Located nearly dead center in the middle of Florida, and equidistant between Fort Pierce and Bradenton is Highlands Hammock State Park. This lush& alluring park has a lot to offer the hiker, the biker, the kayaker,& the boater. However, there’s no better way to describe the campground inside the park but old and worn. Nonetheless, Highlands Hammock is a very popular campground for tent campers, RVers,& everything in between.

Google Maps and perhaps other direction apps want to bring you in from the west on County Road 634. If you go this way the road becomes a very bumpy dirt road once you enter the state park. It’s Ok for a car but perhaps not for a trailer or RV and everything you have inside it. Instead, come in from the west on route 66 and then go north on County Road 635 that will lead you into the front entrance of the park and the Ranger Station.

One of the oldest state park campgrounds in the Florida State Park system, these sites were designed for a time void of 30-foot RV’s. Most of these sites are either narrow, short, or both. And, with few exceptions, there is no vegetation or other type of barrier between them. You better hope for nice and respectful neighbors, which we had.

Most of the campsites have slopes and stumps. Many campers had to get creative in how they angled their trailer or RV into their site to get a level spot. The hookups are shared between sites which means you may have to run your water hose and electrical line a long way in 50% of the sites. And very strangely the fire rings are placed in the middle of a lot of the sites. That’s fine for tent camping but not necessary for a larger trailer or RV.

All the bathroom and shower facilities are in need of modernization with the exception of one that we saw. Faucets dripped and didn’t completely shut off. While using the men’s room the toilet paper dispenser fell off the wall into my lap.

The campground consists of 138 sites that are accessed from 8 different roads once inside the campground. There are ample bathrooms, dumpsters, and the dumping station is conveniently located on the way out of the campground.

We had site#71 which was next to the very nice campground host. We did have ample room for our pop up camper and awning, our privacy tent, and a screen tent because the site was long. But it definitely was narrow. Our neighbor’s trailer was not more than 25 feet from us.

To see our entire review of Highlands Hammock State Park visit https://lifestyleover50.com/highlands-hammock-state-park-campground-review/

Perhaps the most ecologically diverse state park in Florida, Myakka River State Park has lots of nature viewing opportunities. Located just east of Sarasota you’ll find lots to do without having to leave the park. However, because of the age and condition of the campsites, for an exceptional camping experience, you'll want to choose your campsie carefully.

There are 3 separate and distinct campgrounds at Myakka River State Park. Depending on whether your tent camping or have an RV, you really want to pay attention here. Old Prairie Campground(sites 27– 48) and Big Flats Campground(sites 1– 26) are the oldest. These sites were not necessarily built for large RV’s although you can get into some of them with an RV up to 30 feet. Palmetto Ridge Campground(sites 49– 90) is the newest and will accommodate RV’s of any size and has sewer hookups. The other 2 campgrounds do not. 

We can’t imagine going to another Florida State Park and seeing more of nature than we did here. While riding our bikes along Park and North Drive, and taking a drive early one morning to the Outpost to get some cell service, it was a Florida safari! I’ve never seen so many alligators in the wild. From babies to big daddies, they lined the river and the edge of the lake. We saw black vultures by the dozens, turkey vultures, turkeys, and deer. There was a family of raccoons that visited each night to see what we might have left out for them. They had no luck. And the variety of birds in and around the lake was amazing. There were several that we hadn’t seen before.

To read our complete review visit https://lifestyleover50.com/myakka-river-state-park-campground-review/

Everything about Hillsborough River State Park seemed easy. It was easy to get to from our home in Largo. Once onto the 275 and over the Howard Franklin Bridge, it was just a few miles on I-4 toward Orlando. Then exit 7 to Highway 301 north about 10 miles to the campground. The way in which the state park and campground are set up is easy too. The main road is one big loop out and back from the Ranger Station. Located on this road is the main part of the park(the Hillsborough River and the 3 main hiking trails). The 3 campground loops are located just a little further along the main road.

As we always do, we rode our bikes around both loops scouting out campsites for the next time we come. Nearly every site has ample shade. This is a mature campground, and trees surround each campsite. Our site,#8, had a perfect canopy of trees above us keeping us cool for our entire stay.

If we gave out an award for ‘The Friendliest Campers’, Hillsborough River State Park Campground would win. Many of the people we met had camped there many times. Some had driven across the state from the east coast to camp at Hillsborough. Some had been camping there for a week or more and switched campsites to be able to stay there longer. A couple that camped behind us come here every year. People went out of their way to greet and talk to you. Some came to our site to introduce themselves and say hello. When we walked around, we stopped and talked to people about the campers. We even got some tours of the inside of their RV.

To see our full review visit https://lifestyleover50.com/hillsborough-river-state-park-campground-review/

For hiking, biking(street and mountain), paddling, boating, and a great camping experience, Jonathan Dickinson State Park gives you all of that and more. Located off U.S. 1 in Hobe Sound, this park and campground offer a variety of activities. And depending on which of the 2 camping areas you choose, you can also have a Florida camping experience where the only noise you’ll hear is the rustling of the palm fronds in the breeze.

There are two distinct and very separate campgrounds in the park. The Pine Grove Campground is located along U.S. Route 1 after you go past the ranger station. We looked at the campground from the satellite view on Google Maps. It seemed very open with almost no trees. When we rode through it on our bikes it confirmed what we saw on Google. Immature trees next to flat slabs with no atmosphere. If you want to just experience the rest of the park, or you are just stopping over a night or two on the way to somewhere else, this might be an okay choice. And there are more campsites in this campground that can accommodate Class A motorhomes better than the River Campground.

