Best Glamping near Palmetto, FL

Glamping Reviews near Palmetto, FL

363 Reviews of 17 Palmetto Campgrounds

• 

  Laura M.

  Legend

  Feb. 25, 2022

  Hillsborough River State Park Campground

  Great Hiking

  This was one of our favorite campgrounds. The park was so lush and green it felt like a jungle safari. There are so many alligators just hanging around near the water so watch out while hiking! There are so many great hiking trails and places to explore in this park.

  Laundry on site at the bath houses, as well as free hot showers. I didn't like the shower set up as much, because the area for your clothes and stuff and whatnot is in a communal space with other shower-ers.

  Campground hosts sell firewood and ice.

  We were here in January and the weather was perfect, not too humid, and it wasn't too buggy.

• 

  Meghan O.

  Ranger

  Jul. 4, 2018

  Fort De Soto Campground

  Busy Campground With Nice Ammenities

  close to the breweries in art district of St Pete Florida, Fort Desoto Campground has everything you could want for a long weekend or quick getaway. There's a general store if you want to stock up on snacks, fishing tackle, pool floats, or ice cream, or just catch a little air conditioning and Wi-Fi. The General Store also has a nice balcony overlooking the water and some oyster beds.

  The campsites are suitable for car camping, hammock camping, tent camping, or RVs. Be sure to bring your rain gear and rain flies, as Florida thunderstorms are brief but no joke. You can rent bicycles down closer to the actual Old Fort where there's also a huge fishing pier and plenty of old military installations to explore. However don't rely on using the bikes to get back to the campground as there's no drop-off on the other side.

  It can be a bit of a long walk from the campground itself to the Old Fort, which shouldn't be a problem unless you didn't pack the right clothes or shoes. If, like me, you find yourself a little under-prepared, there is Lyft and Uber in the area and in a pinch you can use that to get back and forth between the campground and the fort.

  Our neighbors at the next campsite over we're, unfortunately, a bit of a party crowd, which made for a loud night and very little sleep. That said the restrooms were nice and easy to reach and all of the amenities or what you would expect at a bigger busy or campground.

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• 

  Ashleigh C.

  Traveler

  Jul. 4, 2017

  Fort De Soto Campground

  Most private campsites near the ocean

  Fort Desoto campsites are nice because there are trees or brush separating all the campsites creating privacy. Some campsites on the water have a small water view and a way to walk a kayak to the water directly. Most water front campsites are blocked by mangroves so look at the photos online when booking. In the fall or winter you must book at least 3 months in advance. There is a separate dog friendly campsite that allows 2 dogs per campsite. There are less raccoons in the dog site camping. Keep all food locked up or in your car. The raccoons are very smart and can undo many ties. The only thing I don't like about the campsite is that they close the bathrooms in the morning to clean them at 9am. Seems like they should until wait until check out time at 11am before closing them down.

  All campsites have a picnic table, charcoal grill, most sites have running water and electricity. Some have a lantern holder too. Fire pits are available for rent as you cannot dig a hole for a fire pit. You can also rent bikes or kayaks as well. There is an off lesh dog beach nearby that is great too. My dogs love to swim there and then the fenced in dog park has a wash station for dogs, you just aren't allowed to use soap.

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• 

  Jeanene A.

  Legend

  Jul. 4, 2016

  Hillsborough River State Park Campground

  Gold Medal Camping at it's finest

  One of the most awarded State Parks! This park has everything! 3 full service camping loops full of sites - lots of space for RV's and Tents - 2 designated hammock camping spots. During busy season you can really be packed in but the primitive camping site is another option - hike out and camp away from the crowds! Pools and Cantina are very popular in the summer with the locals so be prepared! Canoe rentals to tour the river, fishing spots along the shore. Canoes and bicycles are available for rent at the Pool Side Café. The café also provides food, beverages, picnic/camping supplies and souvenirs. Pool lounge chairs for rent. Park visitors can stay connected with FREE Wi-Fi service within an approximate 150 foot range of the pool area (weather and signal permitting). Golf carts are available daily.

  Hiking trails are wonderful but if rainy season some could be closed to flooding. Take bug protection during warm months! Spend some time enjoying the wildlife along the trails. There is also a 2 mile paved loop bicyclers enjoy shared with cars so drive carefully. You can hike to the neighboring Dead River Park for even more of an adventure! Picnic area is wonderful - nice large pavilions and grills. They do have a air conditioned building with kitchen great for weddings and special events.

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• 

  Perry J.

  Legend

  May. 30, 2020

  Fort De Soto Campground

  Best County Park in the USA

  Quite possible the best county park in the USA. This park is incredibly well run and has so much to do. This is our go to place for a close to home weekend when we are lucky enough to get a reservation. If you are a visiting from Miami or out of state you won’t be disappointed if you can get in. 

  What makes this park special for us is that many of the camping sites are coveted waterfront sites. The campground portion of the park is divided into three parts, one camping area that is pet friendly, one no pets and one predominantly for tents and pop ups with smaller sites. 

  Another bonus of Fort DeSoto in addition to the old fort is the fishing peer, great beach, cycling path and absolutely enormous parking lots so unlike many Florida locations, especially in season, parking is never really an issue. 

