Best Glamping near Hawthorne, FL

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.

Ranger Review: Matador Backpack Beast 28L at O’Lena State Park, Florida.

Campground Review:

Ever seen Jurassic Park? O’Lena is a lot like that :)

I travel with my three amigos ( Pomeranian, Dachshund and Australian Cattledog) and was on high alert as soon as we entered the park. My dogs don’t understand that this is the type of park where the wildlife will chase and eat them instead of the other way around ………So that being said keep a close eye on your kids and pets!

The foliage is lots of fern and primitive looking fauna which makes for a very intriguing visit. Another movie that came to mind while hiking on the river loop trail was “Anaconda”, no I didn’t see any snakes( or alligators for that matter) but the trail and bridges were reminiscent of that movie , no machete required. Instructional signage along the way and interesting sights along the Santa Fe River. The bridges were pretty cool and the original recreated settlement is pretty awesome. All CCC construction. There is a picnic area, a pavilion, a lodge, a museum, several other structures and a swimming area (WHAT!!) which was closed when we visited due to high water levels. Funny sign ( LOTS of sarcasm cause you know somebody did it) says to not swim with the alligators……I was glad for that warning cause I had my water wings ready to go.

There are several trails available for hiking and biking and a primitive campsite on Sweetwater Trail. Santa Fe River goes underground in this area and you can check it out along the trails, going in and coming out again.

There is equestrian camping and trails available but I did not visit that area. Bug spray and be aware of your surroundings while enjoying the trails.

The Dogwood campground sites are well spaced out with sand, electric, sand, water, picnic table and sand. Some of the sites are more suitable for group camping. The Dogwood trailhead is in the campground. It is a well maintained easily accessible area. Other then being on constant watch for wild creatures waiting in ambush to grab my dogs I like this park. It felt very tropical primitive and has several activities to enjoy.

Product Review:

Matador Beast28 Packable Technical Backpack https://matadorup.com/ has been a very useful and versatile addition to my outdoor gear. It hangs in its stuff sack in the back of my vehicle out of the way until needed (PRO). When I have need of a small sturdy backpack for day hikes or light overnighters it’s right there ready for use.

When I first received my Matador Backpack I pulled the Beast28 out of its stuff sack and explored all its pockets and possible attachment sites. I then Re-folded it and actually got it back in the stuff sack (PRO), a definite plus since I often have a hard time re-stuffing gear into its original bag.

I have extra bladders from my hydration systems so I loaded the Beast with a bladder, no problem. There are right and left “ports” from inside to outside the pack and elastic straps on the shoulder straps to run the hose through. This option of course goes on both Pro and Con. PRO-the ability to load bladder and run hydration hose , CON-it’s not going to fit in the stuff sack anymore. So hydration bladder has to be packed and carried separately (not that big of a deal).

I’ve read where other people were not to impressed with the pocket size but when I loaded it up I was able to fit everything I wanted to pack for an overnight. Mind you I’m not a “professional” backpacker, however I stay pretty comfortable when I do venture into the woods.

I used the Beast as a day bag while at O’Lena , I packed it with snacks and a few other essentials. I am long in torso and noticed that the hip belt is more of a middle waist belt for me. The Beast worked well and was comfortable for a short hike around the river area.

I wore the Beast again while hiking on Ft Campbell, Ky. Longer distance, little bit more gear. I had to redistribute my load because my cook pot was sitting in the bottom of the bag and riding in the small of my back, not comfortable. I adjusted the shoulder and waist straps a few times on this hike for comfort. Something that would be a nice upgrade would be pockets on the waist straps for snacks, etc so that you don’t have to completely remove the bag to reach your snacks.

Most recently I wore the Beast at Mammoth Cave National Park for an overnighter. Everything I needed fit in the Beast(PRO). Two things (CONs) I noticed, one the Beast has no “frame/skeleton” per say so when you are attempting to pull single items out other items tumble out also because the bag basically collapses on itself…if that makes sense :) two, once again due to the lack of a “frame” when you work up a sweat while hiking your back gets wet because the bag is sitting right on your shirt/skin, no breathable material in between.

Overall I like the Matador Beast 28 , it is convenient, versatile and well made.

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!

We just purchased our 33’ Salem travel trailer and we used Island Oaks as our shakedown trip. Honestly, its going to be hard to top this first trip. My Wife and I traveled with our 2 young children and our pup. We never had to leave the park, they had EVERYTHING. Heated resort pool with tiki pool bar & music, beach front lake with a massive inflatable obstacle course, an on-site restaurant & ice cream shop, not to mention multiple fenced dog parks. I cant say enough positives about this place! I chose a pull through site and it had sewage, water, & electrical hook ups. They do offer free Wifi, however I would not rely on it, it was spotty at best. Dont think twice. Give this resort a try. It’s a hidden gem in the middle of nowhere!

The arrival and check-in process was easy and well organized. We arrived and were met by one of the friendly campground office staff. After giving our name we were given a welcome amenity, a park map, and packet of very useful information. From there we were escorted to our campsite by one of their friendly staff who led in a golf cart. Once at the campsite the staff member was happy to assist with getting parked as needed. He then spent a couple of minutes going over amenities and general housekeeping. We did like the fact that garbage was picked up from the end of your site. You just leave the trash bag out anytime and the park staff pick it up during one of their normal rounds around the park.

The whole park including all the sites were very well maintained. There was a variety of options to choose from when we booked this campsite including pull-through, back-in, gravel, or brick paver sites. While out walking around we even noticed they had several very nice sized buddy camping sites. These sites are great if you are traveling with friends or family that have their own unit, but would like to have a common site space. We had opted for one of their upgraded sites for this trip which meant the entire site was level brick pavers with grassy areas on either side. 

We do not use the facilities that much at campgrounds, but we did take some time and walk around and check out the restrooms and bathing areas. They were clean, well maintained, and appeared to have everything one would need. The laundry facility was clean and had decent looking washers and dryers. We did notice outside of the laundry facility it appeared they had re-purposed some older washers and dryers and created a pet washing station. This is such a great idea and would make it easy to do laundry for your pets that you may not want to do in regular machines. 

Just like check-in, check-out was a breeze. We were a bit late getting checked-out and as a courtesy I called the main office to let them know. They were great about extending us an hour with no penalty, but if we went more than an hour there would be around a$20 late check-out fee. 

All in all, the park was great! We will definitely be returning in the future.

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.