Best Cabin Camping near Venice, FL

One of the better maintained KOA campgrounds. Staff really cares and willing to do whatever it takes to help you have a great stay. There is even a hot tub! Grocery store nearby, which is really convenient. Good cell service and ok wifi. Have to drive to beach but so worth it! Super beaches and amazing water.

Even though its a bit close to the highway, the park is well laid out and full level hookup sites. There is pleanty to do and see. From a stroll alone the Peace river to swimming or hot tubbing. There is an area towards the rear of the campground that host electric and water hookup with a dump station within 50 yards of the area, reason for this area not to have sewer is its prone to flooding during the rainy season. But if its in the winter, its level and far more quiet then the upper areas. All in all, a nice campground!

We stopped here twice—01/04-01/09 and 01/16-01/20—on our way to and from Everglades NP. A nice campground in south-central Florida. Campsites are close together but enough room to park trailer and tow vehicle. Most sites have some shade trees. Beware of low grassy areas after a rain. Enjoyed all the amenities including the heated pool and hot tub. Very well maintained shuffleboard lanes. Several trails for walking or bike riding. Sifted through the sand and gravel on the bank of the Peace River to find sharks teeth. They are easy to find without any special equipment, but the park does rent/loan equipment if you want to get serious. We will bring our kayaks next time. Two criticisms: 1) only two small restroom/shower facilities and they were not always stocked with toilet paper or paper towels; and 2) the two dump sites are located along busy park roads with no pullover area causing traffic flow issues. There several parks with hiking trails nearby. We plan to visit again.

This was our first visit to Oscar Scherer State Park, why I’m not sure as we only live a few miles away. I literally drive by it whenever I go to the grocery store or ride my bike on the Legacy Trail. I’ve boated past on the Intercoastal Waterway, paddled past on South Creek and flown over in an airplane countless times. 

I guess being Sarasota residents I felt I already knew everything about it. I WAS WAY WRONG. This is a fantastic Florida State Park. I can understand now why it is so popular. The facilities are very good considering how many people visit. And it’s not too polished that it doesn’t have that camping or state park vibe. No Disney here. 

The campground is very large even for State Park Standards, over 100 sites. Many are along South Creek with water views although they are no pet sites as maybe there are gator issues. 

We camped in site#69, the last pet site before the restricted sites along the creek#70- 90. The sites are quite large and private as the campground is mature with lots of native Florida foliage. We didn’t see any evidence of Raccoons or other campground mooches. 

Lots of hiking in this park, if you cycle the Legacy Trail built on an old railway doesn’t offer much contour as it is pretty much a strait shot but runs from Sarasota to Venice and from Venice you can take the Venetian Waterway even further. Soon the Legacy Trail will go all the way to downtown Sarasota. 

Finally the best part for visitors to the Sarasota area. You will probably not find a State Park as close to the US#1 Rated Beach Siesta Key, just a few miles or Sarasota and all her arts and culture(15 minutes) including The Ringling Museum, Van Wezel Performing Arts Center, St. Armands Circle, Lido Beach, award-winning restaurants, tiki bars, dinner cruises, and more. 

In fact as I write this the US Olympic Rowing Trials are going on at Benderson Park about 15 minutes away, next door to the Apple Store. This is no joke the premier rowing facility in the world. And did I mention if you forgot anything there is a Publix about 1/2 mile front the front gate of the park? 

OF NOTE: Of all the state parks we have visited, this had the most unfriendly group of campers we have ever encountered. Surly in fact. It was difficult to extract a return greeting of any type. 

Perhaps it’s because this isn’t your normal group of happy wanderers, and those who truly enjoy the outdoors. More like COVID refugees or visitors doing“Florida on the Cheep” who have the time and resources to escape those areas of lockdown. 

Our first clue was the amount of “resort wear” being donned in lieu of the normal camping duds and the overall lack of activity inside the park for the amount of campsites during the day. Well the park is smack in the middle of a major resort destination and it is high season. This all left the park less crowded for us. 

Whatever the reason I hope the park guests can find some joy after all in the blessings that nature gives us no matter what the situation. Life is short. As the late, great Warren Zevon once said“enjoy every sandwich”.

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.

