Best Campgrounds near Arcadia, FL

My experience was great with my pup! Primitive sites were $20 a night at time of writing.

We stayed in a primitive site(p14) with water. I was excited to discover all these primitive wites with water are right on the lake.

There’s no alcohol allowed which is a double edged sword, but I welcomed this rule as there always seems to be groups partying at public campsites. Not here.

Bathrooms are typical campsite bathroom. They have showers too for campers.

It’s a dirt road campsite, but they have water trucks that spray a few times a day to keep the dust down. So thankful for that!

RV pull sites and promote. campsites are far enough away from each other.

Nearest major grocery store is wal-mart about 15 minutes away.

Only iffy thing I’d call out is how tight the primitive campsites are to each other. It was dead when I came, but had my neighboring sites been occupied, I wouldn’t have enjoyed my time as much.

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.

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.

We were delighted to find somewhere to camp right in Sarasota. This is on private property, the landscaping is such that most of the camp sites are positioned so there is foliage or trees that offer a quaint sense of privacy. The are also birds that offer pleasant song, a curious raccoon, various birds or cranes, and a small alligator that lives in the lake (not to be feared). The days we were there, the camp was still being fixed up from hurricane damage. As it sits it’s a bit of a diamond in the rough, but the vision is there and I look forward to coming back and seeing all the final touches. The hospitality is stellar! Also, best campground bathroom, and free laundry facility which was greatly appreciated.

We went for a day trip with my husband to see the area for the future ideas and to meet the family. It was mid-March 2025, when a famous annual auto racing event spiked the hotel prices to $400-600 per night, with $200 rooms either inferior or sold out. But your campers can be parked minutes away, with all the hook ups, at around $600 per month ( not per night :)), and at about $60 per night. 

The Joy Bamboo farm has three hook up spaces for your campers, a solid spacious "dirt road" ( very clean actually :)) leading there. You can connect your camper to water, sewage, and electricity, of course. The owners visit the site often, maintain it well, and park their own (permanent) campers there, and can advise you on the perks of the area. 

The farm delivers its promise of the most pristine fresh air while walking through the acres of bamboo plants: my breathing issues were gone during the visit and stayed away the following day as well. 

At night the air on the farm got mysteriously fragrant with flowers, though the main greens growing are bamboo and several cool fruit trees. You can chill outside at a picnic table near the bamboo, the weather mid-March (our visit of this review) is ideal, but other months are reported to be very Floridian as well. 

The quiet soft rustling of Asper bamboo on the farm is an "ear bath", cleansing for the mind, the peacefulness is serene. Just strolling through rejuvenates, the dry husk under your feet serving as mulch, the tall plants shading your head.  

The bamboo is grown for a commercial use, but the inner bushes are not sprayed, ask the owner how to get a few leaves for bamboo tea :)

Such farm is exactly what puts the goodness in the concept of "eco": it is frugal, with the luxury feelings coming from the surrounding nature. 

Multiple beautiful giant lakes nearby, one is a few minutes drive away, with swimming, fishing, pristine waters, flocks of ibises, and beach conveniences (bathrooms, equipped playground, covered patio tables and benches, mature plants give shade, a huge library, and so on). There is a shallow part where the children can play in water. Boats are offered for sale and for rent throughout the region. 

A large plaza at the center of Sebring is also a few min drive away. Try their Peru Fresh place (at the City Circle) ceviche for lunch, check out Faded (a charming restorant nested in a lush exotic garden) for a special dining experience at night. 

It is wonderful hiking the trails in the pristine parks, also a few min drive away. 

If you want to make a base in the area and explore with longer drives, Miami is 3 hours away. Also a comparable drive to Orlando Universal, to Legoland, and so on. We actually drove from Miami, there is a contrasting feel of the giant metropolitan area of Greater Miami and the tranquil Sebring spot :)

Overall, we loved it