Best RV Parks & Resorts near Lakeland, FL

This is a 55+ resort for either the early or soon-to-be-retired community who happen to be toting around in an RV. Red Oaks, which is owned by the large RV conglomerate Sun Outdoors, is pet-friendly and offers up 200+ pull-through and back-in RV slots with FHUs offering 30 / 50 amp electric and well-apportioned grassy or, for slightly more $’s, concrete or paved asphalt pads for regular-sized and XL RVs alike. Most sites come with the prerequisite picnic table and cable as well as offering enough space for slide outs with some of the spots offering more shade than most. Net-net, if you are looking for a mini-RV village to live in with a tight-knit community of retirees looking to kick back, enjoy the simple life and grab some Florida sunshine while doing it, you’ve just hit the RV park lottery!

With a population that actually rivals that of nearby Bushnell itself, Red Oaks RV Resort is organized pretty much like a little town in its own right with a grid-like paved street complex where the primary residential set-up is an oversized RV – but trust me, this place isn’t like many are simply housing long-term residents, although this location will definitely conjure up some residential vibes. What I like most about Red Oaks RV Resort is its central location to a ton of natural spaces to stretch your legs or get some oaring in like Flying Eagle Wildlife Management Area to the north, Weeki Wachee Springs State Park to the west, Lake Apopka to the east as well as artificial playgrounds like Disney World, Legoland and Universal Studies in Orlando to the south.

From an amenities standpoint, this place packs a decent punch offering the following: incredibly clean and well-maintained restroom and shower facilities, WiFi / Cable TV, Mail Center, laundr-O-mat, on-site storage, doggie park, clubhouse, covered pavilions with picnic tables and benches, swimming pool w/ deck patio and lounge chairs, jacuzzi, fitness center, shuffleboard, horseshoes, hiking trails & biking paths, game room, pickleball, volleyball, billiards, fishing, library, car wash, dumpster and dump station, on-site catering, scattered community halls and open air pavilion with picnic tables and seating, comfort station, woodshop as well as planned activities like (you guessed it) Bingo, live music, karaoke nights, line and square dancing, ice cream socials, water aerobics and quilting contests (yes, this review actually mentions 'quilting contests').

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) IMHO the best sites at this place are either the ones on the eastern perimeter as they place you as far away from the roaring traffic shooting up and down I75, plus this area is heavy-laden with good ground cover and a decent thick treeline granting both shade and a healthy bit of privacy, versus many of the other spots here; (2) In the event that you wanna get off the reservation here and try some local fare there’s Big Bass Grill Lakefront Restaurant & Marina, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s, Wood Shed, Coney Island, Odd Cuples (misspelt on purpose) Café and a smattering of fast food joints closer to I75; and (3) If you are looking to catch up on some local history, head on over to Dade Battlefield Historic State Park.

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I have to admit, when I first discovered Mill Creek RV Resort on our smartphone’s GPS, I had nothing but low expectations and when navigating to get to this seemingly RV road stand, all of the traffic and commercial real estate surrounding this place was just begging me to turn around and hightail it out of here. That was, until we decided to check out this RV parking spot. And we were somewhat pleasantly surprised by what we found. While easily not a destination, if your aim is to simply find comfortable, affordable and safe accommodations to roll up your mobile living room for the night, then (especially for the price), you won’t be disappointed. 

To begin with, the community and neighbors you will meet are incredibly welcoming and the owners / management couldn’t be more hospitable. This place on the one hand has a small neighborhood feel (because it is partly carved out of a residential area) and on the other, feels like a semi-decent nature preserve where RV’s aren’t jam packed next to one another. Sure, it’s tight in a few places, but all-in-all, one feels safe and secure here and offered a number of pretty great and new amenities. And if you don’t have an RV, no worries, the good folks at Mill Creek RV Resort will rent you one of their newly built park models. 

Mill Creek RV Resort offers a number of amenities, including: complete RV hook-ups (20 / 30 / 50 electric amp, water and sewage lines) with pull-through and back-in flat concrete slab sites, picnic tables, heated in-ground pool complete with lounge chairs and umbrellas, recreation hall with ping pong tables, coin-operated laundry facilities, very clean restroom and shower facilities, kid’s playground w/ slide, doggie park (one for small and another for large), mail center, cable TV access, free WiFi access (near the office only though) as well as indoor and outdoor games (e.g. horse shoes, shuffle board, corn hole), propane refill station, LP gas, cable TV access and even sheds for extra storage. 