  Fort De Soto County Park is a very special place. We are lucky to have it so close to us.

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• 

  Michael L.

  Traveler

  Jun. 7, 2021

  Camp Venice Retreat

  maiden voyage

  friendly staff on site. very nice sites on river inlet with perfectly placed utilities. bet clean restrooms and showers within a brief walk from every site. didn’t use pool but looked very clean and well maintained. look forward to visiting again when county wide recreational burn ban is lifted. a friendly baby gator was a frequent visitor to the water by our site which was cool too. walking distance to Snook Haven Restaurant which has great bbq and beer selection with frequent entertainment. i’m a chef in the area so i can attest to the quality. i will be visiting this campground soon for sure.

• B

  Brad P.

  Guide

  Feb. 7, 2025

  Peace River Oaks

  Fantastic

  This place is brand new and very clean. The owners/operators are extremely friendly and helpful. The have glamping tents that are very cool. This isn’t the ordinary crunched in resort camping. All of the sites are spacious with large cement pads. The overall feel is laid back and quiet. There are many activities and games if you choose to participate.

• 

  Joe R.

  Legend

  Oct. 15, 2019

  Fort De Soto Campground

  Tropical Oasis for the Family

  I find myself torn between four and five stars on this campground. It turned out being everything we expected and more. As an camper with northern roots, I have found it hard to camp in Florida. This campground helped me relieve those worries. 

  I will start by saying that this campground is south of St. Pete and north of Ana Maria Island. We drove down from Orlando and it took us under two hours. We hit some traffic on 275 and the Parkway, but it is expected. There are two tolls (1.00 and .75) before you hit the park. One thing we learned and a good pointer is that if you intend on going into the park (which you probably will), you should go in and register BEFORE you go to the beach, even if before check in time. By paying for your site, they provide you a beach pass for two vehicles, which saves $5 each on parking. 

  The check in process was very simple. We arrived about an hour early and got everything set up. We were told to stop back between 12:30 and 1 (Advise that check in is at 1pm, so getting in early is not a guaranteed or expected result). The parking lot is a bit awkward, as the camper/trailer line blocks views and actual spots for cars..but it is trivial. 

  We had rented site 28 (mostly because it was one of the only ones available and best of the litter). There are three loops, and we were in the 1-86 loop. There are no pets and no RV's allowed, which was perfect for us. Most of the outer side of the loop has some sort of water. Water does not mean access. It seemed that the higher numbers (40+) had less access to water and more of a mangrove area. Depths of sites also varied widely. We must have done the camping gods some good, because we hit the site karma. Our site was nice and deep, with a weird little island (former tree/stump) in the middle. This actually made us divide the tent area up into two sides, which worked out well. The site has plenty of options for both clothes lines and hammocks. We opted to put the "kitchen" towards the back of the site with the water view, and fire bin (rented for $3 from the campground office). We had neighbors on both sides and across (this places always sells out) and it was still fairly secluded. They did a great job at keeping a lot of natural growth to maintain privacy and a true tropical feel. There was plenty of shade, but also plenty of sunshine when you wanted it. This site also gets direct sunlight after about 9am (based on mid october), so plan accordingly. It gets toasty :) We have an inflatable raft that we took out in the water. We were greeted by dolphins, sting rays and manatees. 

  The bath house is pretty central and literally across the road from our site. We had expected a much further walk based on the map, but it was just a 1 minute walk. They were ample, but nothing to write home about. They clean them daily, so they are not bad. The showers leave a lot to be desired with water pressure and privacy. They share a common area with stalls and cheap liners that offer little privacy. Again, it is camping so this isn't a complaint, but a warning. Also, bring your own toilet paper. 

  There is a playground with good swings and also a sturdy playground that offered plenty of opportunity for my four year old to blow off some steam. The ground is all recycled rubber, which I love as a parent. 

  The campground store is nice and good for essentials if you don't want to take the 15/20 minute drive to publix or 7 minute drive to 7-11. Firewood is a bit overpriced at $9 per bundle and the fire buckets are cheap at $3 per night. They also have basic food and camping supplies. Note that there is no alcohol allowed in the park, including the campground. All I can say is that you should use common sense. This is a family friendly place. They also rent bikes and kayaks. 

  The site was just a 10 minute drive to north beach, which is our favorite. There is plenty to do in the area. Overall, I love this place and look forward to coming back many times in the future. Note that they do start booking 6 months out and open up 10% of the sites for the weekend each friday at 7am if you want to try and get lucky.

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• J

  Justin S.

  Guide

  Sep. 29, 2016

  Palmetto Ridge Campground — Myakka River State Park

  Huge state park, lots of wildlife

  Excellent for wildlife viewing in the surprisingly beautiful prairie and tropical Florida area. You can rent bikes or kayaks nearby and make sure to take a tour on the famous fan boats. Pros: wildlife, cabin option, close to towns, clean, pretty large sites, modern amenities like laundry, restaurant, gift/grocery shop on site, very shady campsites, great trails (many boardwalks), huge park, easy to get to from 75. Good mix of locals and tourists to give you more ideas of what to do while visiting. Cons: just the bugs and heat...