Best Glamping near Vernon, FL

We had an awesome time at Camping on the Gulf (Camp Gulf). My husband and I took our 4 kids and they loved it there. They can’t stop talking about it and are ready to go back. The campground is right on the Gulf of Mexico with some sites right on the sand. We were in a pull through and it was a bit tight and small, but really that was my only complaint with the campground. The sites in the back of the park were roomier and had some shade, which I think made up for them not being as close to the ocean. The bath houses were awesome! They had individual bathrooms with a toilet, sink and fully tiled shower with glass enclosure. These were by far the best bathhouses I have ever seen. There is a large laundry in the middle of the campground and it was very clean with a huge table for folding clothes on and large rolling carts to put your laundry in when you take them out of the washer or dryer. There were also 2 pools, one of which was heated. This was great because it was still pretty cold at the beginning of April. There is a large water slide beside the main pool. They also had lots of activities for the kids. My kids made lots of friends and really hated to have to leave. In addition to campsites they also have glamping tents which looked really neat and cabins/tiny houses for rent. Additionally they offered golf cart rentals and had a food truck located inside that park. We ordered nachos from it one night and they were great.

These are the nicest beaches on the Emerald Coast! The campsites are nicest on the very back loop but you need to reserve at 11 months out! Summer months are very hot and humid- we enjoy October and Early spring the most. The trolley will take you to the beach, runs every 30 minutes or you can bike or walk. The bath houses are very clean and air conditioned if you visit in hot months. The walking trails are great or if you prefer biking you can ride for miles and miles along the coast. There are some in campground but I suggest leaving campground for long rides. You have access to close by grocery stores- Walmart- Publix. We go every year and love this park. It’s got everything if you love the beach!

Topsail Hill Preserve State Park is one of our top 5 parks we like to frequent. We were able to watch for reservations online and scored a site for ten days in late November. The sites are paved and level with full hookups (50amp electrical service, water and sewer). A paradise for those with large rigs. There’s foliage between each site providing adequate privacy from your neighbors. This is a great campground for walking/biking as many neighbors have their favorite decorations out. All sites are marked clearly with excellent lit signage throughout the park to provide directions. There are spherical lamp posts scattered every few sites to provide ambient lighting. The staff is informative and humorous at times. There were weekly nature series led by park rangers. Restrooms and laundry facilities were immaculate. There’s even a butterfly garden with a bench nearby the laundry house. Minimal highway noise can be heard from the sites. The most prominent sounds are those from the Air Force base nearby. Be sure to bring a bike to explore the park and access the freshwater coastal lakes. It is a long walk to the beach. We opted for the complimentary tram. During your visit be sure to stop by the Donut Shop about 5 minutes from the park, an excellent location for breakfast. Be sure to be there at opening as it can become quite crowded.

Small, well maintained park and sites, with 30/50 amp and water hook ups. A pleasant surprise when we arrived, after miles of rural driving! GPS took us the correct way, but seemed we were lost! Staff greeted us at entrance, gave us a map and explained how to get to our site. It was raining, and our site was back-in and downhill, mostly level with gravel, a picnic table, has a fire-ring with grill grate. Bathhouse is clean and impressed how the trash area and dump station were placed away from campers. The dock/pier, and boat ramp, are at the back part of the campground, The amenities are nice and there is outdoor cleaning sink behind the bathhouse, sitting area overlooking the river, the fish cleaning station, fire pit area, trails, and canoe/kayak drying area. 3 concrete sites, as well as tent sites. Lots of spacing between most of the sites, some are waterfront. Wildlife is plentiful and the trails are a great way to enjoy it all! We will come back! And it’s only $20 a night!

PROS

 Entire site pea gravel 

Moveable wooden and metal picnic table 

Stainless steel pedestal BBQ grill 

Metal fire pit with cooking grate 

Quiet 

No street lights 

Bathhouse has motion activated lighting 

Security gate closed at dusk and requires code to enter 

CONS 

No senior or veteran discount

$6.70 fee to make on-line reservations 

Site 131 unlevel 

Sites are pretty crammed together 

Electric utility pole at each site had a light that burned all night long 

Impossible to use the one washer and one dryer at each bathhouse, even at 530am!   Ended up going to Front Beach Coin Laundry as it was the cleanest laundry we could find close to SP

No park WiFi

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We called ahead to reserve tent sites and ensure they had electric and water on every site. Upon arrival, we were told all sites to the right edge (water side) and right of the road were tent sites. However, the first half of this row has electric for rv’s only. Moving down the row, the sites had no electric or water hookups. The last sites were in complete sun and next to a boat ramp. All the sites had trash on the ground and none had picnic tables. The showers were just curtained off from the bathroom with no privacy, hook or bench. The staff was unwilling to help and we left without staying.