Insider’s tips? Here’s a handful: (1) This location puts you within short driving distance to Walt Disney World, Universal, Seaworld and a bunch of other family-friendly entertainment options; (2) When you get tired of paying for overpriced amusement park food or can’t muster enough strength to plan your next meal from the confines of what might be available in your RV fridge, then venture out to one of these nearby eateries: Coqui Snacks, Sol de Borinquen Bakery Restaurant & Deli or Dolce Bakery and Café; and (3) If you brought a kayak or canoe, I highly recommend launching in nearby Kissimmee Lakefront Park, where if you go to the far eastern side, you can cast a line and catch some pretty good fish. 

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Located just 45 minutes SW of the Magical Kingdom conveniently resting just a stone’s throw from I4, LeLynn RV Resort is a spacious, pet-friendly property that is definitely more geared for the RV driving or 5th wheel toting crowd. Surrounded by lakes in every direction – Little Lake Agnes sits directly west of the property, with its bigger sister Lake Agnes just further northwest, Lake Tennessee to the southwest, Lake Juliana to the south and Lake Mattie to the southeast, while Lake Helene can be found to the north and a smaller unnamed lake due east a smidge.  If you were surrounded by any more water, you'd be starring opposite Kevin Costner in 'Waterworld!'

While LeLynn RV Resort will accommodate you for about as long as you’d like, this place impressed upon me more of a layover than an actual destination. The community that we discovered here was incredibly friendly and inviting, but nearly everyone we met was enroute to some other, better place in the great Sunshine state ... and quite a few folks look like they have no business moving from this place any time soon. This RV depot somewhat lives up to its name as a resort as it does offer an inground pool that is lake facing (again, not that challenging to do here in Central Florida) along with decent (not excellent) restrooms & shower facilities, laundry-O-mat, boat ramp, metered LP gas, dump station, shuffleboard and horseshoes along with WiFi and cable TV options. If you desire kayaking, canoeing or fishing, you need only access the nearest lake of your choosing. There’s 220 sites with FHU’s offering 30 / 50 amp electric, water and sewage.

Insider’s tips? Here’s a handful: (1) IMHO the best sites are those that are lakefront on the property’s northwestern most perimeter; (2) While the parking accommodations are concrete pads that will provide a nice level plain for the stay along with a solid accompanying patio, there’s virtually no trees and hence shade anywhere on the property, so while that might not matter for a single night, if staying longer, you’ll likely want to bring your own shade with you; (3) Should you need to load up on supplies while on your trip, just due south of LeLynn RV Resort is a Publix that will cater to all of your grocery needs; and (4) While you’ll feel like you’re out in the boondocks in these parts (and trust me, you are), there’s a number of great little eateries like The Back Porch, Frescos Southern Kitchen, Purple Pit Stop, Polk City BBQ Co., Savage Tacos and Old Man Frank’s to choose from.

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There are more RVers here in the winter than I thought possible in one place not the Hershey or Tampa RV Show.  Lots of families, lots of older folks, overall a good mix of people.  

There are multiple sections here each with a completely different feel.  D section is old-school, Florida State Park-like camping.  You have that romantic, southern charm and foliage.  It's tight for big rigs, lacks internet and getting your Starlink out there can be a challenge.  T-Mobile and AT&T work great out there but, it depends on what you need.  The new section is immaculate with large grass sites, nice pads and easy back-in sites for even the biggest fifth-wheels.  This is the best place if you have a need to work from your camper.  If, like us, you like to work from a tent, you cannot put anything on that beautiful grass campsite.  This is why we stay in the older section.  It's run-down, crumbling concrete pads that need to be repoured, decent sized sites AND you can use the grass.

This is our third time here and we will keep coming back due to community and locality.  Not far from Disney though traffic makes it harder to get to the other parks.  Wawa and Publix are just outside the gate for your coffee and grocery needs.  

Get here at noon ON THE DOT if you want a new site.  D section I recommend 35 feet or under, and enjoy the parade on Saturdays and Sunday as 40-100 new rigs come in.  

