Best Equestrian Camping near Lakeland, GA
Are you looking for a place to stay in Lakeland with your horse? Camping with your horse in Lakeland just got easier. At The Dyrt, you can find top-rated spots for horse camping, as reviewed by campers.
Are you looking for a place to stay in Lakeland with your horse? Camping with your horse in Lakeland just got easier. At The Dyrt, you can find top-rated spots for horse camping, as reviewed by campers.
Located just north of Live Oak, Fla, the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park is a one-of-a-kind music park and premier campground nestled on the shady banks of the historic, tea-colored Suwannee River in North Florida. The Spirit of the Suwannee is proud to host a variety of events throughout the year. In addition to these events, the park offers live music during the week in the Music Hall and a natural amphitheater for outdoor music festivals.
Private Ranch offering long term or short term, full hookups or boondocking minutes from town
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!
Humble and super hospitable super friendly people they've got baby goats donkeys horses chicken that roam free during the day and at night the donkey keep predators away so it's super safe and quiet if you don't mind the roosters😆
It's 2 nights free $10 after with no electric or stay primitive for however long and 15 a night electric I believe we stayed in primitive but my brother helped do some construction for them helped finalize a house they started working on too long ago so they could sell and make a profit
I love everything about this place. The trails & the river are amazing. Very laid back vibe.
We got in after office closed. They called us to give us info for our arrival, even offering an bigger camp site due to our trailer size. Upon arrival the dam host Martha advised us to take shelter in a cinder block building due to tornado warnings. Everyone very accommodating & helpful!
Very large well kept site. The sites are not Level and are grass but firm enough to not get stuck. Full hookups lots of activities. Sites are close to each other. Friendly staff. WiFi available. Easy access from the freeway with good signage.
I haven’t been here during a festival but this laid back camping experience is my favorite in the south so far. Friendly people, loud music blasting from bedazzled golf carts, lots of the things you need but definitely not for everyone. If you’re looking for a stuffy campground with rules on how new your camper must be, this place is probably NOT for you. I love the atmosphere, though!
This campground is fun but is very busy and has a lot of golf cart traffic until about 1030 at night. Bathrooms are dated and lack hot water most mornings. But sites are good and lots of trails to explore on the golf cart.
We have always liked “quieter” campgrounds with less crowds, more open spaces, and larger sites. That being said, this park has some nice hiking trails, equestrian trails, a really interesting and enjoyable farm with animals, and a lot of stuff to do. The store has the basics, like firewood and ice and some odds and ends. We stayed in the equestrian campground, which consists of four sites. They are very close together. They also only have pit toilets and no shower facilities. We had to buy a shower pass in order to use the shower facilities in the main campgrounds. The campgrounds there have no privacy; they are jam packed together, but great if you are a social camper. Very little foliage in those areas leaves you zero privacy. It’s very noisy also. Facilities were relatively clean. Campsite loop one is older, campsite two is newer. If you want some peace and quiet, and don’t mind the lack of showers, the equestrian sites are the way to go. If you’re a social camper, go with loop two. Loop one just looks a bit tired and in need of updating.
The campsite was very private and backed up to the woods. The farm was so much fun and the people were absolutely amazing! They walked us around and gave us a little tour, they were super friendly!
Our family visits this place at least 2 times a year. It beautiful with great sites and many activities that include the pond/lake, archery that the kids and I like. Many trails for hiking or biking.
This is a good campground divided into 2 loops. Many pull throughs. We had site #12 which was gigantic. All the sites are open to your neighbors. Small park with a few trails, small pond, and farm. The farm was great with chickens, sheep, donkey and horse. On our visit there were 3 day old lambs!! Can fish in small pond and rent peddle boats or kayaks but this pond is very small. This is a great place for 3/4 days. Went for dinner and to local bakery in nearby town of Douglas Georgia.
Big beautiful park, restored bathrooms were fantastic, and the well stocked country store has friendly people.
This was my first time camping and I really didn’t know what to expect. I thought it would be awful. Camping at Suwannee was awesome! There was so much to do - swim, see the bat houses at night, and so much area to walk around and explore. The tree houses and some cabin had great lights lit up at night. We slept in a tent and had zero issues. Bathrooms were nice and was able to use the showers to clean up. Overall great experience, can’t wait to go back!
Short weekend to get away. Campground was very quiet and peaceful. Will definitely go back! Campground host and volunteers are great.
Loop #1 one is some what on the primitive side. Washed out dirt round makes the loop. The sites have water and power but maybe unlevel and seem to be not well maintained.
Loop #2 is the newer loop with paved road. The sites are better marked and seem to be more level and maintained.
Bathhouse on Loop #2 is a bit small, one shower and 2 stalls, but is stocked with real toilet paper, not the see-through paper I have found at other state parks.
