Best Cabin Camping near Summerland Key, FL

This is one of three options to "camp" in this part of Everglades National Park (the other two are RV sites and a large grassy area for tent camping (only open during the winter months). The 20 Eco tents provide a change of pace to regular camping, and they are nicely appointed, but they are a bit of a splurge (over$100 with tax). 

Each tent has full deck flooring and comes equipped with a double or queen bed with bedding (November– April only), a fan, 110 outlets, towels, two chairs/small round tables, and shelving with baskets. You can enjoy at least a partial view of Florida Bay from each tent.

The Eco tents have their own “private” bathroom/shower separate from the public restroom and it was clean. Unlike the bathrooms at Long Pine Key campground, there is a handicap-accessible stall. Towels are provided in the tents. 

Cooking or food of ANY KIND is not allowed in the tents as it would attract bugs and other wildlife. There are picnic tables/fire pits by the parking lot for cooking/eating but it was very windy when we arrived, so we just ate cold food in our van. All food must stay in your vehicle. You are also not allowed to use bug spray in the tent due to the flammable nature of the spray. Other rules include no music in the campground or tents. 

We were there shortly before the winter season so there were not as many options for recreation available. There are hiking trails and you can rent canoes or kayaks. Other boat tours are available, but we didn’t take advantage of any of these, preferring instead to take photos of birds and walk the short Anhinga Trail (closer to the northern entrance to the park). 

Both the sunsets and the sunrises are spectacular (if you can stand the mosquito assault!)

If you can beat the bugs, stargaze and enjoy the sunrise. But take the bug seriously. Even in late January the mosquitoes or vicious. You'll want insect repellent long sleeve long pants and maybe even a mosquito net when you are out and about.

Flamingo Everglades is the concessionaire that operates this campground and the nearby marina. The campground is arranged into 2 loops (one for trailers; about half of them with electric) plus a bayside field area that also includes a group tent site. For these, you park and walk to your site, but you get a great view of the bay and sunrises. In addition, there are several new eco-tents (platform tents) with beds two chairs and lamps. I stayed in one of these.

The Flamingo area still shows the effects of Hurricane Irma a couple of years ago and some neglect. The B & C loops are not open, though NPS is working to clean them up. An employee I spoke with indicated that they hoped to have those open next year. I was there midweek and only the trailer loop was full. On the weekends they do fill up.

The campsites in the loops have picnic tables and fire rings. The bayside field sites have scattered picnic tables and fire rings in various states of rusty disrepair. The eco-tents some picnic tables closer to the bathrooms for the field sites are not occupied, you can use one of those. You can't use a stove in your tent or on your deck, so you do need to cook elsewhere.

Bathrooms include flush toilets and free showers, although the water never got very warm. They are solar heated.

Remember everything you need because it's a long trip back to Florida city or Homestead the nearest places for picking up supplies. Stop at "Robert is Here" on your way in or out for a smoothie or milkshake. The shop at the marina has some basic snacks and drinks. Tuesday to Saturday afternoons there is a food truck available. For activities, campers get a discount on bike rentals. They also rent kayaks & canoes and offer boat trips, though I wouldn't do the boat trip again.

If you choose to stay in an eco-tent, there is a cart with bicycle tires to quietly take your gear to your tent. The boardwalk lights up at night so you can safely find your way to the bathroom. You'll be conscious of the sound the zipper makes when you leave and return to your tent. These are tents and not cabins, so you may hear some neighbors talking or snoring. Even so, it was a welcome change from a sleepless, noisy night at a campground in the Keys.

If you're looking for birds, nearby Eco pond or the waterfront near the bayside campsites offer a nice variety for minimal effort.

No Verizon coverage, but I've been told there is AT&T. Wifi is available at the visitors center.

Flamingo is right inside the national park and is the only center with services available in the park; marina, food and convenience store, rental equipment, boat tours with park naturalist, food truck, and a pricy gas pump for emergencies. 

Once you’re all the way down to Flamingo, you’re 50 miles away from nearest town, so bring everything you need that you wouldn't normally find at a convenience store. 

