Best Glamping near Mims, FL

I’ve been camping my entire life in the woods in New England or out west in northern Nevada. But Disney camping or “glamping” is a first for me and so much fun! My first time at Disney and camping at Disney was for my honeymoon two years ago and now we go back every year with our son. It’s really an amazing experience.

Unfortunately, we had a LOT of rowdy neighbors who paid little if any attention to the park rules. Quiet time is supposed to start at 11 but, frankly, I don't think rowdy time ever ended. All. Night. Long. on Friday night and spilling over into Saturday morning, Noon and night. I don't think they ever slept. 

Had this been our first visit to a Florida State Park, we might not have gone on to explore a dozen other of the Florida State Parks in the area that accommodate RV's. That would have been a shame because we have enjoyed other Florida parks in the area. 

If this review concerns you, try close-by Lake Louisa State Park or Lake Griffin State Park: an entirely different scene with campers who actually camp as opposed to a mob of people just looking for a place to be drunk. 

About a week after we stay at a Florida park, we get a survey which asks a number of questions. One of them is "Did you feel safe?". The answer here is a resounding"NO!". I arrived right at 3PM and was set up by 4PM, before most of the drinkers arrived to spoil the scene. By 9PM I had basically pulled everything back in the RV for fear of it being stolen or shot at then stayed inside for the rest of the weekend. 

There was zero social distancing, one of the best parts (up until this visit) of camping in the first place. Sites here seemed a bit closer together than other parks but that might have been just my reaction to the scene and those spoiling it for others. 

I had two other bookings in the future for this park which I have canceled. There are just too many great parks in the Florida system. This is not one of them.

Be prepared for Florida summer storms going in winter much better.Everything you need accessable.

The best campground in Florida ! Fun beautiful and lots to do even without going to the parks Wildlife is abundant Bunnies deer turkey

Beautiful Florida wildlife,birds especially in winter.Can be viewed by canoeing or hiking.Great food at the island.

Only thing on weekend the later you go the lonnger wait to get in park.

Everything you would expect from Disney. Had fun fishing, canoeing and swimming. The pool is heated and the temperature was great on a few chilly days in Florida.

Close to home and took a drive through one day. Haven't been camping yet this year due to illness but getting ready to get on the road. Love State parks in Florida looking forward to Wekiwa Springs visit..

Really nice campground with all the amenities, showers, water, and power hookups for rv’s, or in my case to charge my phone and camera. We’re staying at the family campground as the primitive was full, so word of advice, book well in advance. Beautiful place love the springs!! Hoping to see some Florida native black bears fingers crossed...

There’s a wonderful river to canoe/kayak to see all sorts of animals and wildlife. It’s a wonderful adventure, I’ve seen deer and wild turkey on the shores as well as tutles, numerous birds and cranes, otters, and plenty of gators! (No worries, they are not aggressive, but do not approach wildlife without realizing their natural reaction will be to fight or flight). The camping is amazing and there are many options of site, cabins, tents, RV. There are also fun hiking trails and a gorgeous spring to cool off in the Florida heat. There’s a reason all of the locals love to go on the weekends!

I have been camping in Fort Wilderness since 1972. We used to pull up to the check-in and get any loop we wanted. Always picked Loop 100, 200 or 400. Now when you want to stay there it's hard to get in at all. The rates went crazy, as a Florida resident I can stay in one of the hotels just about the same price and they make my bed. At one time if you owned Disney Stock you could stay for half price on non blackout times. Bought 6 shares and then they quit that program. I would rate it 5 stars except it being hard to get in anymore. I have reservations for September and will enjoy it. Wish they would double the size of it.

Rent the go cart! Only $60 a day but well worth it! Big park so lots of walking if you don’t have the cart (or you can bring your own and/or bikes).  Our grandsons loved the golf cart! They have two pools, one geared for kids (closed at 11pm) and another one more for adults (open 24 hours).  Bathrooms were extremely clean and air conditioned. Campfire show and movie at night and don’t forget to bring your s’mores to roast! Fireworks and light parade over the lake at night as well. Our space was 1109 and very nice...towards middle of park. They have about three or four places to eat if you don’t want to cook.  No mosquitos which is so rare for Florida but Disney goes to great lengths to rid the mosquitos.  Great time .... you will love it!