Campground Review:

If you are ever in the Florida Panhandle, you have to stop at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park. I have been coming here for years as a visitor and the past four volunteering in the campground because I love it so much. The campground used to be a private RV park so there are lots of amenities with really nice campsites but once you leave the campground there are over 1,600 acres to explore and 3.2 miles of pristine white sandy beaches to walk on. The park is divided into three sections: the RV park, a 22-site tent-only section, and 32 one and two-bedroom bungalows and cabins for rent.

There are 156 RV sites that are level and a mix of paved and crushed gravel with full hook-up and cable television (75+ channels). Park roads are paved and easy to navigate in any size RV. There are plenty of tall trees for shade and bushes that provide privacy. There are no fire pits but you are allowed to have a fire if you bring your own pit. The fair majority of sites are back-in but there are a handful of pull-thru sites and all are level. The water sewer and electric hook-ups are all well-placed at the site and there is a light at the end of each driveway. There are 22 tent sites with an elevated gravel tent pad, fire ring, water spigot, and 110 electric hook-ups. Most of the tents are set under tall pine trees while a few are more in the open and are sunny. A concessionaire offers “glamping tents” with beds, lamps, carpet, chairs and outdoor furniture. There are also one and two-bedroom cabins that can be rented year-round.

Within the park is a free wifi hotspot, a non-heated swimming pool, beach access with tram service, club house, camp store, bike/kayak/canoe rental, laundry, amphitheater, shuffle board, and a host of park activities and ranger-led tours. The restroom and laundry facilities (which are only $1.50 per wash/dry) are clean and seemed adequate to handle the crowds. The campground is located ¾ mile from the beach which is accessible via a walking/biking trail or a tram operated by the park. During the winter months the tram runs every two hours, but during peak season it runs once an hour. Once you are on the beach you have miles and miles of unspoiled white sand and blue water to enjoy. There are also numerous ponds and coastal dune lakes scattered throughout the campground for the fishing enthusiasts. The coastal dune lakes are a globally rare ecosystem occurring in only a handful of places around the world and definitely worth exploring (which you can do with watercraft rental).

Nearby are thousands of acres managed by the state forestry department which have miles and miles of hiking trails. The park is located within a mile of a Walmart (with food), gas station, Subway and other restaurants. Within 5 miles are tons of shopping opportunities, movie theater, restaurants, grocery, etc.

What we really liked about this campground are the level, paved, full-hookup sites and the fact that it is in a state park so you have access to miles of hiking/biking and a gorgeous beach. The beach here is the most beautiful in Florida and can be completely empty in the winter. The not-so-good things about this park are the cost and how crowded it can be in the peak season. During peak season this park is very busy and you have to book very early. The cost is $42/night (unless you are a Florida senior resident and then it is half price) which is high for state parks . . . but compared to other private parks in the area that is reasonable.

Product Review:

As a Ranger for TheDyrt I occasionally get outdoor products to test and on this trip I was able to test a High Hopes Hammock. I was pretty excited to receive a hammock because I am one of the few people I know that does not own a hammock putting me a little behind the times. One cool feature of this company is that for every hammock purchased, they donate either a hammock, various survival supplies or money to organizations helping the homeless, impoverished countries or those affected by natural disasters.

High Hopes offers many different colors of hammocks many of which are bright and fun and the large selection made it hard for me to choose because I like so many of them. The hammock is lightweight at just 1 ½ pounds and tucks nicely into a pouch attached to the side of the hammock. The hammock fit perfectly into my small day pack so I took it with me on a long hike and set it up when I wanted a break. I chose the hammock and strap bundle which is $10 more than just a hammock but definitely worth it (bringing the total without tax to $59.99). The straps are 9 ½ feet long with 15 loop holes so you can make this fit in a lot of different locations where trees may be pretty far apart. The hammock is large at 9 ½ feet long and 6 ½ feet wide and easily fits two people or you and your furry friend. The capacity is a whopping 400 pounds so it is good that the tree straps and steel carabiners are heavy duty. The setup is super easy as you just wrap the straps around a tree or other supportive post and clip the carabiner into the loops on the strap. Then, in you go. Once inside you can use the attached Velcro to close the hammock so you feel like you are in a cocoon. This is also a nice feature if you want privacy. The Velcro closure may help keep some pesky insects out but not all as there are only three Velcro patches which leaves gaps.

Click here for my video review.

The downside of this company is their customer service. I was on a “live chat” with them and when I asked about a mix up with an order they went totally silent and I never got another response. I tried emails and those went unanswered. They offer various promotions online and discounts if you sign up for their email list. They were advertising free two-day shipping on orders over $50 which is great but keep in mind there is processing time which in my case was about five days.

In addition to hammocks they sell clothing, accessories and hats. There are a lot of hammocks of this type on the market but High Hopes sets themselves apart from the competition because of their involvement helping those less fortunate. Since I haven’t owned another hammock, I can’t attest to quality differences but this one seems to hold up well so far.