But if you want to experience the best Jonathan Dickinson State Park camping, pick the River Campground. The River Campground is about 6 miles in from Hwy U.S. 1 and rests on the edge of the Loxahatchee River. These sites are smaller than at the Pine Grove campground. There isn’t a lot of shade here either, but the overall atmosphere is great. Lots of palms trees, pine trees, and saw palmettos. It’s quintessential Florida. And there is no ambient noise at all because you are so far in from the highway.

To see our full review visit https://lifestyleover50.com/jonathan-dickinson-state-park-camping-review/

If you’re looking for a place to camp on the west coast of Florida that is quiet and has campsites that give you privacy, Lake Manatee State Park is a great choice. The only noise you might hear is the trucks and cars on Highway 64 or the roar of engines on the weekends from DeSoto Speedway just down the road. Other than that, it’s crickets and frogs because neighboring sites may be as much as 50 yards away.

There are 60 campsites at Lake Manatee State Park located in 2 loops. Sites 1-30 in loop 1. Sites 31-60 in loop 2. All the sites will give you a good distance from your neighbors. We stayed in site#6 that had perhaps 40 to 50 yards on either side.

There are 60 campsites at Lake Manatee State Park located in 2 loops. Sites 1-30 in loop 1. Sites 31-60 in loop 2. All the sites will give you a good distance from your neighbors. We stayed in site#6 that had perhaps 40 to 50 yards on either side.

Of course, there were some bugs. But not as many as you might think. We sprayed ourselves with Repel Plant-Based Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent and we weren't bothered by them. We highly recommend this stuff!

To see our full review of Lake Manatee State Park visit https://lifestyleover50.com/lake-manatee-state-park-camping-review/

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/

If you want to camp by the water, then Fort De Soto may be the best spot on the west coast of Florida south of the Panhandle. Having said that, if you want the best experience at Fort De Soto there are a few things you should know before booking your site.

Fort De Soto Campground is extremely popular making it difficult to get reservations. Plan way ahead to get a decent selection of sites. Weekends, as you might imagine, are packed. So, if you can camp during the week it will increase your chances of getting reservations within a month or two.

Be prepared for rain especially in the summer months, and know that the rain will drain toward the water. 

There are 3 distinct areas for camping at Fort De Soto. All 3 are beautiful and have great campsite but #1 (sites 1-85) is the least desirable. Area #2 is pet friendly. If you're bringing your dog this is where you'll need to camp. However, if you don't have a dog you may want to avoid this area as the barking is non-stop. Area #3 is the most beautiful and most quiet of the 3 areas. 

There is no alcohol allowed so prepare accordingly.

Spend time at Fort De Soto Park a few miles down the road. Bring your bikes or rent them at the campground and take the paved bike path along the highway into the Park. There are 2 fishing piers, a dog beach, a long humans-only beach, the Historic Fort De Soto, kayaking, beautiful views, and more.  

You can also take a ferry to Shell Key Island or Egmont Key State Park. If you bring your tent and gear onto the ferry, you can camp at Shell Key with a permit. Egmont has a large population of Gopher Tortoise. You can't touch them as they are endangered, but you can get great photos. 

See our more detailed review at https://lifestyleover50.com/fort-de-soto-campground-review-and-tips/. You'll also be able to see articles on other Florida Road Trips and more! Happy road trippin' and camping!

Lake Griffin State Park in Fruitland Park, FL is a small Florida State Park and small campground as well. There are only 40 campsites. The good part of the small number of campsites is less traffic through the campground. An interesting fact about Lake Griffin State Park is that it’s not on Lake Griffin. It has a boat ramp and kayak launch site on the Dead River which leads out to Lake Griffin.
There are so many Florida State Park campgrounds that we may not be back to Lake Griffin soon. But when we do come back, we will make sure we use our newfound knowledge to pick the right campsite. Two items are important when choosing a campsite at Lake Griffin State Park. The sun/shade factor and the slope of the terrain in the campground. All sites at Lake Griffin State Park have water and electricity. Some have 30 amp and some have 50 amp electric. A few of the sites have sewer.
The bathrooms and showers were clean and well supplied. The campground and park, in general, were also very clean and well attended. The Park Rangers at the gate were very friendly and helpful at check-in and thereafter. Once there, we added a 3rd night via the Reserve America website. The next day we told the Ranger on duty about it but that was not communicated to the Ranger on duty that 3rd night. But it was very nice that she called us as she thought we hadn’t checked in yet.
The downside of Lake Griffin State Park being small isn't that there is much to do. This is perhaps why we saw very few children here. There are just a few miles of hiking trails in the park. Other than riding around the campground itself and down to the boat ramp, there aren’t any accessible biking trails. The hiking trails are off-limits to bikes. 
A must-see is the 2nd oldest oak tree in the state of Florida. Estimated to be between 300 and 500 years old it is also massive. I walked off the trunk and estimate it to be about 15 feet in diameter.
Dead River kayaking, canoeing, and boating are the highlights here. There is a boat ramp and ample trailer parking so you can launch your boat into the Dead River and out to Lake Griffin. Kayak, paddle, and life vest rentals are available from the Park Ranger. The Dead River is black water. You cannot see below the surface at all. In the Reserve America description of the park, it warns against swimming as there is a “healthy alligator population”. My wife wasn’t comfortable with kayaking in this river, and it was close to 100 degrees, so we opted out of Lake Griffin State Park kayaking. But we did talk with other campers that had kayaked in the river and they didn’t see but a few gators.

To see our full review visit https://lifestyleover50.com/lake-griffin-state-park-camping-review/