We stayed in site # 98 which was very private, we had water & electric, picnic table & fire pit. Clean restrooms, a nature center, kayak launch & kayak rentals, a small lake you can swim in and some hiking trails. There are some really nice sites #19, 17 near the lake, in our loop #86 is the biggest but you have to have 2 water hoses to reach the hook up (they just updated some things in the park they may have corrected this but not sure). There is water behind the site you can fish back there. Sites #44, 45, 50, 75, and 73 are all good. 

We kayaked, swam in the lake, went to Nokomas Beach & Venice beach, Venice Rookery, it's a nice area to visit. 

We did have some interesting neighbors who got thrown out after 6 hours of honking their horn & yelling crazy stuff but they escorted them out & they are not allowed back in. 

Restrooms near us were small but very clean.We will go back it's a great campground.

   Let me start by saying that I live very close to Myakka River Sate Park and it has been a place that four generations of my family have been enjoying for over 40 years. It is very large for a state park. You can spends days hiking the trails and paddling the river and lakes. The wildlife is everywhere! What would you like to see? Deer, wild hogs, alligators, birds of all kinds? You will probably see these and more at just about any time of year.

   There is a nice interpretive center, picnic grounds, boat tours, canoe and kayak rentals, and a tram tour through the park. Don't miss the canopy walk. It's a great way to see a part of the park's ecosystem that we normally only see from below. You also get a great view of the park in all directions from the top of the tower. Florida is flat and views like these are hard to come by. There is also a restaurant and store where you can get pretty good food with a view of the lake. My wife wants to make sure you know you can also get ice cream at the restaurant. 

    There are three camping areas for tents and RVs. The two older areas are called Big Flats and Old Prairie. The sites in these areas are close to each other and there is little or no under story between them. There is water and electric at each site with clean but older bathroom facilities. Both of the campgrounds are also close to the main road with some sites backing up to the road. There is a convenient dump station inside the park but no sewer hookups in these two campgrounds.

  The third and newest campground is called Palmetto Ridge. This one was obviously built primarily for large RVs with water, electric and sewer connections at every site. The bathroom facilities are more up to date and very nice. They are also not used as much by the campers because this area is mostly filled with huge motor coaches and fifth wheels that all have their own facilities and do not need to worry about their holding tanks because they have full hookups. The sites are pretty roomy and there is plenty of under story in between to keep you from feeling like you are right on top of your neighbors. There are quite a few pull trough sites in this area. They are improved gravel sites and most are very level. The sewer hookups are a little higher than you would expect. It will take some supports to keep a positive flow. If you know how much it rains here in the Summertime you will know why these must be kept above the flood stage level.

   A note about rain: Florida gets a lot of rain in the Summertime. It is not uncommon to get multiple inches of rain in a very short time and this can happen almost any day between June and the end of September. The river and lake do flood and large parts of the park are in their flood plain. the Big Flats campground can be shut down because it is the closest to the lake. This is not a reason to avoid Myakka in the Summertime. We have camped there in June and August and if you find someplace cool to hangout during the day you will be rewarded with very pleasant walks and paddles with lots of wildlife to see in the mornings and evenings. Pro tip: If you are staying in the park, get up really early to see the sunrise from the top of the canopy walk.

    There are two other ways to spend the night in Myakka River State Park. There are cabins available to rent and primitive camp sites in the hiking areas. The cabins have recently been rebuilt and I must admit I have not seen the new ones. We did stay in the original cabins before we got our RV and they were very nice for a family getaway. With a kitchen, bathroom and air conditioning they are a very comfortable way to spend some time in the park. The original cabins were built with palm logs by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps). The CCC was a program to create jobs and improve public facilities during and after the Great Depression. Some of that construction can still be seen at one of the picnic areas in the park. There is also a monument to the CCC inside the park. Backpackers can spend a few days hiking the trails and camping at the primitive sites. Haven't done that myself since I was a kid back in the 70s but they were great trips. No noise or light pollution. On a cool, clear night the star gazing in fantastic. My wife wants me to make sure you know that she won't be at the primitive campsites but hopes you enjoy yourself and not to forget about the ice cream.

