Best Tent Camping near Homestead, FL

Recent Tent Reviews near Homestead, FL

294 Reviews of 27 Homestead Campgrounds

• 

  Kelly L.

  Guide

  

  Feb. 25, 2019

  Monument Lake Campground — Big Cypress National Preserve

  Go in the winter time

  My husband and I lucked out to get an absolutely gorgeous day to tent camp at this campground. The next day was back to Florida’s hot and humidity. This campground is in one of natire’s most wonderful places, big cypress national preserve. This campground has tent and rv sites. No electric sites. We went on a Sunday and the whole campground was full, it’s a popular spot, would recommend making reservations in advance. There are vault toilets over on the rv sites and flush toilets by the tent sites. There are campground hosts, fire pits in the tent area, and a lake that does have alligators, because this is Florida. The nite sky was perfect so many stars to see. Little to no noise pollution. Make sure to bring your insect repellent, I got eaten alive once the sun started setting. No trails at the campground but there are trails within big cypress. Tent campsites were level and not right on top of one another. There were a few trees for shade as well.

• A

  Amanda K.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 22, 2019

  Kings Kamp RV Park Tent Camping and Bay Front Marina

  Happy camper!

  Kings Kamp is a unique property that will work for all visitors. Personally, I camped in a tent, but they also have RV spots and on-site cabins. It was right off the main highway through the keys so it was very easy to get to. Very close to John Pennekamp and everything else in Key Largo. Pretty standard tent sites, nothing glamorous. The campground is in The Keys, so you can't complain about anything! It actually has a small marina, so bring the boat or kayak and launch right there. We found a nice little spot where we fished and had our lunch by (pictured). We did not stay for very long, and truthfully, we ventured out around town for most of the day. That being said, we didn't worry about our gear while out. It felt very safe.

  Very beautiful location and reasonable price compared to most other options in the area. Would stay again.

• J

  Joel P.

  Traveler

  

  Apr. 19, 2023

  Key Largo Kampground & Marina

  Cozy and Friendly

  It was tight getting our 32ft pull behind back to our spot, but folks all came out to offer tips and help us get around. So we actually got parked in fairly short order.

  The dog walk area near our site was pretty small and it’s bookended by tent camp sites. My dogs were more interested in the goings on than doing their business and we couldn’t really walk them away from it.

  That being said. The location is great! As I mentioned in the title. It’s cozy and friendly and pretty quiet.

  The marina is nice. And the beaches were great launch points for kayaks.

  I would, and probably will, stay here again.

• 

  Emily G.

  Guide

  

  Jan. 21, 2020

  Monument Lake Campground — Big Cypress National Preserve

  Relaxing campground in Big Cypress

  nice campground with tent and RV sites. The tent site we stayed had the perfect view of the sunrise over the lake without even leaving the tent! Lots of families with kids. Picnic tables and fire rings at the tent sites and very friendly campground hosts!

• 

  Spanky

  Scout

  

  Feb. 13, 2023

  Holiday Park

  No tent camping

  No tent camping!

• 

  ReBeCcA F.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 22, 2021

  Thompson Park Campground

  Nice rv and tent camping by the Miami zoo

  They have tent camping without electric and a lot of rv area.. plenty of bathrooms and Washer and dryer area.. great place to visit while in south Florida I have been many times and different times of year

• 

  Megan E.

  Scout

  

  Jan. 16, 2018

  Monument Lake Campground — Big Cypress National Preserve

  RVers had more fun

  TL;DR Great for RVs, sucks for tents

  Stayed for 2 nights in the tent loop in early January and encountered several problems with the campground.

  1. Every night at 7pm the tent sites were swarmed with a fly hatch (may flies, I’m guessing). We couldn’t breathe without inhaling them. All campers were forced inside their tents at that time and for the rest of the night. Fires didn’t help. We mentioned the situation to a Ranger who was picking up the trash outside of our campsite and suggested that they refer new comers to a different section of the loop because sites 8-10 were the worst. Ranger said it was not her job and that she would not pass the information on to the camp host. Their RVs were parked RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER and we saw them drinking together at sunset, since their sites didn’t have the fly hatch, but no: She would not pass this along and spare the next campers. The positive is that the mosquitos weren’t bad. Just cleaning the dead bugs from your ears and nose gets nasty fast.
  2. Old reviews on the campground mention that there are showers. In fact, there are showers in the restrooms. However, no one is allowed to use them except apparently the camp host and ranger. We had been snorkeling the day before and wanted to rinse off the saltwater. When we asked the camp host where the closest place to buy a shower was, she said she had no idea and suggested we go ask some other campgrounds and see if anyone would let us. This seems like something a camp host should know. But for reference, the answer is: there aren’t any showers for sale. The best we could find was 10 miles west down the road at the Skunk Ape Museum there’s a campground that will sell you a $25 tent site and as many people as you have with you can shower and then just not use the site. For a family, that’s a decent deal. For the 2 of us, we just went on without them. We did see people washing their hair and taking birdbaths in the dish sink if you need.
  3. As we were packing up, a ranger dropped by and we spoke briefly and pointed out a fire ant mound near our site that we had been fastidiously avoiding. She immediately came back and threw some kind of stuff on it that causes them to run away and create a nest elsewhere. She clarified that it was NOT an insecticide and all it did was make them mad. No surprise, they ran over onto us and started biting us. She could’ve just waited until we were done packing up, but again, no one who works there seems to think that tent campers are part of their job. I’m pretty pissed about the fire ant stings though. It’s one thing to not know about showers, it’s another to sick fire ants on people while knowingly saying “this’ll make them mad!”