STAY AWAY FROM THE SITES NEXT TO THE SEWER ACCESS, THEY STINK!

Whether there is 21 Palm trees here or not, I was not able to tabulate, but this off-the-beaten path RV reclusive respite is conveniently located in central Florida just off the I-4 corridor on Exit 58 and just a 3 mile drive east on highway 532. This location features 70 or so pull-through and back-in RV slots complete with outdated and heavily cracked concrete slabs for your parking pleasure. Half of the slots here looked as though they are occupied by year-on-year residents who have given up moving their RV any further than this place. There were a good dozen or so free spots to park your RV in when we passed through.


There’s a handful of amenities, although I will warn you, mostly everything here is fairly outdated. Here’s a line-up of what to expect: 30 / 50 amp electrical, water and waste hook-ups, laundr-O-mat, fitness center/ gym, a small lake for fishing, horsehoe pit, propane refill station, shuffleboard court, recreation hall, telephone hook-ups, small in-ground heated pool and surrounding patio with lounge chairs and a fairly decent lakeside view. This place is pet-friendly and aside from all of the dogs you’ll come across, you’ll see no shortage of long-necked cranes walking around as though they owned the place. Lovely. 

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) The small lake in front of 21 Palms is actually great for some lightweight kayaking, just beware of a few points where the water is shallow enough to get you stuck; (2) If you’re looking for something to do locally, check out Orland Tree Trek Adventure, which is an elevated outdoor obstacle course full of ropes, pulleys, suspended bridges and nets that will test your high altitude agility – tons of fun with the kiddos!; (3) If you are looking for a local restaurant, you will be pretty challenged to find much, but we did stumble across a spot called Reunion Café (www.reunion.cafe)) that ended up being quite a little Mediterranean culinary gem – be sure to order the chicken kebab, Shawarma and finish it off with the homemade Baklava! 

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We stayed there during the Tampa Show. Last minute decision. Park has a lot of long term RV's and many of them older. Dog friendly and has a decent sized dog run. We had a pull thru spot that was plenty long enough to leave our dolly hooked up to our 33' class A, and still have plenty of room to park in front. Although it was very narrow and I was a little concerned about my leveling jacks sinking in when it rained due to it being all grass. Fortunately it didn't rain much. There were cable hook ups, but I couldn't get a signal. Not sure about wifi, because I just used my hot spot. Most, if not all, of the short term spaces had picknick tables. Overall just a fairly quiet place to park with hookups and not too far off the highway.

We enjoy this park a lot because it has so much to offer in the park, nearby, and we often see our friends here each winter. They have approximately 850 sites depending on the tortoises (sometimes they get a whole spot if their best is there). They are adding about 180 sites on the south side of the park. Full hook ups, generous yards, decent landscaping. There are some permanent structures, mostly rentals and the cabins. There are some personal sites as well. The park is about 2.63 miles all the way around the outer loop. Sometimes the cows from next door get loose and come visit. Sometimes there are alligators underneath RVs.

With so many guests they also have a gate guard shack thing and lots of staff members. They have dark green polos ride around on golf carts. They are super friendly. Most of them are RVers at the park as well.

They have many sections. A- Lots of pull throughs B- Giant Field where the kids play C-Not sure where this section is... D- Jungle, Secluded, Private, also with snakes but a lot more shade E/F/G- Normal RV Park in the grass, some shade in some parts. H- Residents of the park and some staff I- Residents and long term guests.

Getaway Cabins- they are adorable from the outside, they look massive compared to an RV.

Cell signals: This park is in Clermont, FL and it’s not a huge town but decent sized town. There isn’t great cell service. The park is further from a tower and there are so many RVers in the area that don’t count towards the population, it becomes a bandwidth issue. This park does have some kind of DSL for long term contracts. They have WiFi for a few throughout the park, and in the Club House they have better WiFi.

They have: 2 Pools 1 Hot Tub Mini Golf Tennis Courts Pickle Ball Courts Shuffle Board Club House Mail Room Camp Store A small Lake with Kayak rental Alligators Sand Hill Cranes Tortoises A Garden Basketball Kids play room and play area Arcade Gym Several pretty ponds and a giant lagoon

Most of all we come here repeatedly because we love to see our friends and being a member we can all stay for free.