After our last camping trip where we lost our tent to the elements we recently got a Cotopaxi Inti 2 and thought we'd give it a go somewhere a little closer to home. The campgrounds are nicely wooded and provide a ton of much-needed shade from the Florida sun. Check in was smooth and uneventful and we got to our site (#32) which did seem rather close to those around us, but we set up and then started making dinner. Exploring the campground, we realized it a little weirdly setup with all the sites arranged in a loop with the sites on either side of the road and the facilities (which are nice) in the center of the loop. There isn't a direct path and if you're on the outside of the loop you will have to walk through/by a site within the center ring and then through the "woods" to get to the bathhouse. Some sites have more of a path than others. There are a few accessible sites which have a paved pathway to the bathhouse, but you'd have to walk directly through someone else's campsite to get to them...a little weird. After eating we started to make a fire and thought the group (very near) next to us was a getting a little loud and it definitely made it seem less secluded, when of course we get a Florida downpour (starting to think we can't go camping without it raining) which of course wasn't predicted and we all had to rush to our tents. Stayed huddled in there (and this time thankfully the rain stayed outside our tent) it got much quieter and darker and eventually, we slept through the night to awaken to it still raining... At this point, we were simply glad to be dry and packed up and left in the drizzle. We were on site 32 which was probably one of the furthest from the facilities and you had to walk through a thick path past the clothesline to the back of the bathhouse to get there. If you prefer a more direct line I'd call before booking online and ask about the best locations to get back and forth to the facility. But we were glad it wasn't our site that people were walking through...

My friends and I have camped Wekiva a few times now, mostly because it's in our backyard. Being located in central Florida I think it goes without saying that tent camping here in the middle of summer comes with its own challenges, such as the excruciating heat. But other than stating the obvious let's cut to the chase. Pros: Kayaking, Natural Springs and community swimming hole, BBQ locations, separate camp grounds for tent versus RV, short distance to Wekiva Island. The natural springs of central Florida keep a cool 72 degrees year round making swimming something you can always do. The head spring of Wekiva is a fairly large swimming hole which like most springs remains crystal clear water, great for snorkeling. The downfall however is this area gets insanely crowded during the summer months. Here you are able to rent kayaks, canoes and rafts for fair prices. Usually around $35 per kayak for 4-6 hours. Once you launch you have two main options of which direction to go. One being a more scenic route where you will more than likely see a large number of birds, turtles and the crowd favorite...alligators galore. There are no rangers on the water with you, so you are responsible for your own safety around the gators. The other direction leads you to Wekiva Island, the party place! Wekiva Island is also known as the redneck riviera. Here you'll find a couple of bars, volleyball, corn hole, a food truck and many more activities. (You can also drive straight to the island which also offers kayaking rentals). Over all, the springs and the river make for an adventurous fun day. Cons: The camp sites themselves are quite close in proximity to one another not leaving much privacy. You are contained to remain within the dirt boundaries opposed to setting up camp on softer ground. You are limited to only 2 tents and two cars on the site itself. Additional parking is close by. The real con was the camp ground attendants. My friends and I are in our mid thirties and not loud and obnoxious residents. You will be annoyed by several rangers on golf carts constantly hovering and interrupting you as well as your good old camp ground host who may or may not live on one of the grounds? He wasn't friendly and made us uncomfortable.

All in all to sum it up, if you are looking to spend some relaxing time on the water and see some unique Floridian wildlife you'll have a great time!

So this park has been so encroached upon by urban sprawl that there's a rather constant drone of traffic from the two-lane road used to access the State Park and all the neighborhoods that have been built right up to the parks boundaries. The traffic is only really audible from the campground not so much farther into the park near the spring swimming area. Even more remote is paddling down the river that flows from the spring boil. This is a busy place on summer weekends so busy the park reaches capacity sometimes as early as 10:00am as with all Fl. state parks use Reserve America for camping reservations. I give it 5 stars because the springs are phenomenal and the river is perfect. Bring 'em if you got 'em: kayaks,bikes,lawn chairs,fishing rods,bug spray but that last one is a given anywhere in Florida. Pro tip: if you have your own watercraft they will allow you to chain it up near the canoe launch which is advisable as it's quite a hike from the parking lot to the river.