  So basically the review is this: if you want to boondock in an RV, this is a beautiful place to do it. It’s got a little pond with a couple of gators and beautiful views of marl grass prairie. You can get away from the fly hatch, take a shower, block out the night traffic noise, and hopefully avoid the fire ants. For tent camping, this place was the worst we’ve stayed in for a while. While a lot of things can’t be controlled, the host nor ranger were ever helpful (and sometimes actively making the experience worse!), though they were very chummy with RV campers. Bathrooms were clean though, which was fantastic.

• 

  Loni P.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 13, 2018

  Key Largo Kampground & Marina

  Decent and clean

  Have stayed twice, not many places that allow tent camping and this had a few sites for tents and clean facilities.

• H

  Harold M.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 18, 2018

  Davie / Fort Lauderdale KOA

  First rv park

  Overall not bad. My tent site was near the bathrooms with the showers. During my stay only 3 people used them. Very clean. The tent site I will say was the best of the lot. What i mean is, it wasn't against a fence in the broiling sun. Had trees for shade. Wifi was non existent, the ap on my end has been down since itma. The washing machines were hit and miss. The staff and guests in my area were great. Pricing for a tent is a bit expensive though. All in all not bad.

• 

  Katie M.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 24, 2021

  Flamingo Campground — Everglades National Park

  A Loop

  Down at Flamingo, there’s four types of camping: eco tents, tents (A Loop), campers/ RVs (T Loop) and the backcountry chickees. This review is for the ✨A Loop Tent Camping.✨

  I happened to be down here on a weekend of a full moon, so my thoughts on tent camping in Flamingo might be a bit skewed because that night sky was IMPRESSIVE.

  There’s not much by way of privacy on A Loop, but I personally didn’t mind. I had a corner site near a bathroom and even despite that, the evenings were still pretty quiet.

  The bathroom was in clean condition and had plenty of stalls. No showers or potable water down this way though!

  Bring plenty of mosquito repellent or a thermacell because the bugs take no prisoners down there!

• 

  Jennifer E.

  Traveler

  

  Dec. 14, 2020

  Key Largo Kampground & Marina

  Not what we expected

  We made a quick trip up to Key Largo and chose this spot as it seemed like the only option for tent camping in the area. The two private beaches they advertise were something we were looking forward to!

  This is definitely not a place to camp if you’re looking for space and peace and quiet. All of the sites are very close together. Plus you’re mixed in between trailers, RVs, and residents. It really gave off the feel of staying in a crowded trailer park.

  We made the mistake of picking out a site close to the main office as we thought being close to the bathrooms would be nice (#26). Cars were driving in and out and late arrivals headlights would blind us throughout the night. We were also the campsite right by the main watering hole and walkway so there were constantly people walking around our campsite.

  The beaches at this campsite are not what you would think for the keys nor would I consider them a beach, maybe more like a launch site or previous boat launch. The water looks more like a swamp. Not to mention they have pipes leading into the water that were making the water bubble up. Not something you’d want to swim in. For kayakers this won’t be an issue. Plus the signs about crocodiles being present didn’t make us want to hang out for very long.

  Pros: -There’s a shopping center within walking distance that has everything you could need. -The bathrooms were kept clean and smelled clean as well.

  • The pool looked like a nice spot to lay out. We only passed by it for a moment and didn’t get in. -The grounds are secure and it was easy to check in and out.
  • Campsite came with with a grill, picnic table, and trees for shade

  Cons: -No fires allowed. There were a couple of residents with fire pits lit up at night so I’m not sure what this rule is about. Probably cause the sites are so close together and there are trees? -Sites are too close together -No privacy

  • Beaches aren’t really beaches, more like old boat ramps with nice sand and gross water.
  • Felt like staying at a trailer park.
  • Campsites are really small. We didn’t have anyone next to us so we expanded out a little past ours. During a busy season, it would be annoying being so close.

