Best Glamping near Fargo, GA

I imagine that Suwannee Music Park Campground was borne out of the wonderful brainchild idea of someone who was fortunate enough to attend the original Woodstock back in ’69 and after leaving the upstate NY experience, woke up 3,000 miles away here on the shores of the Suwannee and said to themselves,“hey, why not try to create that experience here in NW Florida?!” And thus, this nature-embracing outdoor musical playground was given birth.

Let’s begin with the sheer size of this place: with 800+ acres and over 600 campsites to choose from, this thickly wooded sprawling campground expanse is massive. And when it comes to the camping itself, no matter what type you might be thinking of - from RV and 5th Wheelers to those towing Horse Trailers and, Primitive Camping and Treehouses as well as Cabins for lease, every type of outdoor camping is offered here.

The major attraction here, apart from the live music performances that get booked very frequently in this camping outpost, is the direct access you’ll have to the historic Cypress tree-lined Suwannee River, which is nothing short of fantastic if you enjoy paddling a kayak or canoe. If you are looking for something just as active but different, there’s a dedicated disc golf course as well as endless miles of trails, perfect for hiking and biking.

Other amenities include: horse stables, children’s playground, covered pavilions, a bird sanctuary, chapel, small lake with fishing dock (catch & release only), bat house (apparently the largest in the US), tree house, craft village, boat launch, barn museum, drum circle, horse wash / manure disposal, arcade game room with pinball machine, live music pavilions, shelters, potable water stations, karaoke, riverside beach, viewable bee hives, golf cart rental, designated dump stations, WiFi, on-site cafe and general store (firewood, ice, beer, T-shirts, hats and caps), bar and music hall, pickin’ shed, geocaching, rock waterfall, first aid stations, swimming pool (that also serves up ice cream and pizza poolside), multiple music stages, restrooms and shower facilities and Suwannee River dock. For the RV crowd, Suwanee Music Park offers 20 / 30 / 50 amp electric, water and sewage hook-ups.

Insider’s tips? Here’s a handful: (1) Despite being pretty far removed from civilization for those really wanting to embrace a nice chunk of untouched nature, I have to admit this place was overwhelmed with golf carts when we visited, which really takes away from the ambiance of being out in nature in the first place IMHO. Many times this place felt more like the Villages (the world's largest and most well-heeled retirement community located south of here in central Florida) than a remote camping outpost; (2) Should you need anything, the town of Live Oak is just a 20 minute drive south of here wherein you’ll find just about everything you are looking for, including a Busy Bee for excellent bathrooms, showers and laundry facilities, Walmart Supercenter and Publix for groceries as well as just OK restaurants like Beef ‘O’ Brady’s, Zaxby’s and a Waffle House, but for actual really good food, keep on heading south to the center of town where you’ll find Big Wood BBQ & Grill, The 406 or Brown Lantern; (3) If you were fascinated by the drama, murder and mayhem on the Netflix series Tiger King, then head south of Live Oak to Mystic Jungle where you can see all of their amazing wild cats that normally you would only be able to see while on safari; (4) For my primitive tent pitching bredren, of all the amazing places to consider here, I would strongly recommend those primitive camping spots that are either located near the Bat House over just north and west of Farm Field or the primitive camping sites just east of Spirit Lake; (5) Only downsides include: very overcrowded in some places, lots of bugs (so be sure to bring the Citronella!), uneven land to pitch a tent in the primitive camping area, RV sites are pretty close to one another, WiFi is intermittent and weak in many places, ‘golf carts gone wild’ scenarios, lots of restrictions and rules (destroys that Woodstock vibe I thought we would find here), dated bathrooms will take you back to the 1970s; (6) Upsides include: incredibly friendly staff, very close to Highway 10 making this spot very easy and quick to access, incredibly well-stocked general store; and (7) For best bat viewing, come at dusk to watch them leave by the tens of thousands turning the sky dark, and then come before dawn to watch them all return while sipping your Americano in a lawn chair.

Happy Camping!

Arrived here for a three-night tent stay in early October after staying at the George L. Smith State Park in Georgia. This place has soo much potential. It was quite deserted. Switched from spot 324 to 375 next to the lake where it was more level. What's up with the restrooms though? There are a couple of spots where port-a-potties have been set up. They are ventilated and well lit, but they have no water though they have what are supposed to be running toilets and even sinks. There's a raised platform with shower stalls, but there's no running water?

The place is otherwise very beautiful and peaceful, but that is also because it's absolutely empty. Haven't seen any other tents here, just a couple of small campers in this section. One the other side of the lake there were about 12 big rigs, far from here. This place is enormous. Lots of bugs. Never seen these many flies in all 13 camps visited in Florida, Georgia, or South Carolina so far.

Very well stocked Country Store within the park, and Walmart is five miles away.

One of 5 river camps along the Suwanee River and the 2nd camp from White Springs. This system of river camps currently is first come first served with no fee - but that could change soon and screened sleeping platforms may require reservations. Reservations can be made for groups and are suggested. Our outfitter American Canoe Adventures makes our reservations for us. The Suwannee River river camps are spaced a days paddle apart and are wonderfully convenient (especially in summer when afternoon rains come daily and bugs are everywhere).

Most of the time you will have a camp host on the property and MAY have firewood for sale. Their site is hte last site past the bathrooms(and they are past all the sleeping pavilions.

This river camp has lots of tent camping space, a small bath house with water and electric, grills, fire pits, and screened sleeping platforms with electric, lighting and ceiling fans. Many units also have hooks to hang you hammocks. Sleeping pavilions typically will hold 6-8 persons and have small corner tables with small bench. Each has picnic table and fire ring. You will find a broom in each shelter - please sweep out and leave clean for next group.

