Best RV Parks & Resorts near Sarasota, FL

This is a beautiful thousand trail rv resort Campground. Plenty of shaded trees and hiking.

The RV park is in a great location, however it’s amenities fall short of what I’d consider a RV Resort. The pool is small but the beach is close, lacks activities but located in an area with lots going on. I’d avoid this park during the rainy season.

The park is clean, it’s the midsized Thousand Trails Park in Florida. Peace River is really pretty, very green and has a wooded section, a tropical section, and a flood section. We have seen Class As sink, so if you have a heavy diesel pusher, make sure you find a spot safe for your RV. Make sure you have a Clam or some kind of outdoor shade with a big screen because there are a lot of mosquitos in the evenings. There are Alligators along the River banks and in the woods.

The park is really quiet and the town nearby is very small. They do have groceries and fuel. There are not many attractions within an hour to go to. There are some local museums and shops.

Cell reception: minimal, it is put in the country for Florida, And the neighboring town is small. So there is signal but bandwidth is low because of so many RVers not counting towards the population of the area.

Ammenities: Laundry Pool Sewer pump out (one free per stay) Shower House A River Mini Golf (Needing updating) Camp Store Dump Station

This is a Thousand Trails property and there were some permanent spots, but this park does not have the typical built ins. There are several walking paths. The highlight of this park was collecting shark and sting ray teeth along the river. You can get wire mesh baskets in the office to aid in your search.

Although we enjoyed our time here there were some serious concerns with flooding. Many large rigs were parked in the flood plane which encompasses a large section of the park.

There are some sewer available sites but there is a strange lottery system. Every day about 1pm you go sign up for the lottery system to shuffle your RV to a sewer site if you’re lucky enough to get it. They failed to tell us you have to show up daily. It was pretty frustrating. They offer (1) free pump out. Many will stay at this park for 3 weeks. If you have your own laundry machines - you won’t be able to use them. The laundry available on the property was pricey.

All in all we did enjoy our time here but we arrived prepared and it’s more camping than an RV Resort.

There is absolutely no communication from the office...saw him cleaning the outside of the campground, while the site I was in had an old taco and peach that were there the whole time we were there. The site next to ours smelt like a sewer...this is a long term rv park...NO camping

Ok. I will try to sum this place up in as short of a review as I can. If I could give this place no stars I would.

Pros:

I don’t really have any Pros.

Cons:

• Not all hookups are full. Must enter lottery to get full hookup site. Wasted 3 hours pulling into one spot. Have to sign up, enter lottery, look at spot, go back hope your name is called, if it is move again.

• Laundry is broke! Numerous people who have been here for longer then a month have said they have been broke since November.

• Swimming pool is like taking a warm bath with 60 other people.

• They charge $5.00 per item to receive mail. Yes you read that right. If it’s an regular envelope it’s $5. Medication. Yep $5. Got three post cards from aunt Mable. $15.

• Staff are the most ignorant I have come across on a 7 month road trip around the country. Ask a simple question about laundry room and the employee coped a huge attitude. The two maintenance men were awesome. But front office staff are HORRIBLE.

*** IMO thousand trails maybe good for some people however they are the biggest waste of money I have seen.

This is my first time camping in my RV anywhere. I should have suspected that an RV resort in FL in the winter would be full of retirees, but I didn't expect the number of mobile homes permanently here. At my site, when looking outside, I had a great view of the lake, am surrounded by mobile homes, and can see only one RV. Great laundry facilities and front office staff are wonderful. Flexible pricing with many discounts. Club house and swimming pool is like being in a retirement resort. There are some nice sites, and all are full hookups, but in my case, I have a small lot with a mobile home, literally about 8 feet along side of me. They have a dog park, and it is shady, which is needed in the FL heat, but not very kept up and clean. Location is nice because you are right off I-75 and can be anywhere in the Greater Tampa Bay area with easy access. However, the noise of the interstate is non-stop, and traffic in this area is really congested.