Walking trails are nice, the heritage farm is a must see. The road leading to the campground is a bit curvy so be careful.
I’ve been camping at General Coffee for over 10 years and I’ll never stop coming back. The heritage farm is worth it just by itself, but it doesn’t stop there. The trails are long enough to get a nice workout in and the cabins are beautiful! I’ve only ever stayed in the cabins but I’m sure the tent camping is great too.
I've coming to suwannee for 8 years now, for sure I'd rather go during festivals, but to camp and see the Christmas lights over the Christmas time was very nice and relaxing...
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.
Very peaceful park some nice walking paths beautiful wildlife around enjoyed it
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.
This is a great family park. Swimming pool, outdoor park n play yard. Lots of sites, gets a bit crowded when there is a festival
We tent camped for 2 nights in campsite #1 in campground #1. This site is the first site to the right when you pull into the campground. There are trash cans at the campground exit and a direct line of sight view of the dump station. The west river trail runs right behind the campsite. The site itself is spacious with plenty of shade. There are a couple of good sets of trees for hanging a hammock. The electric box is a little further from the tent pad (which is packed sand and not gravel) than most sites I’ve stayed at, so I was happy that I brought an extension cord. The camp restrooms are adequate but not at all ADA accessible at campground #1. There are 3 toilet stalls, 2 that have working latches, and 2 shower stalls- both with working latches. Both of the showers have a small little room for you to change clothes with a hook on the wall and a hook on the door and a little bench. If you’re tall, be ready to duck to get your head under the water because the shower heads are low. Temperature and pressure were good. Bonus perk- stray cats at the campground.
The park itself has some cool trails. We hiked the west river trail all the way to the farm at the front of the park. It took us over wooden boardwalks over swampy Cyprus areas and through the forest around the 17 mile river. It was pretty and the heritage tobacco farm was really cool. There are restrooms and a coke machine at the farm. The coke machine takes cards, but bring lots of water with you. There are lots of animals that are used to being fed, so buy some food at the visitor’s center, or prepare to be made to feel guilty. The farm is situated next to a small lake, and when the world isn’t shutdown due to COVID-19, they rent boats. The lake is big enough to boat around in for a little while and there are fish to be caught- carp from what I could tell.
There was a small gravel road that split off from the first group picnic shelter area that takes you down to the 17 mile river for fishing access. The 17 mile river dries up some years, but the deeper “lakes” keep water in them during those dry years. The river wasn’t flowing while we were here, but there was some standing water in places that would have been dry if it hadn’t rained recently.
The park is about an hour and a half drive from the main entrance of the Okefenokee swamp. We drove down there and rented a kayak so we both could go paddle the swamp. On the way down there, somewhere outside of waycross, we passed a mudding course, if that’s more your style.
Overall, this is someplace that I probably wouldn’t come back to because I’ve done all the things that the park has to offer, and there are more parks to explore. It’s definitely worth a visit for a night or two, or as a jumping off point for other activities this part of the state has to offer.
Great state park in Nicholls, GA. Restrooms clean, campsites are easily accessible.
This is a great music venue. The sites are extremely close together and very open. They do have equestrian camping. Our site had full hookups water electric and sewer. There is a bar and restaurant on site with live music which was great. There is a swimming pool, a treehouse and cabins you can rent, a fully stocked camp store, golf cart rentals. There are some permanent units for full-time living in this park. Park is very large and known for music festivals.
The campground was laid out very nice and was very large. They are very pet friendly and have an area to even board your horse. Everything was really wonderful and the café had decent food. My only complaint is that it looks like it is sort of run down and some things need fixing. There are several bat houses throughout the park. Most weekends there is live entertainment. We will most definitely go again.
Awesome park with 800 acres to hike, horseback, or take a golf cart thru the trails.
Over 800 acres to explore on a golf cart or hiking. We go every time We want to go camping. Has secluded areas to camp and no one bothers You
Spring can be different every year in Florida - always come prepared for bugs. This year it was the gnats if you were near the water - pretty bad. Up in the bank where our site was they were not so bad. Because these sites are way back in the woods primitive - previous campers did not practice LNT toilet behaviors - but we let mgmt know and I believe they were going to address. If you stay here during one of their famous music event this place can get insanely busy. Even the back trails in this are are heavily driven by golf carts (and many times drivers under the influence) Keep kids close while walking the dirt roads/trails. Mid week is best time to camp here to avoid crowds of party goers.
Product Review
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Lakeland, GA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Lakeland, GA is Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park & Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 36 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Lakeland, GA?
TheDyrt.com has all 3 equestrian camping locations near Lakeland, GA, with real photos and reviews from campers.