Nice array of overnight options: tent camping, new canvas eco tents with electricity, camper sites and even 6-person houseboats to rent (next time!).

I found one of the eco tents that had just been converted to off season (April-November), meaning no furniture except a fan and a large lantern. Bedding etc. is all removed for rainy summertime to avoid mold. Also means you pay $50 instead of $99, great deal! Bring air mattress and camp chairs and you’re good!

Loved the experience, with 3 sides of the tent being screens – can be completely opened or covered for privacy. Woke up to a gale blowing in from the water, felt partially like being on safari and partially like staying on a boat.

Things to know:

Try for waterfront tents 3,4 5, 6, 7 or 8. 

No eating or drinking inside the tents - they’re spotless but food remnants would quickly draw bugs in this climate. There are shared tables and fire pits for guests.

Food-wise, the food truck is OK for lunch but next Time I’d pack pre-made dinner and use the store’s microwave to heat it up. Options for anything healthy at the marina store are pretty scant. But... they do have lots of Haagen Dazs flavors for dessert! 

To solve for morning coffee, I’d pack my electric kettle and a french press or pour over next time, & drink it out on the tent deck. Coffee in store not recommended.

And bring your bike, kayak or board, and trail runners. All possible right from the campsite! Luckily I had all 3 :)

Definitely an experience not to miss - and every single person on staff at Flamingo was super friendly and full of great info and tips.

Down at Flamingo, there’s four types of camping: eco tents, tents (A Loop), campers/ RVs (T Loop) and the backcountry chickees. This review is for the ✨eco tents✨.

The eco tents are awesome in general, but more so if you’re new to camping. Some come fully furnished with beds, nightstands, etc, while others are completely unfurnished and you can set up your own gear, so you choose your level of comfort. They also come with electric fans.

It’s incredibly quiet down there and the full moons are outta this world - no pun intended! 😉 Waking up and drinking your coffee on the shore of Florida Bay is a great way to start the day.

But there is no food allowed in the tents whatsoever. Because the walkways to and the platforms of the eco tents are elevated, there’s also no way to cook even near your eco tent. There are fire rings and picnic tables near the parking area, which is also where the bathrooms are. So if you’re someone who wakes often in the middle of the night for “bio breaks”, you might want to keep that walk in mind - or plan for an alternative.

There are bathrooms with running (non potable) water and toilets with real plumbing, but no showers.

I’d definitely recommend the eco tents for a short stay!

Flamingo Campground, Florida Everglades—eco-tent

Pro: The location is superb. Ours was located closest to the water(#6). You don’t get to choose—assigned when you check in. There was a lovely breeze each afternoon and very few mosquitoes. Egrets and Anhingas were in abundance. Our eco-tent was equipped with a queen size bed, pillows, bed linens, blankets, fluffy large bath towels, a fan and bedside lights. The towels were a pleasant surprise because I had specifically asked about towels and was told “no.” The tents are located on boardwalks with embedded lights to the bathroom building (it can be a fair walk from your tent) so you can see your way there at night. There is an electrical outlet box with one spare outlet. We brought a surge protector with additional outlets so we could charge electronics and toothbrushes. Several people we met rented empty eco-tents for $50 (no beds, lights, etc) a night.

Con: a solar panel was broken wide open with water flowing out onto the ground so there was no warm water at all in the showers. The bathrooms are adequate but old and tired—cleaned once daily. Only one shower in the ladies room was working. For the price, a decent bathroom would be anticipated. There is an electrical outlet near the sinks which seemed to be constantly in use by a crockpot. (Despite a sign on the boardwalk saying for eco-tents only, this bathroom and the nearby picnic tables were heavily used by tent campers.) There are two dish washing stations at the bathroom building—faucets were not sealed and so water ran out the sides splashing on the backsplash. There are no water spigots so if you need water, you must use the dish washing faucet (the water is potable but for drinking, you might want to bring in your own as it has a salty taste). Maintenance certainly could be improved.