   For native Sarasotans, Myakka River State Park is a beloved point of pride. Most people never leave the beach when they come here for a visit and miss what the rest of Florida looks like. It is well worth your time to spend a few nights away from the beach and see what else makes this such a special place. This is a very popular spot and the campsites and cabins book up early especially for the Winter months. Reservations can be made 11 months in advance on the reserve America website.

Hidden cabins, hiking, off-road biking, boating, wildlife...so much beauty and activities to enjoy in this park! The cabins are off the main path, tucked away and private. They are super roomy and comfortable with their own picnic tables and grills. You can launch canoes/kayaks or book a trip on the boats in the park. If you like off-road biking there are several nice trails. Really family-friendly!

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...

One of the largest state parks in Florida. This great Park has full and partial hook ups for all styles of camping to include hammock camping. There are 6 primitive campgrounds; group camping and Cabins too! We stayed at the Palmetto Ridge campground which were gravel and had the full hook ups. The old prairie and big flats were regular ground surface electric/water (no sewer) . These also had a little less privacy. You will have 39 miles of hiking trails and off road/mountain biking at your pleasure. We bike with hybrid specialized bikes and had no problems off road. We were here in July. Fortunately, there is lots of shade even while hiking due to the canopy trees and this kept things cooler during in the summer. We did not have a problem with biting bugs until nightfall. You will enjoy biking the 7 miles of paved (flat) roads in Park. There are Rivers and lakes for kayaking/canoe and we enjoyed the fishing and paddling. Great gift shop and cafe area near boat launch on lake. There is even a flat bottom boat tour on the Upper Myakka lake. The visitor center offers a lot of rentals too... from kayaks to tandem bikes. (For the die hard road bikers it is only 12.5 miles to Legacy Rail to trail). We had a blast and our video goes into more detail about the park. Be sure to visit the nearby Crowley Nature Center less than 5 miles away. (Crowley nature center is a separate video located on our YouTube channel and website)

If you live on the Gulf Coast of Florida and don’t want to travel too far, or are just traveling through the area, this campground is a nice stopover. It’s quiet and offers some nice hiking and biking trails. But after spending 3 nights camping at Oscar Scherer State Park, we come away with a mixed opinion.

These campsites are small. In fact, they are the smallest we’ve encountered in a Florida state park so far. We had just enough room for our popup camper which is approximately 20 x 10 feet plus another 10 x 8 feet with the awning extended. Some are wider but the only sites that seem longer are the pull-in sites in Section 5 which is closed.

Keys to Choosing to your Campsite at Oscar Scherer

Given that only sections, 1 through 3 are available currently, you may see that the Reserve America reservations page will show a water icon on some campsites that appear to be along the creek. But you will not see the creek from your campsite. The vegetation in the park is quite dense and certainly so in the campsites in sections 1– 3. The shade is always important when camping in Florida, especially in the summer. The description on the Reserve America website regarding shade isn’t accurate. Our site,#2, was described as ‘full shade’. Not so, I’m afraid. From about 10 am to 4 pm we baked in the Florida sun. However, our friends had site#3 next door and had shade though out the day. Even though that site enters from the east, as do all sites along the creek, they had trees the canopied over the entrance and eastern side of the site. However, sites 22– 28 do have a lot of shade and are located on the opposite side of the campground from South Creek. If we were to go back, we would stay on that side of the Oscar Scherer Park.

Be Prepared for Bugs
Oscar Scherer State Park camping requires being prepared for bugs. Perhaps due to the amount of lush vegetation all over this park, and the proximity to the South Creek, there were more bugs than we experienced at other Florida state parks. Even though we take precautions including a very effective bug spray we came home with a lot of bug bites. So, bring your best bug spray and citronella candles. They are especially a problem in the morning until the sun comes up over the trees.

To read our full review visit https://lifestyleover50.com/oscar-scherer-state-park-camping-review/

Family owned and operated and everyone is so fantastic and accommodating! Beautiful scenery and trails. Canoe and kayak outpost. The Outpost peacock named Elvis hung around with us! Dog park for my pup was fantastic and well maintained. We decided to extend our stay after our first day bc it was so wonderful! Hot showers, clean bathrooms, Wi-Fi, and you can also rent cabins, RV’s, buses etc. We will def be back.

