Tent folk: bring earplugs

Arrived here for a three-night tent stay at spot 153. The campground is easily accessible from the highway, and a breeze to check in. Friendly staff. Dumpsters behind the main office. All roads are one-way counterclockwise. The bathroom and laundry room are about 100 meters from spot 153. Both are clean. There's a nice pavilion overlooking the water inside the eastern loop. There's a good size, fenced-in, leash-free dog park next to the water. The water views are beautiful at sunrise. There's a pier for fishing and just serene eastern observation toward Cape Canaveral. There's a kayak launch ramp as well.

Spot 153 was perfectly partially shaded, with a mix of sand and grass, and it was level. The only critters seen here are playful squirrels. RV spots can be quite close to each other, but not many of their inhabitants were seen outside during these chilly, mid-December days when the temperature dipped to 40F at night, and high 50's in the day. All spots have electric and picnic table. The water spigot at 153 was about two inches from the ground. Why?

The only downside of the campground is its proximity to railroad tracks and airport. The noise seemed to be constant on weekdays.

A Lakeside Paradise

Arrived here in early December for a three-night tent stay. It was a last-minute choice and frankly a miracle that it was available. Arriving is easy off Highway 64 just East of Bradenton. The staff is very friendly. The spots are spaced well and divided by natural brush and vegetation. They're level and bedded in sand and some grass. Water, electric, fire pit, and picnic table. Very quiet location, save for the occasional airplane or distant siren.

The restroom facilities are very well maintained. Clean. The trails within the western side of the park are wide and comfortable for hybrid bikes, even with the occasional sugar sand trap, so to speak.

The lakeside is outstanding. There's a swimming area with benches a few feet from the lapping waters where you can contemplate the horizon and get lost in your thoughts. An occasional turtle might raise its head from within the gentle ripples. Alligators also inhabit the lake. There are restrooms with showers there, picnic tables, plenty of parking, and a beach volleyball court.

Firewood is sold in bundles of $5 at the gatehouse. They will also sell you a 50-gallon drum of firewood for $10! No country store at the park, but Publix is about six miles to the southwest.

Very quiet, peaceful, with near zero light pollution. No critters other than squirrels and rabbits. This is a rare five-star campground in my book, and I can't wait to return.

Tenters: Stick to spots 1 -16

Arrived here for a three-night tent stay in early December. The staff was very friendly. The comfort rooms spotless and modern. New-looking washer and dryer. The RV spots are very close together. I got spot #79, on the North side, conveniently close to the restroom but also close to San Marco Rd over the fence. Remarkable how, having so much land to build a park, that loop was placed so close to the road and therefore to its noise. On the way out, I drove around the tents' loop (no spots had been available at the time of reservation). May I recommend that tenters strive for spots 1 to 16 which are on the tent loop and far from the outside road. They are private, with vegetation between spots, unlike the RV side, where I set up my tent.  The grounds are kept so well at this park, with open grassy areas trimmed and neat. There are kayak and bicycle rental stations, photos included. The waters of the inlet are tranquil. Truly spectacular and peaceful. There is no camp store, so bring your firewood and supplies. The nearest Publix is about 8 miles away, but there's a gas station just west of the Park's main entrance.  The mosquitos will quickly invade your tent, so shutter it well before sundown. Spot 79 has gravel and grass and is level. So are most spots as far as I could see. The picnic tables are a bit too big for the normal 8ft "mosquito tent." Each spot, RV or tent, has electric, water, and fire pit.

Good interspot seclusion, spotless bathrooms

Arrived for a four-night tent stay at the only spot available #001. Set up quickly at 5 pm. Site 001 is not quite level but made it work. It has what looks like an extension off to the side where another tent could fit easily. There's just enough room otherwise for the truck the tent and the picnic table. The restrooms are certainly 21st century. Clean and spacious. Don't be surprised by the crescendo roar of the occasional train on nearby tracks after midnight. Mosquitos are cloudlike here. Bring spray and screens. The forecast was 30%, but it rained all the first night and the following day. Bummer.

Largest campsites, great separation

Arrived here for a four-night tent stay. Easy drive in from Tomoka State Park up I-95. Got the last spot at #62 which is very large and has a large tent pad. The electric and water hookups are on the edge of the street, so I had to use both the 75 and 25 foot extension cords to give power to the tent. There's a fire pit and a large picnic table. The restrooms are clean, as well as the laundry room. The dumpster and recycling bin are a bit far from 62, so bring your bicycle, lol. Deer were roaming the grounds in the early morning. Lots of birds singing at sunrise too. Great place. The 45-min drive up to Tybee Island Beach is totally worth it, with beautiful marshes and flatlands along the way. Beach photos included here.

