Best RV Parks & Resorts near Sarasota, FL

I’m staying in the Palmetto Ridge loop which is the only paved loop & I think the only one w/sewer. The Big Flats & Old Prairie loops are gravel road, tight, no privacy & very small sites like for popups, vans or small campers. The Palmetto Ridge pull thrus are gigantic. I would say the vegetation gives semi privacy but they aren’t on top of each other so it’s not like you’re looking right at your neighbor. There is a picnic table & a fire ring. Gravel sites but pretty level. My site was 50 amp. Not sure how many are. Bath house & laundry facility appears clean. Pet friendly. The outpost is literally like 3 miles into the park down from the entrance & Palmetto loop. The store was nice & there was a food truck. It was a little spendy but good food. The river was low so the kayak rental & boat tours were shut down. Tons of great hiking & even some elevated bridges for site seeing. Tons of gators, birds, deer etc. There is also a scenic drive in the park, a “fisherman’s loop” & a few picnic areas. There are cabins to rent but I didn’t see them. Also never saw a playground if you have kids. Very dark & quiet at night.

I live local and have been staying here in the pull through area a month until I transition to 100% travel trailer life. I have 2 50 lb+ dogs and there are many other people with dogs, plus a dog park. Park is very well kept, beautiful gym, pool, hot tub, and private island on backside to fish and other games like horseshoes. Love this place! Maintenance is A M A Z I N G!!!!!!!! I will be staying here again for short and extended periods and feel more than comfortable to recommend to friends and family. Laundry facilities and bathrooms are fine too. Dryers dry a full load of towels in one cycle, was pretty impressive! Also plenty of area to ride a bike a couple times around the park. It is also close to gas, grocery store and really good restaurants. Two thumbs up!!!

What a beautiful well kept facility near suburbia. Just a short drive from Tampa and Lakeland areas this first come first served facility is a favorite of locals. Full service for RV's (even a dump station. Clean, monitored bathroom facilities close to lots of additional activities! Kayaking and fishing on the lake is a blast! Frisbee Golf (this is an advanced course) equestrian and hiking trails, picnic and playground areas. Pet friendly but there were more than a few stray cats when we were there (a problem the rangers are trying to address). Midweek is best time to visit as weekends fill fast (usually by Thursday night)

No surprise on a military base but felt like a campground equivalent of base housing. Tight spots with full hook ups. Lots of snow birds, so getting in was a challenge. We had to show up without a reservation and take advantage of first come, first serve spots.

Full hook up (electric/water/sewer) and cable. No wifi (so weak it didn't work) and cell coverage almost non-existent (AT&T).

Close to a small beach and marina with a restaurant walking distance. Several dog parks but muddy/dirt. Laundry available for fee. Bath houses clean and large.

Good amenities on base. Gym not too far and massive.

Make sure you arrive at the base through the gate at the end of Dale Mabry, as it's the only gate campers can come thru. And be sure to go to the far right lane, even if it's got a red X showing the lane is closed. They will open the wider lane for you. You don't want to know why I know that or how close our Airstream was to the guard shacks if you don't go in the far lane!

We live very close to Oscar Scherer enjoy camping getaways. The sites are private fairly big, and well kept. There are no full hookups but there are 5 pull through sites. The hiking, biking, and kayaking is great. If you are visiting the area, it's a perfect location in Central Sarasota. Venice is 15 minutes south, Sarasota is 20 minutes north, the beach is 10 minutes away. There are great restaurants in the area. So if you want to getaway and never leave, there's plenty to do without leaving the park. If you want to see Sarasota County, then this a great place to.use as home base.

Oscar Scherer is full of wildlife, not far from lots of big cities.   The campground itself is small but nice.  Lost of sites back up to a small river but those sites right on the river are not kid or pet friendly so be careful when you make reservations.   There are a lot of trails throughout the park. Many are scrub oak communities and consequently there’s a fair population of scrub jays.   We also saw otters, bobcat, raccoon and gopher tortoise.   The park is also adjacent to the Legacy bike trail.  A linear trail that runs from Sarasota to Venice, FL.  So there’s some long bike rides opportunities.   Bathhouses are ok maybe a 7/10.

I loved** Fort De Soto State Park**, Florida! My favorite for this trip as far as location and atmosphere . But this may be because I seldom visit the beach type campgrounds and it’s something unique to me. If you don’t like sand in everything you may not pick this as your favorite;)

In the campground there are two loops. Most of the outer sites in each area had access to the water, some had direct access where people parked their watercraft for their visit.

In the first loop all the middle sites were long and pull through with a screen of foliage between each site. Suited for the bigger rigs. The second loop had smaller sites and the road was a little “skinnier” more for pop ups and tents. It was a little more crowded in the middle sites and less of a foliage screen between sites.

Overall both areas were very Gilligan’s Island homey if you were on a cruise ship that ran aground and everyone made their “homes” in the same area ;) It is a well maintained area with centrally located facilities. There is an inlet for fishing and short trail within easy walking distance or you can strike out on the long paved trail.

Recreationally speaking aside from the water sports there was a hike/ bike trail the entire length of the park with access to several beach areas and fishing piers. Then there is the Fort to explore if you like your history and a ferry service within the park. Another thing was a triathlon going on while we visited at the far end of the park, the swim portion would have been a definite challenge, the bike was on flat roads and I didn’t see the run portion but if it was on the sand that would be a workout!

I saved the best for last (in my opinion) there is a TOTALLY AWESOME DOG BEACH which was definitely the main reason I picked the park to visit. A nice stretch of beach where my dogs had an excellent time playing in the water, weeds and sand. There are two fenced dog parks with seats, shade and dog wash areas to rinse off the sand before heading back out. All of this is very close to a touristy area with coffee shops, fuel and other necessities. But you would never know it if you just stay in the park, it just feels very .....detached from the city.

A thumb and three paws up for this park!