There is a nice beach at lower water levels to pull up your vessel or you can tie boat up under ramp. At high water this ramp can be tricky to unload from in a strong current (we have seen it with no beach visible) Always take paddles, PFD's, fishing equipment, food items and valuables to your camping area - do not leave in boats. There are raccoons and other nocturnal creatures and an occasional bear passing through.

Swimming and fishing are nice here. Lots of places to explore. Make sure you have some bug spray for evenings in summer months

We just purchased our 33’ Salem travel trailer and we used Island Oaks as our shakedown trip. Honestly, its going to be hard to top this first trip. My Wife and I traveled with our 2 young children and our pup. We never had to leave the park, they had EVERYTHING. Heated resort pool with tiki pool bar & music, beach front lake with a massive inflatable obstacle course, an on-site restaurant & ice cream shop, not to mention multiple fenced dog parks. I cant say enough positives about this place! I chose a pull through site and it had sewage, water, & electrical hook ups. They do offer free Wifi, however I would not rely on it, it was spotty at best. Dont think twice. Give this resort a try. It’s a hidden gem in the middle of nowhere!

What a nice local campground! Many amenities! Lots for the kids to do, pond with ducks, playground, nice store, Camping for everyone - tents, cabins, RV's. You can even hang a hammock (with tree safe straps) in a few places! Staff was wonderful. Bathrooms have code to access an are very clean. Nice Laundry facility that costs $1.50 per wash and same to dry. We stayed in May. Ground was very soft in tent camping area - do not drive vehicle past parking pad (we saw where folks before us got stuck). Please is VERY well lit at night, if you need it dark to sleep you will want to be prepared.

Very close to many local attractions like White Springs, Suwannee River State Park, Stephen Foster State Park, and more. Many wonderful local restaurants, and antique shops to! We use ACA Canoe Outfitters in White Springs for our paddling trips and LOVE Fat Bellies BBQ - both 15 min away in White Springs. If you go don't miss visiting the "spring house"!

We like this campground because you can rent a golf cart and drive around and explore a ton. We went in Dec 2018 and March 2020. We were the last tent campers they allowed there. Hopefully they are renovating the restrooms. They are truly awful, but we made it work. We love the little beach on the river, the treehouse and the bat house. Our evening entertainment was driving up to the bat house to watch them all come out at sunset. It’s super cool to see. Never made it before sunrise to watch them return. I look forward to them allowing tent campers to return... hopefully they will have done some work on the restrooms.

Super close to Okefenokee Swamp (actually, any closer, you’d be in it!). Strategically located right down the street to the park entrance, this is likely the very closest to camping near Okefenokee you’ll come. Of course, you could try to camp INSIDE Okefenokee, but that’s quite challenging as you’ll need to book well in advance and kayak / canoe/ boat to get to the primitive sites that are there (more on this in another review from inside Okefenokee). Here, you don’t have to think about anything. Just rock up, pitch your tent, park your RV or open the door to the wooden cabins they rent. The place is incredibly compact and tight, but if you don’t mind rubbing elbows with your neighbors in exchange for waking up early the next morning to be one of the first to get zapped by the mosquitos in the south’s most infamous swampland, then you’ve come to the right place. Great news is that you are far enough removed from civilization, you won’t miss it (or hear/ see it!), but if you do need anything, Okefenokee Pastimes has you covered with a campground store where you can find those commonly forgotten things, get snacks, drinks, candy, ice cream, ice and even trinkets from local craftsman as well as some beginner and advanced astronomy equipment from time to time as well as a view into one of the darkest, natural skies on the East cost (this place is also rated as one of the top 10 in the Country!).  And if you can't find what you need here at Pastimes, no worries, the nearby town of Folkston has you covered with its many restaurants (mostly fast food joints), gas stations, grocery stores and typical small town shopping.

Pastimes has excellent paved / milling parking pads & roads, built-in fire pits at all sites, relatively new / well-maintained wooden picnic tables as well as natural grass boundaries that both separates and surrounds all sites. There are many wildflower areas to attract pollinators and hummingbirds (with the campground's own distinct, bespoke hummingbird area), a small patio / dock area where you can feed the fish, watch the hummingbirds and / or just sit back, soak it all in and relax. A covered, lit pergola, complete with picnic tables, built-in benches and a top-end charcoal grill to cook at while overlooking the pond area.  There's also a small, fenced-in dog park that's perfect for keeping your furry friends active and engaged (they even provide pet toys!).  Nearby, there's a small playground, swing set and small yard game areas (think horseshoes, badminton, volleyball, jenga and jarts!).  Beyond playtime activities, there's a proper laundry room with 2 sets of washers and dryers (with only 1 key given to a single guest at a time, so you have a real sense of privacy. This place scores extra points for having a book exchange and even offers up DVD's and VCR tape rentals (take that Blockbuster!).  The best part about Pastimes?  Unlike many other campgrounds that are well lit, Pastimes actually has a policy where they turn off all their lights at night so as not to contribute to light pollution and to preserve the most amazing star-gazing experiences you will ever have (OK, at least hear near Okefenokee - sorry, star-gazing in the Nordics is still the best IMHO!).

Insider’s tip? You’ve made it this close to Okefenokee, it’s important that you get out early – that’s when you’ll see the gators at their most active and we’re you’ll land some great photos – albeit from the bow of a canoe or kayak, which you can easily rent at the refuge itself.  Also, while at Pastimes, do ensure you get out to spy on the many dragonflies, shouldered hawks, butterflies, squirrels, barn owls, armadillos and woodpeckers (obviously, be sure to pack your binoculars).

Happy Camping!