Amazing access to a little bit of everything

Arrived here for a four night, tent stay. The ranger at the entrance was exceedingly graceful when asked to switch from site 31 to 32. The site is nearly level for a 10x12 tent. Partially shaded. Good. Battling the outer bands of TS Eta was no big deal on night 1. Great service from Capt Scott at the Tomoka Camp store. More to follow….

Florida's largest urban park, 30-minutes from downtown Miami

Hard to believe that this oasis is so close to major urban centers, but it's true. It boasts 15-miles of trails in more than 1,000 acres! You can bike, snorkel, paddle, run, picnic, rent cabins, primitive camp, and even get married. No bugs during the day. Some bike trails get flooded and are closed sometimes. The website gives the latest updates. It's quite easy to get to the park from I-95 or US-1. In October, some of the pavilions remained closed unfortunately. They have water spigots but no electricity. Lots of kayaks available as can be seen in the pictures and videos. Super ample parking. Youth programs. The only thing missing is water/electric tent sites!

Family friendly, easily accesible

Stopped here for a trail bike ride while staying at Otter Springs. The entrance is well marked, but don't expect Siri to take you there. She's confused. It was $6 for the car entrance. There's ample parking, and the trail is clear. Lots of oaks at this, the gateway to the Suwanee. Restrooms are clean.

Isolated and quiet, except when college kids party on a Saturday

Arrived here for a four-night tent stay at spot 110 after The Suwanee Music Park, in mid October 2020. Took several country roads to get here and was happy to put gas at that last gas station. The staff is very affable, and the sights along the Suwanee River are breathtaking. The restrooms are adequate. The fire pits don't have a grill: they are old truck tire rims. Lots of squirrels, and they say that raccoons are around, though none have been spotted. The camp store has wood for $6. The TMobile signal is zero. Verizon is good. Sprint is ok, but not good enough for a personal hotspot. The camp WiFi is erratic. There's a nearby boat ramp: photos of the river from it included. Don't stay at #110 next to the men's room. The slamming of the restroom's door will drive you nuts if you're trying to sleep.

Perfect for "primitive" 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.

Great history, nice separation, cheeky critters!

Arrived here for a three-night tent stay at spot #53, after a stay at Crooked River. The entrance to the campground is through a long causeway surrounded by beautiful marshes. The campground attendants are tops. There is a nice office/souvenir shop at the entrance to the site. Wood bundles are paid for in cash at a small shed; just pay for what you take and place the money through the slot in the tin can. Site #53 is near the rest rooms which were spacious and individually apportioned. Lots of deer sightings both day and night. Armadillos roam the grounds too. However, the terror of the campground are the very courageous raccoons that will approach your picnic table to steal your food while you're sitting on the other side! As I read in some other review at another site, these raccoons are straight-up terrorists. Couldn't kayak because the facility was closed due to COVID, bummer. Lots of history, some gnarly bugs, some unfortunate rain… may come back.

Serene and well spaced. Spotless comfort rooms. Clear

Arrived here for a three-night tent stay after Black Rock Mountain. You have to drive all the way in to reach the camp's office. At six, they were already closed, so had to check in the morning after. The comfort rooms appear brand new on the second week of October 2020. They were centrally located in the loop for RV/Tents. Spot #24 and #25 are drive-thru RV spots. #25 has a concrete slab and a concrete pathway to the comfort rooms (ADA). Great hosts this time. Wood bundles are $7 a piece. Verizon has one bar of LTE signal. T-Mobile has none (bummer). No camp-wide WiFi.

On top of the world, tricky road up

Arrived for a 3-night tent stay. Check in was easy. There's a trading post at the campground and a store at the visitors center. Both sell firewood. The road up is winding and narrow. The sites are level and bedded with fine gravel. It's a terraced camp ground with decent separation between sites. Grabbed #25, about 75 yards from the restrooms down the hill. Breathtaking views! It's a great park with awesome cell phone reception. No bear sightings though!

Serious seclusion

Arrived here for a 5-night, tented stay from Sesqui State Park 2.5 hours away. Check in was easy, and the staff accommodated a second-chance selection given that Spot 60 was a bit too rocky for the tent. The alternatives #5 and #6 were close to the entrance and therefore exposed to the road, and #49 was next to the restrooms, but similar to #60, so stayed with #60. The spot is level be but jaggedly rocky, so it became necessary to remove stones and rocks as much as possible to prevent the damaging of the tent's floor. The picnic table's sandy pad was level and had the fire pit placed in an unfortunate upwind location, so sitting at the picnic table and having a smoky fire ended up being mutually exclusive. The sights and views of lake and mountain sides are serene and beautiful. No raccoons. Giant grasshoppers though. Clean bathrooms. Narrow, steep roads around the first campground loop, beware. Very nice visitor center. No WiFi, and terrible to Nil reception at the campground, from both TMobile and Verizon. The check-in office building's WiFi is unreliable. Had to drive to Easley to work remotely at the Ingles Starbucks!

