park free of charge if you brought your parking permit from the campsite. There are quite a few hiking trails near and one of them takes you directly to the park. Once in the park, you are able to rent kayaks or take the boat tour. The spring water is so clear you can see all of the fish swimming below!

Silver Springs is definitely a great place to visit for a relaxing Florida getaway.

I recently stayed at the Island Oak RV Park in the beautiful town of Glen St Mary, Florida and I must say, I was thoroughly impressed with the facilities and overall experience. The park is conveniently located off I-75 just outside of Jacksonville.

The park itself is well-maintained - clean and has great amenities. My spot was level and spacious with full hookups including water, sewer, and 50-amp electric, which was perfect for my larger RV. They do provide WIFI but from my experience, it was not too reliable and we opted for using our mobile hotspot. We have AT&T, the 5G signal was great, and were able to get 60 - 90 Mbps down with our hotspot.

One of the things that stood out to me was the range of amenities available at the park. They had a great playground for kids, a refreshing heated swimming pool, a hot tub, and a well-stocked general store where I could purchase everything from snacks to RV supplies and even a decent selection of alcohol.

The laundry facilities were also modern and clean, but we did not use them. The Gym was well-outfitted with a variety of equipment and would be good for a quick morning workout. We went during St. Patrick’s Day, they had events going on throughout the weekend.

The lake was a little cold so we did not use it. They did have a variety of paddle boats and kayaks around for free use. During the summer months, they have a floating obstacle course that looks like a lot of fun.

The putt-putt golf course is another fun amenity at this RV park. The course is nicely laid out, with a variety of obstacles that make it challenging but not too difficult. They also have a variety of other games, corn-hole, bocce ball, shuffleboard, latter ball, basketball, volleyball, pickle ball, and even a loan frisbee golf hole.

What really set this RV park apart was its restaurant and bar. I have stayed at a few others that have similar amenities but this one was better than most. We had the wings two nights in a row they were so good! They also offered a good selection of pizza, burgers, sandwiches, and appetizers. The bar was equally impressive, with a great selection of beers, wines, and cocktails, as well as a welcoming atmosphere, and since it was St. Patrick’s Day they also offered festive cocktails.

The bathhouses were clean and well-maintained. The one we used has 4 stalls to it all with a private bathroom and shower in one. If I am nitpicking the water pressure was not great but it was nice and hot. Each bathhouse also has laundry machines available for use.

Overall, I highly recommend Pine View RV Park to anyone looking for a fun and convenient RV park in North Florida. The friendly staff, immaculate facilities, and range of amenities make it a top-notch destination for RVers of all ages.

This was our first camping trip to O’leno State Park. We’ve camped at several Florida state parks and this one ranks up toward the top. We camped in site 49 in the Dogwood loop. We were a bit concerned about getting our 32’ Imagine into the site just based on previous reviews and the camp loop road being very narrow. However, we had no issues getting in. Might have taken a bit more adjusting to get it right where we wanted it, but it wasn’t difficult by any means. The Dogwood loop is very wooded and feels very secluded. Site 49 was very spacious and shaded. The only negative aspect of camping in the dogwood loop is that you are about 1.5 miles from the river / park area, which is where almost all of the trails originate and where all of the things to see and do are. The park is very clean and well kept. We saw deer every evening on our drive down to the river along the main road, but no deer in the campground or any wildlife for that matter aside from birds. It did seem a bit odd that there were no raccoons. We left our trash out the first two nights by mistake, but it was ever messed with. Would definitely recommend this park if you like quiet and secluded camping where you can relax and unwind.

Maybe the pines are whispering to each other, but if that’s the case, even they would be shut out with all of the passing by noise from this heavily trafficked highway that passes just in front of Whispering Pines RV Park. Located just due south of Starke in central Florida right off US Highway 301, Whispering Pines feels more like your retired grandpa’s backyard that he decided to turn into a small grassy RV parking lot than it does an actual fully-functioning campground, but if you are looking for a spot to park your RV for the night, it will do in a pinch. 