Eco-tent residents must use tables and fire pits close to the parking lot which are not very close. No food is allowed in the tents. There are no lights around the picnic tables so if you are cooking after dark, be sure you’ve planned for that. Also know that you cannot leave unaccompanied food at the picnic tables or the Anhingas will be feasting with abandon.

The food truck was open at the Marina. It had been closed due to hurricane damage. Because of the long new year’s weekend, the shop had no ice, no firewood and only minimal supplies like snacks and beer—lots of empty shelves and coolers. We received an email just before arriving telling us that there was no ice or wood due to the holiday long weekend so we needed to get them before arriving. We had planned to bring all our food which was a good thing given the lack of items at the store. With a 38 mile drive from the Coe entrance center to the campground and another 45 minutes to Homestead, you don’t want to have to go back to Homestead for supplies!

No internet or phone service (other than AT&T). Was wonderful to escape!!

Have been to Boyd’s a couple of times in the not so distant past and have reservations again in November. Both times stayed ocean side which is really on the water on the back bay. Sites are on the smallish side but when Boyd’s opened it was in the early 60’s when campers were small and the lots were large. Don’t let that scare you off, they make it work. Pool and deck area are well maintained and relaxing. Plenty of tropical trees and plants and warm breeze to remind you this really is paradise. Laundry facilities clean, change machine, on wall, books to thumb through as you wait. Shower houses are ample, water is hot, doors lock. Dumpsters throughout the park. Tent area for rustic camping. Dish washing area should you need it. Boat docks, launch and fish cleaning station. Pet friendly. (Hey, kids, Boyd’s gives away iguanas free of charge to anyone who can catch them. Don’t tell Mom or Dad. Let it be a surprise for when you get home.) Boyd’s is actually on Stork Island which is a stones throw to Key West. Easy and fast check in, friendly staff.

It is an hour drive to the campground but a good road and worth the trip. There are several points of interest along the way but we did not stop to check them out. Check-in with reservations was very quick and easy. Both campgrounds are well maintained. The T-loop showers are cold water only but the A-Loop showers are solar heated and there was hot water on sunny days. We parked in a site without services but potable water is available at nearby restrooms. Our campground was quiet except for a couple of campers running their generator during official quiet hours, but they were not an issue. The beach area is a short walk or bike ride from the campground and is not suitable for swimming, at least by our standards. There are a variety of scheduled and unscheduled activities available. The Ranger Led Programs are excellent—guided canoe trip and mobile museum. The staff are very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. We biked on the paved trail to the marina several times and observed crocodiles, alligators, manatees, osprey, and vultures. Don’t leave food outside unattended because the vultures will visit your site. Supplies and rentals at the concession are bit pricey. Overall we enjoyed our stay and stops at the visitor centers and Nike site.

So much to do. The staff instantly delivers customer service the moment you drive in. They drop your boat in water for you and show you to your spot and help you get hooked up. All the staff was so kind and friendly. The pool was amazing!! It has a chiller on it which is a must in south Florida in the summer. So nice and cool it was easy to hang out in it all day. It was easy to get an Uber ride to Key West and the bus stopped real close. The site was big and plenty of room. The entire place was pet friendly. The only “negative” was the sandy mud. Make sure you have a large outside mat so you don’t track the mud in and you are good.

This is all brand new. And pricy. There is a 2 night minimum and sites start at $160/night (and go up). They had extensive damage from hurricane Irma in 2017 and have rebuilt everything. They have only been reopen 2 years. There is still some construction ongoing. Sites are nice. Most are tucked into the shrubberies so they have privacy. Wide sites with Gravel drives, new style hook-ups for water, electric, wifi and cable tv. Bathrooms and showers are very nice. There is a “resort style” pool, (whatever that means), a private beach (not dog friendly), hot tub, boat dock & marina, a small dog park, and kayak rental and they rent three-wheel bikes for kids to terrorize everyone. They are about 27 miles from Key West. They have a pub with “live music” till 10pm weekends. It was annoying but we found a nice little restaurant at the Geiger Key Marina, and thankfully the “music” stopped about 9:30.