Great staff, cozy park

Arrived here for two nights in the tent after Myrtle Beach. Site 46 is not terribly even, but it's well situated inside the loop. The park is clean, the tent pad is a good size, and the amazing aroma of pine is one of the natural highlights. Unfortunate that the camp store closes at 5 pm. So one must drive to Publix for firewood. The closest Walmart has $2 ice bags.

Nearly perfect, save for the close proximity

Booked the spot for 4 nights in the tent, and extended for two more after rest stops in Savannah and Charleston during this fourth week in September. This park really has it all: trails, beaches, camp store, RV and tent sites, laundry, clean bathrooms, and WiFi. There's something magical about the trees that shelter the picnic areas beside the beach. You will see hares, turtles, birds, and lizards in the nature preserves, but you won't see raccoons, possums, or armadillos near the camp sites. There are just too many people and dogs for them to bear. Camped in spot #123a, pretty large and next to the bathrooms and trash/recycling bins, and a short walk to the camp store. The fire pits are shallow and don't have that ability to raise the rack to separate your food front the fire, so be watchful when cooking to prevent burning. Expect overhead air traffic related to the nearby airport and a helicopter tour company. There's a special path for bikes and carts that takes you out of the park and places you right in front of the supermarket Food Lion on Hwy 17. Cool. This is now a favorite park. It would have five stars if I couldn't hear my neighbors' low-volume conversations next door.

Open plan, yet cozy.

Arrived here for a two-night tent stay in the second week of September after crossing the GA State border from Hanna in Jacksonville. The ranger was very accommodating, even staying a bit past five to arrange check in (called him on the phone on the way in). The camp store is well stocked. The spots certainly cater to large RVs, which means that there is lots of room for tents. It's an open plan, which means that you can see the whole park, and the whole park can see you, but there's reasonable separation between the spots. The trees are tall and beautiful, creating a partial shade. The restroom facilities are being renovated at the center of the main park, but there is a newer building past spot #6 that also has indoor laundry. No access to the water directly from the camp site. Moved the picnic table of the sandy pad and placed the tent there. It was cleaner than placing it on the gravel spot where the RVs go. It was a good park.

Ya wanted to camp on the beach? Get cozy with yer neighbor, then

Stayed in a tent (the only one) for five nights at spot #40C during the second week of August. Surrounded by RVs, this was one park where you were nearly forced to relate to your neighbors. Spot #40C is close to the northwestern corner of the lot within the inner loop. It was a thirty pace walk to the sand. The sunsets are breathtaking. The restrooms are ok, air conditioned. There are trash receptacles, and full RV hook ups. Parked the car on the dirt part of the spot, and popped the tent on the concrete pad. It rained a lot this time. There is a seven eleven about 100 meters south of the park on the main road. There are many neat, small-beach-town stores and restaurants along the main road leading down to the park. Ft Myers Beach is a neat town. At this park, only RVs can actually park on the edge of the sand. Tents can be on the inner loop or across the street.

Great place, but only outside the camping area

Stayed here in a tent for two nights, after driving up from at St Augustine KOA. The park's natural beauty is breathtaking. The lake, the bird islands, the serenity, the tall trees, the gorgeous beach on the premise are all juxtaposed with the actual state of the camp sites themselves. Having seen the mistake of choosing site #6, was able to switch to #243 with no neighbors, but a short walk to the bathrooms. The bathrooms are somewhat ghastly. The shower stalls are small, and the water pressure is questionable. The camp store is very well stocked. The bike trails are somewhat challenging because of the spider webs, haha. It rained during this outing. Site #232 is not quite level, and the bedding is natural dirt. Some mosquitos, but not as bad as the truck-sized ants. Paw prints on the picnic table was evidence of visitors during the bike ride absence, but they didn't pay visible visits like at Anastasia and Fort De Soto.

Individual bathrooms, air conditioned laundry

Stayed here in a tent at spot #7 for two nights during the first week of September. The site is probably typical KOA with an open plan of tightly packed sites. Sport #7 was the first one after the cabins; the backdrop of the spot is a wall with a shopping center on the other side. Chose it because that spot provided better shield from the street noise than the alternative #89. Most tent spots are shade-less, which is a shame for KOA to choose. Baked in the heat. The individual restrooms available at the center of the facility are great, spacious, clean, and have showers. There's a store to buy some basic groceries, ice, and wood. You place the trash on the edge of your spot, and it's picked up every morning. If you're tenting, go for spot number 11 or 12 with shade. There's a bike shop across the street, and the public beach is a short ride straight east. The beach, just like it was for Anastasia the week before, was gorgeous, outstanding, nearly empty, spacious, beautiful.