I like to camp out places where swimming is available. We camp a lot during the summer but since this is Florida it's HOT regularly and sizzling during the summer months. Although the spring is quite a walk, with floats in tow, driving is an option also and there is always lots of parking, and it goes in a curve so your never to far from accessing the springs no matter where you end up parking. Oh and they allow you to use a golf cart also. I'm not all that impressed with the sites, crushed shell, and you have to pitch the tent on it also, would be cooler if they let you pitch it a bit off site so your in the pine straw verse the crushed shell, which sucks to sleep on if you don't have a pad. This campground sees more rigs then tents and thankfully there is electric hook ups so you don't have to here any generators, bc you are close close by each other. Showers were decent if you got one with a shower head and having hot and cold adjustable is nice. We also took advantage of the clothes line they have on site as well as the second loop has a book exchange. LOVE THOSE! We saw tons of wildlife even just chilling at the campground. Turkey, deer, tortouse, friendly squirrels. Your in bear territory but there are no bear lockers which is nbd we are used to keeping our coolers in our trucks at night. Definitely will camp here again. Bring your kids, your floats, kayak, snorkle ... You can even bring your canapy to the water area with lawn chairs and your mini grill and just do the place for the day at the springs it self. They also have a horse coral and a BUNCH of hiking trails.

Why contemplate leaving the creature comforts of home when you can just haul everything that you love most to a place that provides all of the concrete paved, easy-to-access amenities that you likely have at home in the first place? If you find yourself in this dilemma, no worries, Orlando/ Kissimmee KOA has all of your manufactured outdoor camping needs covered … and what’s perhaps most interesting is that you won’t even have to drive out of the concrete jungle to encounter this experience, in fact, it’s right off a major 4-lane highway (HWY 192).

So, if you are dreaming of escaping your domesticated life for the thrills of an outdoor camping adventure that will have you appreciating the best of what nature has to offer, then just be forewarned, this is not that place. But if you are simply looking for a change of scenery and want to be near all of the action and attractions here in Central Florida’s ‘Magic City’ and want a different experience than paying overpriced rates at Tiki-hut themed entertainment hotels and relish the idea of dusting off your RV or unpacking your tent in a pseudo nature environment complete with all the astro turf your dog can poop on within a confined, fenced-in setting, then this KOA (and let’s be frank, ANY KOA) has you covered.

As far as amenities go, it’s a KOA, so there’s going to be more amenities here than you can shake a stick at. These include: heated in-ground medium-sized pool complete with tiled patio, lounge chaise chairs, tables with umbrellas and regular chairs, water-rinsing station, as well as a jacuzzi / spa, propane refilling station, bike rentals, 134’ max length slots, WiFi, pavilion, Kamp K9, firewood for sale, 24 hour laundr-O-mat, picnic tables, community fire pits, on-site market, recreation office, life-size Jenga, designated trash areas, fitness center, playground, dog wash, public bus service, basketball court, EV chargers, jump pad, taxi service back-in and pull-through perfectly paved, level concrete RV sites with full hook-ups (30 / 50 amp electric, water and sewage). There’s even RV sites that are dubbed ‘Deluxe,’ which are larger and come with a paved connected patio.

No RV? And REALLY don’t want to have an experience that is different than living at home? Even here at this KOA, that’s not a problem, where the proprietors will easily rent you a deluxe cabin, if there is one available. These 1BR or 2BR A/C cooled Deluxe Cabins sleep 4, 6 or 8 people and come with bunk bed set, futon / sofa sleeper and a queen-sized bed along with a private bath and shower, TV with cable offering over 20 channels, some with EV chargers, patio w/ charcoal or gas BBQ grill and fire pit, front porch with patio furniture and chairs, refrigerator, fresh linens, paw pen for the pups and a partial or full kitchen. They even have rustic cabins that are cheaper and don’t come with all the thrills for those that want some degree of ‘roughing’ it, so this means no kitchen and no bathroom or showers, although there is full bed, bunk bed, TV, mini-refrigerator, A/C patio furniture, brick fire pit with cooking grate.