This park has beautiful views and nice large spaces. First come, first serve on spots leaves little to be desired when you plan far enough out. Pickle ball and pool were very active. Bathrooms were not placed in a very convenient spot, poorly maintained and they were small in comparison to the size of the park. Being a Thousand Trails facility it was very disappointing.

A small but great RV resort with beach access. Well kept, clean and with access to the beach just a few yards from any site.

It’s one of our favorite places to stay and we will be back many more times.

We stayed at Sun N Fun for 3 weeks while visiting family in the Sarasota area. Despite Covid-19, there was still plenty to do. We enjoyed the pool (the slide was only open 1 day we were there) most days. The property was great for biking. Seemed the long term folks didn't mind us temporary people hanging around (which is not always the case). On hookup the post blew my surge protector. They sent over maintenance immediately who did a thorough check of the post and made sure it was safe to use. Cable in the park had lots of channels if you're looking for that. Wifi was spotty, but what do you expect?

Best weekend ever for me. We were less than an hour away from home at Lazydays RV Resort and it felt like we were on the other side of the planet. Got to spend uninterrupted time with my bride and it was awesome. Cooking every meal outside, drunken golf cart cruises and a mediocre live band at the campground made it even better. Can’t wait until our next trip thanksgiving week up in the mountains.

Showers arent amazing but thats not why we are here is it? Lots of loud kids today. Ability to stay long term allows squatters. Most folks very nice and respectful.

We stayed here for a week and overall it’s a solid, no frills place to stay. Level & compact sites with concrete patio pads. Our site backed right up to the marsh, which had a lot of birds & wildlife. There’s a pool, laundry, fenced dog area, and WiFi (for an extra fee). Verizon cell service was solid & always had connection. Mostly long term residents here but they are really friendly & helpful.

Ramblers Rest - Venice, FL: Nice facility. Mostly full time or longer term seasonal rentals. More of a mobile home community where they squeeze RVs into the spaces between mobile homes. Clean and well kept, but not the typical campground we would choose. Very tight quarters. Fulls hook-ups which was nice.

We are staying here for 2 weeks. This is our first visit. To be fair, they are still recovering from hurricane Ian. Some of the sites are very nice and well kept and others look like they have very long term residents who don’t clean up after themselves very well.

We had a wedding to attend in Clearwater and this was the closest park. Mostly long term and residential campers. Very friendly and very helpful to us during our short stay. Kids loved the pool, but playground needs updating. It is a place to stay, but not a destination in itself.

Fiesta Grove is a smaller 55+ park. Pros: Laid back atmosphere Super friendly residents Plenty of activities Almost no traffic noise Alot of permanent or long term residents Clean and well kept Heated pool

Cons: Lacking some amenities - no exercise room or spa Terrible signal if you have T-Mobile - dropped calls, very little data. Not enough doggie stations

This was our second Thousand Trails stay. Unlike The Oaks at Point South you have to find your own spot. It's a little unnerving. Fortunately, we had a few to choose from as soon as we arrived. There are a few paved roads but others are not. It had just rained a lot due to Hurricane Eta and there are huge potholes. So go slow!!!! We chose D14, back in. All of their sites are back in and they stress that over and over. FHU, no shade at our site, picnic table, fire ring with flip grill, grass pad. Fire rings are close to your neighbors camper b/c of mowing. Just move it. No cable or WiFi. Great Verizon. Pool was suppose to be open but they had to redo the pool deck. It was open the last day we were there and it's very nice. There is road noise, with air on not a problem. The back part of part is closed b/c of drainage issues. The site next to us the electricy didn't work which was great for us. Extra room! The sites are very spacious. In the winter when it's crowded they have a system of getting sites. Our water hookup didn't have a handle. Notified the office and it was fixed. You don't see staff out much at all. In a week, I saw 2 employees drive by.

It was very clean, with a very nice staff. Quiet, even though it was close ro a highway. Wifi was good. Full hook ups, cable tv. Sites were a little small but that was our only complaint.

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!