Best Campgrounds near Winter Springs, FL

26 acres, small campground; most sites are relatively close to each other; lots of trees and shade; beautiful water views from several campsites, specially sites 51, 13, 65-69, 169, 170), pool and lots of parks within 30 minutes of Manatee Hammock.  Downside is freight train noise every night in the early morning hours and traffic noise, specially with campsites near the busy US-1.  Also, no fires unless you bring your own fire pit and must be at least 6" off the ground.

I was completely steered wrong listening to a reviewer saying Tropical was the better campsites. They're not bc virtually every one is a pull thru and those are inherently less private. When I biked through the Sand loop I was completely bummed bc they are huge sites with vegetation all around the sites making them awesome for RVs and privacy. The sites are all pretty big in both loops.   

The fact Tropical loop is marginally closer to anything is irrelevant and I didn't hear any noise when I biked through the Sand loop. I'd prefer privacy over marginal noise. 

Now the kayaking. I have my own so I just used the shuttle service which was like $16. I don't think I'd do this run again bc it's honestly too stressful. The current is pretty strong so you can't stop for a second really to grab a drink or take a photo bc you'll end up somewhere you don't want to be and that could be in the marshy grasses where I saw alligators hanging out. Yeah, yeah, ppl say they won't bother you. They don't until they do, just saying. I've paddled Rainbow River and that was lovely, super pleasant - in both directions. It's just the current here is so strong and it's a gosh darn obstacle course so there's no relaxing, it's not 'pleasant'. I leaned to go under one of the 110 (didn't count but seems about right) leaning trunks into the river and tipped my kayak so I had to jump out. I have my own, remember, so it's a lot more narrow than the barges they rent out which tip over a lot less easily. So all my stuff fell out, yay. So scootching down in my seat became the preferable maneuver as opposed to a slight leaning which would surely cause another tipping situation. I wish they would come along and remove all the tree limbs leaning into the river, but also understand that's probably quite an endeavor. 

Camping was fine, I have solar panels which did their job for a few days but I was pretty low on battery when I left. The tree coverage wasn't too extensive but it rained one day and was cloudy so that was part of the reason batteries didn't charge very well. It's interesting to note that this campground charges more for sites than the state campgrounds which actually offer water and electricity. Hmmmm  This struck me as any other campground with just less amenities and the nearest grocery store was a good 14 minutes away so come prepared.

We ended up Camping 1 weekend at this site. I called to make the reservation and reserve a plot.

The rep did give me a gate code and bathroom code. However, I'm not sure if you can "drive" to the campsite. None of the other campers had their cars near, and with the set up of Campsites, it's unclear where you would resononably park.

That being said, the bathrooms were clean and stocked, and while a bit of a distance, not terrible if you didn't wait to use them.

The firepits and grill provided are a bit old and rusted, so expect to use pots and pans and not the provided grill.

Our fire pit was a bit uneven, so we used metal stakes to level it.

We were pretty happy with the privacy, but to be honest, if other campers were present, we questioned how one would leave plot 6 and not walk through campsites 5 and 3.

So thankful for our host he is great as a host ,trys his best but he gets no help from frosest Rangers so good job Ed.hope to see you nest year

If you’ve got one of those incredibly large mobile homes on wheels, then this particular RV location just off of Highway 414 near Hiawassee may just be the perfect spot for you. OK, there were a few tents here, but you could tell this place was really built for the mobile campers in mind. With 28 ample slanted, elongated parking lanes for your parking pleasure, all of the sites come equipped with the typical 30 / 50 amp electrical hook-ups, waste disposal and water connections. The bathrooms and shower facilities are clean and fairly well-maintained.

There’s the standard picnic table, garbage receptacles and even a community BBQ. The hosts are incredibly nice and offer pricing by the night, week and month. Overall, the community is inviting and friendly and there’s at times some planned activities, with most of those featuring horse shows and competitions of some sort, throughout the week (check with the front desk). While there’s not a ton of amenities to pick and choose from, this location does come with grills, park and shelter as well as all the free glimpses of horses being trained. Of course, should you be here with your noble steed, there’s some 22 miles worth of paths to gallup. Near this RV parking lot, you do have access to Lake Apopka.

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) The real draw to this particular campground is the massive equestrian infrastructure that exists as the fulcrum, so if you are camping, this can be a very nice distraction, in case you come here with the principle idea of racing / showing your horses, then this CG is ideal – and less so if you don’t have a horse and don’t want to camp alongside what could be considered a bit of a circus (especially on show days); (2) Should you grow tired of whipping up franks & beans again for supper and you wanna check out some local fare, you’re going to have to drive a bit north to South Apopka where there’s joints like The Nauti Lobstah, Verona Café, Lechonera Latina and Wings-N-Things; (3) In the event that you need to load up on supplies, there’s both a Sam’s Club and Walmart Supercenter due NE of here; and (4) For some really great hiking & biking, of course, there’s the West Orange Trail, but if you are looking for something a bit different and less trodden, then check out Oakland Nature Preserve, which sits south of Lake Apopka.