Stayed here for a week in May - quiet, pretty campground with friendly staff, a petting zoo and vegetable farm on property. We enjoyed the produce market, but you could also go in the fields and pick your own. Camper sites had enough room between them, the electric/water sites had good tree cover for shade. There were cabins, a silo, and covered wagons you could also stay in. There's a big dog park, but not much shade there. There's a winery just 1 mile away. The Sarasota beaches and mangrove kayaking are an easy 45 minute drive away. The only thing I wished they had was a pool... Overall, we had a nice time here.

We were almost turned off by the bad reviews and then when we pulled into our site, the mobile home next door was vacant and gave a little creepy feeling to it. The site was on Raccoon Ln and our RV fit right into the spot. All of that changed after spending our first night and staying a month. First of all the location, if you like to kayak, this is the place for you. Right on the river. Very nice. It is close to Venice beach(less than 10 miles) and the town of Venice which is a awesome little town. The people- including staff are awesome. Some of the nicest people. The vibe is very laid back. The pool is amazing. There are lots to do here in this community and they have events and social gatherings. It is close to Spring training camp for the Braves. So I can see why some people have negatives- if you have big million dollar class A, you might not like being among the permanent mobile homes. We came when it was dry, there could be a problem if there was a lot of rain due to the RV sitting on grass. The biggest problem we saw was the traffic on Rt 777 can be pretty crazy at certain times of the day. But for us, overall this has been great. We camped at Ramblers Rest RV Campground in a Motorhome

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.

What isn't there to do at Myakka River SP. First of all, this place is huge. I think it took me about 10 minutes to drive from one end to the other, but it is full of wonderful things to do along the way. There are two entrances to the park because it is so large, but one entrance is not always open, so its important to check that online before heading over. The main entrance has a nice Welcome Center right at the front with a small store shop. There are three different loops to camp in, one is specific to tent camping and is not open year round called Big Flats Campground. Its further back in the park and surrounded by beautiful trees. The other two are tent/RV, one being very shady called Old Prairie and the other having drive through sites called Palmetto Ridge which does not have many trees for shade. There are also cabins and these are remodeled versions of the original cabins that were built back when the park first opened in the 30s.

The activities on site vary. because the park is so large, its great for long morning jogs and bike rides. The view is beautiful only the Myakka river and your bound to run into wildlife (i saw deer, gators, hogs and so many different birds)! There are also 39 miles worth of hiking trails, which all vary in distance. Some even have primitive campsites for those that enjoy backpacking. Along one of the hiking trails, is an observation desk with a canopy walkway. The tower soars 76 feet high so you have a great view of the park! There is also a pretty bird watching area for those that enjoying this activity. Even if you don't the view is amazing and a great place to sit and watch for wildlife.

The last part of the park I want to touch on is the Pink Gator restaurant/gift shop. I think it is one of the largest shops I have ever been in. The food at the cafe was wonderful! I had the chicken salad (way too good!). And they have a small Edys IceCream Parlor. This part of the park also allows access to the river, where you can canoe/kayak or what ever water sport you are into. The one thing that stood out to me is the Airboat ride. This boat hold about 30 people and takes you out on the the lake for a tour. I don't think I have ever seen an air boat that large.

The facilities were all very well taken care of as well and I cannot think of one complaint! I definitely recommend visiting this park.

It is located between Nokomis and Osprey, an urbanized area of Sarasota county, however when you enter the park, it feels like you are miles from civilization. The Legacy trail runs through the park. There is also kayak and canoe rentals.

Lot of critters, park rangers nice and helpful sites not on top of each other, no laundry on site no rentals d/t decreased staff. Friendly place. Ants will eat you alive at sites

Very pleasant , Nice shade trees . The tree canopy walk bridge is great and trails are clean. Great place to bicycle. Nice souvenir shop with small fast food shop. Giant air boat ride and canoe rentals . Gators to be seen in the river. Enjoyed the park.

Myakka is not far from home and a great spot to visit for overnight trips or day trips!  There are bike rentals I have taken advantage of, plenty of walking trails, and you can rent airboats.

General store on-site as well.  Walk to primitive camp sites.