While most of this RV compound is beset with overgrown grass and sparsely planted foliage and trees (ahem, Whispering Pines), if you are looking for a no frills easy place to roll-up to and drop anchor for the night, then you could find worse places than this. In all, there’s about a dozen spots and while I can’t verify that all traditional hook-ups were offered, as we only used the 50 amp electric, beyond having a completely flat surface to park upon, you won’t discover much further than this from an amenities standpoint. 

For those that don’t mind a non-traditional roadside RV stand and the pretty intimate surroundings that you’ll find yourself in, all for an incredibly cheap evening rate, then all there really is to contend with here is the street noise (which can be quelled with a simple pair of ear plugs). 

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) If you are looking for a nice nature experience, do give consideration to visiting Carson Springs Wildlife Conservation Foundation in nearby Gainesville – think Netflix’s 'Tiger King,' but PG-rated; (2) When in need of some decent hiking, just head due northeast to Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park, where you can drop a kayak and swim in the lakes / springs; and (3) When you get tired of foraging for the next meal from your onboard RV cooler, then head back north into the town of Starke for some local grub, wherein I highly recommend anything from the ‘Swamp Things’ portion of the menu at Cedar River Seafood, where afterwards you can finish the meal off with a scoop of the cold stuff at nearby Strickland’s. 

Happy Camping!

If your idea of a magnificent campsite includes the opportunity of waking up to an endless blue horizon eclipsed by the sinking sun at dusk, then look no further than this very quaint, out-of-the-way boutique lakeside gem. Located on the outskirts of the Ocala National Forest, Pine Island RV & Marina offers up 9… that’s right, count‘em up, just 9… lakefront RV slots. IMHO, the best spots are #1 and #2 or #7… but hey, EVERY SINGLE SLOT faces an unobstructed view of blue bliss, so you’d be lucky to get any one of these waterfront vistas. Let’s just say, book your slot early as the pickins’ are slim here. 

Jennifer, the on-site manager, who has served this wonderful little outpost for the past 3 years was nothing short of sweet, helpful and very informational. She informed me when we visited that the entire place is in ‘upgrade mode,’ but I was quick to inform her that the views needed no improvement. Look for an expanded general store, where today you’ll simply find a billiards table, stand-up bar in one corner, while the rest of the store is lined with camping gear, basic groceries, toiletries, sundries, snacks, cold beverages, games, books, fishing gear, etc. 

Amenities: Waterfront RV Sites, RV Rentals (they have 3-4 to choose from), Marina, Boat Slips, Boat Ramp, Camp Store, Bait Shop, Wine & Beer Bar, Kayak Rentals, Recently Remodeled Bathrooms & Shower Facilities, On-Site Laundry, Ethanol-Free Fuel, Firewood and Camping Supplies, Billiards, Corn Hole, Outdoor Area w/ Picnic Tables, Grill, Fire Pit. Individual Sites include Fire Rings, Picnic Tables and 30 / 50 electric Amp. 

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) With only 9 waterfront slots to choose from, you want to book as early as possible; (2) While there is a proper boat launch, you will note that while Lake George is the second largest lake in all of Florida, it is also one of the most shallow, meaning that if you’d like to launch right in front of any one of the camping spots, you can, but you definitely want to be wearing some aqua socks or something as the rocks here are both slippery and sharp; (3) When you get tired of trying to figure out what the next meal is and don’t want to turn to your cooler or on-board mini-fridge for the solution, then you are going to be hard-pressed as there really isn’t too much in the way of ‘foodie paradise’ out in these parts – the nearest restaurants include: El Amigo Mexican Restaurant, Mystic Bistro, La Esperanza Mexican and Palmeras, but all of these are just mediocre (at best) – the only place we did find that was definitely worth it, albeit a 30 minute drive from Pine Island RV & Marina, is Drifters Riverfront Bar & Grill, which has typical glorified bar food (think burgers, wings, sandwiches, fried everything, etc.), but their seafood offering was actually pretty dang nice; and (4) If you are on the lookout for decent trail hiking, then head back from whence you came to discover Lake George Conservation Area, where there’s some decent, albeit non-descript trail hiking to be had. 

Happy Camping!