 Happy Camping!

Great for overnight or visit to the area for a few days. We camped next to camp hosts. Mike & Helen were very nice. The young lady park ranger seemed a bit lacking in knowledge re: disabled veterans/persons. The other camp hosts began blowing sites off on both sides of us while we were packing up. They were loud gas powered leaf blower and she was 10 ft from me. It was blowing dirt and dust all around the site. They were doing the road in front of our site and the site next to us. I asked if they could wait a few minutes until we were done packing up. She shut it off, turned to her husband (who also had a blower) and said "too loud". I said I appreciated it very much, twice. They just walked away w/o responding. I mentioned it to the young lady ranger, and she just said they had to finish their job before a certain time. She didn't seem too concerned about disturbing campers. Roads were dirt and gravel and many sites were very tight. Site 7 was quite undeveloped. Thanks to Anderson levelers we were fine. 30 amp at our site. Lots of road noise, sirens. If all of the camp hosts were as considerate as Mike & Helen, would be nice.

East Toho RV Resort (name changed) was a great quick spot for me to stay overnight before an early morning meeting. I was able to check in late easily via a lock box and found a great campsite close to clean bathroom/shower facilities. While it was late and dark, the resort seemed very nice and affordable. I will would definitely be back!

This is a great location to get away from everything, without going far. It has nice, spread out spots, and plenty of activities if you are outdoorsy.

We stayed in one of the mobile homes. It was not glamorous but was plenty adequate for our needs.

Great camp site with just what you needed. It’s close to a power plant and railroad so you hear a lot of noise at night but was perfect for a one nighter

Cabin 5 stars- Immaculately clean with comfortable furniture, bright spacious living room, t.v. in living room and bedroom, bathroom and bedroom a little tight but adequate, tub/shower combo, loft area easily accessible with stairs, no porch-but paved driveway, picnic table and grill, linens provided but towels and pillows were on the thin side *Campground 5 stars- Family friendly atmosphere, clean, quiet, sunny, well maintained landscaping *Amenities 5 stars- Clean and spacious rec center with lots of scheduled activities for adults and children-Bingo, hot food/snacks available for purchase Outdoor amenities (pool, putt-putt, shuffle board, pickle ball, playground, etc.) looked nice but we didn’t utilize them on this visit *Staff 5 stars- Efficient and very responsive

An overnight stay with 25ft RV for 94$ including taxes for a partial hook up. Lovely lady at reception helped us book over the phone few hours before our arrival but you can also drive up after the office closes, park in the overflow area & register/pay the next day. Very clean communal toilet/showers if slightly dated. Nice heated pool… took a dip on a cold day. Very good wifi signal.

We booked last minute in January for an overnight stay with a 25ft RV. They were able to accommodate us. Majority of guests are here for long term. They all made us newbies feel very welcome. Paid 55$ for full hook-up. Poor wifi reception.

Too bad I can not leave ZERO stars. Gave a month notice to pull my boat out for good. They lost it and tried to charge me another month. Then after pulling my boat I see another$60 charge for fuel I NEVER asked for. When I complained to a lady on the phone some man eavesdropping on the phone breaks in and says"I'm glad you pulled your boat out". AVOID THIS PLACE!!!

Overall it’s not a bad campground but I have no plans to ever return.

The good: clean bathrooms with running, hot water; wild Florida flora; starry night skies. The spring run is one of my favorites. It’s difficult and technical and challenging and I just love it.

The bad: the worst part of my experience was other campers being loud after quiet hours and the camp host doing nothing about it. While most people kept it down after 10 (as stated in the rules) one group of partiers was up til 3am, blasting music and hootin’ and hollerin’. I know the park can’t control individual’s behavior but, again, the camp host was on site and did nothing about it. I talked to other campers the next day who all lamented at their lack of sleep because of this one group. It was so bad we only stayed one night. We left the next day after kayaking the run because our home in the city is quieter.

Also, there’s a general lack of information available for visitors. There are no maps available, for the campground or the run. I had to take a picture of an employee’s personal map of the grounds which ended up being inaccurate because it listed a shower facility that doesn’t actually exist. I asked the staff at the spring run for a map and they didn’t have one I could look at. I asked “how do I know I’m at the end of the run for pickup?” She said “it’s right after the bridge.” Which was true, but it’s not labeled in any kind of way so if I hadn’t asked, I would’ve just kept on paddling forever. Their website has limited information and the confirmation email I got after booking had incorrect information. It said to call if I’d arrive after hours starting in November, so I did, and was told that policy wasn’t in effect for a few weeks. None of these things are a big deal on their own but when they’re all together it becomes a pattern.