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) To continue with the simple, easy-to-access, manufactured experience theme here, for those that grow tired of trying to conjure up that next meal for the kiddos, who are grumbling about making every meal, head on over to any one of these nearby drive-thru windows or curb-side meal offerings: McDonald’s, Panda Express, Applebee’s, Steak ‘n Shake and Wendy’s; (2) If you want to heighten that suburban culinary experience you all have been craving though, I really do rate the silverware-free dining experience that is Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament, which is literally just down the road and is actually a lot of fun for the kiddos and adults alike; (3) Should you find yourself in need of anything that you either forgot or may have run out of, then fear not, there’s a Sam’s Club that is in walking distance from this KOA and further south that definitely requires a drive, there’s a Walmart Supercenter; (4) I’ve noticed that this place has SIGNIFICANT discounts if you simply plan in advance – so for example, during the months of March OR April (it’s January now), they’re offering a whopping 25% discount; and (5) If you are looking for a slice of nature’s paradise, then I highly recommend driving a bit north to Wekiwa Springs, where you’ll be able to enjoy one of the most amazing springs in all of Florida where the water is 72 degrees year round.

Happy Camping!

As I rock up to this roadside campground destination, I’ve got Don Henley’s ‘Boys of Summer’ playing on the old Spotify, which is just the perfect soundtrack to this multi-faceted campground refuge. Here in (slightly) northern Florida, where the beaches never stop luring locals and tourists alike to its white-capped shores and summer really does seem like it never ends, you’ll discover Daytona’s Endless Summer Campground. From the very moment you drive onto this property, you’ll feel somehow transported to something between Margaritaville and Yogi Bear’s Yellowstone Camping Outpost (in the make believe illustrated world). 

While there’s no cartoon characters per se, you will immediately be greeted by a large oversized log cabin structure that is the main office. Here, you’ll come into contact with some of the nicest and most accommodating staff I have ever met operating a campground (and I’ve met a few). Just to the side of this campground HQ lies the community pool, which faces towards the main road that you would have taken to arrive here. Kind of an odd place to put a pool if you ask me, but hey, it works. Surrounding this splash pool are no shortage of lawn games (think: horse shoes, planko, life-size jenga, etc.), fire pits and children’s playground. And while they showcase a number of tents erected on the place (there is in fact, a small area for tent campers), this is basically a campground for the RVing crowd. But don’t worry, if you don’t have a tent or camper, Endless Summer has you covered, as they rent a dozen or so log cabins. 

As for the amenities, this pet-friendly place packs a lot in, from its recreational room(just behind the main office entrance) where there are DVD’s, books, board games and a full-service kitchen, mail room along with a fairly decent meeting space chalk full of fold-up tables and chairs (think VFW hall). Up at the front office, there’s also a mini-mart / store that has just about everything you could imagine (and likely have forgotten) – I love that they have S’mores kits, BTW! But don’t worry, if you’re not in any immediate rush, there’s a Publix and Walgreen’s just down the street. All of the basic hook-ups are here (electric, water and sewage), as well as scattered BBQ grills, picnic tables, fire pits, soda machines, plenty of community patio chairs and tables, coin-operated Laundr-O-Mat, a fairly excellent bathhouse and restroom facilities. 

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) As you’re a stone’s throw away (just a 10 minute drive) from Daytona Beach, arguably, one of the best beaches in the state, if not the country, you’ll want to hit one of these ‘drive-on’ white sand beach destinations – but get there early!; (2) If you find yourself getting tired of franks & beans on the grill and want someone else to do the cooking for you, check out Giuseppe’s Steel City Pizza, family-owned since 1982 and located just down the road from Endless Summer; and (3) If you come bringing a kayak or canoe, head on over to the causeway and cross A1A where you can drop your watercraft just about anywhere to explore Halifax River or Wilbur Bay (which has some amazing local wildlife, so bring a camera!). 

Happy Camping!