We recorded several videos about Thousand Trails Orlando:

https://youtu.be/xiMkg_pDEoM

First, this is a really nice RV campground. It's new and has some nice amenities. That being said, I don't think full timers like us are their audience. Pros- nice big pull through sites, nice dog park, food trucks on weekend nights(at least while we were there), and a bar on site. Cons- it's very loud, not really close to any attractions, wifi was fast but frequently went out, highway noise, incessant loud construction noise every single weekday, you have to wear these bright green hospital type bracelets on the property, they charge$10 a visitor even if they are just going to your campsite to hang out and not use the amenities, they say they are family friendly but are okay with offensive political flags being flown. They played loud country music during the day most of the weekdays we were there. One day they started before 9 am. On Friday night, the music from the tiki bar area was so loud that we couldn't hear the movie we were trying to watch in our trailer with the windows up. It was the same the next night with a live band. I think this place is nice if you are looking for a place to party on the weekend, but not a relaxing resort like they advertise. For the price I paid I expect to not have construction noise every day. We likely won't be back. We camped at Cabana Club RV Resort in a Fifth Wheel.

OK, let’s just cut to the chase here. You are likely considering Sun Outdoors Orlando Champions Gate due to its proximity to the ‘Most Magical Place on Earth’ or one of the other themed amusement parks here in the Orlando area. And maybe you’ve got an RV and shrugged your shoulders and said ‘why not?’ And to this I say, if proximity and accessibility are key criteria for you on this particular trip and locking down a spot to park your RV for a few days while you (and likely the kids) are wanting to enjoy all of the entertainment and endless lines of all-you-can-eat buffets, then Sun Outdoors will certainly be a very good option for you.

What I like most about Sun Outdoors Orlando is that this spot is recently completely refurbished, so everywhere you go, while the place itself looks like it has recently been cleared of all vegetation (definitely a negative in my mind - as it looks as though every single piece of nature, be it grass, bushes or trees, has been surgically removed leaving a very barren, sterile environ), all of the buildings, sites and amenities look fairly brand spanking new, especially the club house and adjoining in-ground heated pool, which is definitely the best aspect of this particular paved campground. Here they have plenty of level, asphalt-paved or grassy RV pads, spots for tent camping as well as even cottages and cabins that they’ll rent to you in case you’ve not come prepared with any overnight preparations of your own.  

Amenities: large heated in-ground swimming pool with patio and deck chairs, umbrellas and chaise loungers, pristine bathroom & showers, shuffleboard court, game room, horseshoe pit, WiFi, pet-friendly, coin-operated laundr-O-mat, dog park, bingo hall, basketball, volleyball, stand-up BBQ grills, religious services, Adirondack chair encircled fire pits, cornhole as well as back-in and pull-through RV slots with concrete patios, picnic table and all the traditional hook-ups (20 / 30 / 50 amp electric, water and sewage).

Insider’s tips: (1) When we visited, there was a solid amount of road construction going on right in front of Sun Outdoors Orlando, so unless that has changed (call ahead if this is of concern), then I would highly suggest booking a spot furthest away the front of the campground, which sits right in front of the roadway where the work is being done; (2) If you grow weary of opening up your on-board fridge or half-empty roto-molded Cordova cooler and want to check out a nearby restaurant, I recommend nearby Miller’s Ale House, Marco’s Pizza, Mondo di Gelato or Reunion Gyro; (3) While this campground will tell you on-line and on-site that you can tent camp here, even if you could, I don’t know that you would want to, unless your idea of a good tent camping experience is being sandwiched between 2 oversized RV’s and pitching your tent on asphalt; (4) Some of these sites for large RV’s and even 5th wheels appear to be a bit too small (several were either parked beyond the asphalt limits on the grass, or the width was too large and overhung the concrete pad itself, creating unstable situation for some RV’s) ;(5) If you actually care to grab a slice of nature while you are here at Sun Outdoors Orlando, then go for a day trip to Lake Tohopekaliga, which has some pretty amazing bass fishing as well as a few choice places to drop your boat into, like Twin Oaks or Cherokee Point Conservation Areas (and if you don’t have your own kayak, canoe or boat, contact Wild Willys Airboat Tours and they’ll show you around); and (6) There’s a Publix, CVS and Aldi so close to this campground that you can walk there, in case you run out of anything.

Happy Camping!