  All in all $70 for one night here was not worth it in my opinion for a tent site without electricity but if you’re just passing through or don’t mind being close to other people this might work for you. We just enjoy the more primitive sites.

• 

  Pavel T.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 21, 2018

  Davie / Fort Lauderdale KOA

  It's a nice one

  stayed at one of the tent sites with water and electric. Very friendly staff. This palce gets really crowded during winter season.

• 

  Lindsay B.

  Ranger

  

  Jun. 18, 2015

  Flamingo Campground — Everglades National Park

  The Bugs!

  OK. So the Everglades can be cool. You can rent a canoe here, and tent camp or RV camp. The bugs can be hellish though. I was bit like a million times (exaggeration, but everywhere).

• 

  Damon O.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 20, 2023

  Midway Campground — Big Cypress National Preserve

  Quiet, peaceful, well maintained

  Great camp sites, leveled with electric for the RVs and tent camping off on the side. Clean bathrooms (no showers) and dump station. Attendant was friendly. Central pond for fishing just watch for the gators.

• 

  Natalie B.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 15, 2017

  John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Campground

  Cool spot if you are in an RV

  Would not recommend this campground if you are tent camping. It was packed with RVs and the spaces are very close together. Dogs are allowed but there were so many when we went it was difficult to walk our dogs. Great place to snorkel, small beaches, fishing, boat rentals.

• 

  Cannon W.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 16, 2020

  Key Largo Kampground & Marina

  Diamond in the Rough

  Very clean pool and campgrounds. The staff was very friendly. Small beach access. I had a nice quiet tent site in a shady mangrove cutout. Very cozy.I would definitely recommend this campsite and will come back.

• A

  Ari P.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 10, 2021

  Key Largo Kampground & Marina

  Tent and family

  Great location closes to Miami, clean sites, amenities are great , the pool was clean. Our tent site T31 was facing the Marina and it was great. Electric and water included. Boat ramps for rent, kayak and fishing

• 

  neveraroadmap M.

  Guide

  

  Feb. 7, 2022

  Flamingo Campground — Everglades National Park

  Location, location

  There aren’t that many big open fields on the water in the USA for tent camping. Lots of fun, easy to meet people, and chill atmosphere. I slept in my car in the parking lot and they had no problem with that, BUT the mosquitoes were intense. Even the campfire and wind didn’t stop them.

• 

  Cannon W.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 16, 2020

  Flamingo Campground — Everglades National Park

  Stargazers Paradise !

  If you want to get to a spot with the LEAST light pollution of anywhere in America, this is the place! You are able to see 3x the stars you can normally see anywhere else in America. This is a very remote location so be sure to bring what you need in with you and be sure to gas up before you come from Homestead. It is an hour at least from civilization. The campgrounds are well taken care of. One of my favorite campsites to escape everyone and everything. The showers could be updated but not terrible to be so far off of the beaten path. I would definitely recommend this campsite and would come back.

• 

  JEFFREY W.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 13, 2021

  Key Largo Kampground & Marina

  Perfect location for adventure

  Tent sites are primative ( no water or power) but you have everything you need close by...even a 25/7 ice machine! Great pool, views are amazing. Lots of campers brought their boats here. Site was sandy but larger than expected. Great jumping off point for diving, kayaking or swimming with dolphins ( which is what we did).

• A

  Andrea S.

  Guide

  

  Jan. 4, 2023

  Key Largo Kampground & Marina

  Quiet night

  It was nice and quiet at night. It had sinks around camp for dishes etc. a small beach to launch your boat or paddle board to tour the mangroves. It has socks for big boats. It’s more permanent RV/homes with a couple rows for nightly rentals. The bathrooms were a bit of a walk from tent sites.

• 

  Melissa W.

  Legend

  

  Feb. 25, 2019

  Long Pine Key Campground — Everglades National Park

  Not the best camping in a NP but ideally located

  This seemed like the only option around for staying on the east side of everglades. It's a very large campground. We had no problem getting a site (apparently they are first come first serve but I've read reviews that there is a way to reserve sites) during "peak season". Some of the sites are fairly close to one another but we got one on the perimeter which was really nice and a little more private. The showers are huge plus (beware water only gets luke cold at best- no hot or warm water in the winter) and having flushing toilets are always nice. Tables and fire rings at each campground. I believe I read that you needed to bring your own wood but I think you could buy some. The campground is in a pretty ideal location. Close to a couple great trails (Anhinga and Long Pine Key). We were able to break up our 2 days in the everglades by splitting it with an day in Biscayne bay- driving too and from the campground to Biscayne NP was very reasonable from this "home base". The only down side to the campground is how close sites are to one another (again perimeter sites seem a little better). Additionally, walking around and seeing people sitting in their RVs watching TV kind of takes away from the camping experience (especially a NP). It's also pretty pricey for camping in a tent. Lastly, their staff is terrible. They're not bright (they'll have trouble figuring out which sites are open and then tell you sites that are obviously taken are actually open). They also lack any customer service skills and can be rude at times.

• 

  Andrea D.

  Guide

  

  May. 22, 2018

  Flamingo Campground — Everglades National Park

  Take me back...

  There’s not much shade and there can be plenty of mosquitos depending on the time of year but it’s a fair trade for sleeping on the edge of the wild. We tent camped right on the water and woke up to dolphins swimming by every morning. We saw crocodiles, alligators, every bird and more. I absolutley love being out where I don’t hear road noise. I would definitely only go in the winter. We will go back!

• 

  Roger W.

  Legend

  

  Jan. 20, 2024

  Midway Campground — Big Cypress National Preserve

  All RV Sites Around a Small Lake

  Midway in Big Cypress: This is our forth time here. We love this campground, though the sites are open. All trailer sites look over the lake which is in the middle of the campground. This campground seems to be very conducive to meeting people. (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good

  (70 yr olds in 17’ trailer. Our rating of a campground is influenced by the following: The general ambiance- sort of wilderness feel the campground gives us. A selection of campsites which offer some visual privacy and/or view from sites. Cleanliness of whatever facilities are offered is important and usually noted in my review.

  Overall Rating: 4.5 for the lake view Price 2023: $ 15 w interagency pass Usage during visit: RV sites full every night. Tent sites accommodate vans, rooftop tents…. Site Privacy: None Site Spacing: Fair Site surface: Blacktop Reservations: Required Campground Noise: Tent area - defiantly.
  Road Noise: Tent area - defiantly. From # 21, yes. Through Traffic in campground: Folks might come in to have picnics at tables around the lake. Electric Hookup: Yes Sewer Hookup: No Dump Station: Yes Potable Water Available: Yes, at the dump station. Generators: Allowed. Bathroom: Flush toilet. Only one stall in the men’s. Clean. Showers: At Monument Lake CH, 20 minutes. Pull Throughs: None in RV Loop Cell Service (AT&T): Site 21 usually has 1 bar. Sites at the near the end have weaker reception. Setting: All RV sites are situated around the lake
  Recent Weather: High 50s to 80s. Rain Solar: Plenty in the tent sites Host: Three Rig Size: Largest bus RVs are here Sites: 19 - 26 are best shaded sites. 13 and 14 are corner sites with less shade . 1 is near a shed, but a fine site. Picnic tables along the lake and in between these sites: 22&23, 3&4, 11&12, 16&17. (On nice weekend days you can expect small groups using these spots for day usage.)

• 

  Charlotte F.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 4, 2017

  John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Campground

  GREAT!

  Went there and loved it! Our site backed up to a swamp where the ibis were wading all the time. The iguanas were an issue and we had to make sure and put away all our food but they were neat. The tent site didn't offer a lot of privacy but on the island theres really not much room so I wasn't shocked by this. Great bathrooms and laundry facilities. Very neat places to swim and we even tubbed around the offshoots. Beautiful sunrise.

• B

  Bob S.

  Guide

  

  Feb. 28, 2021

  Monument Lake Campground — Big Cypress National Preserve

  Pleasant stop on Tamiami trail

  Open field surrounding an older burrow pit has been transformed into a decent RV and tent camping spot. The facilities include a fire ring and picnic table. Flush toilets but no power or showers This is a good stopping point when crossing the glades or exploring the surrounding area. Private wilderness camping it is not. Watch for gators in and along the lake.

  To the east is a big open prairie which lends itself to a steady breeze. That helps keep the bugs down but it got really buggy at dusk. Gators have been know to cross from the prairie through the campsites on their way back to the lake.

  Good cell service from nearby tower.

• 

  Tucker B.

  Legend

  

  May. 28, 2021

  Flamingo Campground — Everglades National Park

  Four Windy Days in the Glades!

  Originally I was over in the Trailer loop but was able to relocate to the tent camping loop.

  Site #53 was a winner with a nice big tree for plenty of afternoon shade.

  Nice bathroom with solar heated showers centrally located in the loop.

  Also within walking distance of a beach area and the trailhead for the Coastal Prairie trail (~12 miles round trip).

  Mosquitoes were on the cusp of being pretty bad, but as long as you layered up and light a fire a little before dusk, they weren't unbearable.

  Quick drive over to the marina to restock on food, firewood, ice, and other supplies.

  Also highly recommend taking a boat tour up the canal and checking out manatees in the bay!