We wanted to like this place based on pictures. Decided to tour the facility before actually staying there. The springs are ok but when water is low it's not really that nice. If into kayaking it has a nice launch site into the river. There is also a pool that can be enjoyed if you don't want the spring. They also have a nice kids playground and some minor hiking trails. As far as staying with an RV, we ended up cancelling after the tour. The sites are not well maintained and they are right next to each other with no buffer, in fact, most sites share common space. No privacy at all and very unlevel. This looks like a state park by the spring but the rv section looks like a trailer park. They just tore down trees and put all rv sites together like parking spaces. Overall, this place is nice to go for the day but as far as using it with an rv it just was not good at all. You're better off going down to Hart Springs.

This campground is very clean and for the decent pricing you get full hookup. You also get several hiking and biking trails. Only problem is some of the trails are not maintained and can be hard to bike. Also one of the biking trails ends up going over a wooden bridge and although it's new and well maintained it is not designed well.. only certain mountain bikes will fit and you won't know until you actually get there. It should be redesigned. As far as the springs, they've done some updates and have kept them updated but certain times of the year the water is so low that the springs are unusable. The rv sites are well maintained but when this campground was made they did not care about privacy. Most if not all sites have no privacy at all and based on the position of the site they made a mistake on the placement of fire rings which can't be moved. This makes privacy even harder to get. Also, for some reason, this is the first campground that ended up with a mouse in camper, luckily i found it fast and was able to remove it. Overall Hart springs is a decent background but only when it's not busy or if using it as a quick stop to another campground.

My family and friends have been going to Manatee Springs State park every year to camp. We've been doing it in tents which is great and the last 2 years in campers. We always enjoyed it because you have trails, boardwalk and kayak launch and swimming area along with fishing and plenty of nature. But for the last couple years things have gone down hill. First thing is they are letting the springs area be overrun by nature and they removed the kids area. This was a huge bonus for kids and it just looks like they have given up on maintenance and just ripped out the kids area due to maintenance. On top of that the rangers in the last couple years are getting rude in the way they interact with the guests. The sites were always well maintained and now instead of maintaining them while protecting nature, it seems they have given up and are letting the roads and sites be overtaken. The roads have dozens of huge potholes and sites are overrun by huge roots. They added sewer a couple years ago when they built a new bathhouse but most of the sewer hookups were installed incorrectly and because of leveling issues at the sites they are useless. Several of the sites when it rains are flooded and washed out and they don't seem to care. Nature is always good to persevere but the campsites should also be maintained and many other state parks know how to balance this. Not to mention because they are allowing nature to take over, there is a massive tick problem here and you should prepare to be infested by ticks, especially in summer. Overall this place is great to go for the day but lately for camping is hit or miss. Just know that site 11 washes out during rain and is very unlevel and site 10 is very unlevel and massive roots throughout. Magnolia loop has a newer bathhouse and full hookup sites. But in the end if you like nature and good kayaking with manatees, this place can still be decent. Cell service is almost non existent for most. Verizon has small coverage and t-mobile with an antenna may work better, without it's not at all available unless you drive towards front of campsite. Att is hit or miss but it's still usable.

Overall this place was one of our favorites. Most sites offer plenty of space although some can be angled and need to be leveled up with levelers even though it's on concrete. I love having open space behind most sites. If you do your research you can find amazing sites. Not to mention all are full hookup and plenty to do. You have 2 hiking trails that i could see with one being mountain biking as well. The springs are beautiful and you have access to a boat ramp and ability to go kayaking. There is a basketball court and horseshoe. There is also places for get togethers and trash cans and recycling. You're also close to silver springs and juniper springs. Overall it's very clean and the hook-ups are well maintained. The only problem i saw was not allowing personal golf carts. I believe they should allow them if you have personal insurance liability if they are worried. Other than that everything was amazing and can't wait to go back. As far as cell signal, i was able to test 3 service providers. T-mobile is non existent. Att has pretty good coverage and speeds were decent enough for email and possibly some video. Verizon used to be bad but i believe a verizon tower was built nearby and our Verizon hotspot worked very well, even for Netflix.

Great campground with lots to do. Pool is opened during the day with lifeguard. Lake is great to sit by or take a boat. Have to rent it from them, unable you take your own. They have nightly campfires that are Disney themed, Chipmunks. They have lots of paved areas that you can walk or ride bikes or rent a golf cart. They also have things like pool games and archery classes along with horse back riding. They are also on the Disney transportation line so it's free to take a bus around campsite or to Disney parks. Only downside is this place is big so walking to some areas can be daunting unless you have bikes or golf cart. The sites are the cleanest you can have but they come at a price. Unless it's slow season pricing for an rv site can cost over $80 a night. They have tent and pop up sites at a lower cost then you have full sites for travel trailers and bigger rvs and then there is also premium sites that are bigger and also closer to the main areas.

Great Camping with mostly good sites. Lots of animals like deer, raccoon, armadillos, alligators and manatees. Definitely snakes but that's everywhere. Sites vary in sizes but pricing is very decent. They have renovated bathrooms and showers in one loop but other loop is still old. They have kayak rentals and the springs are great for swimming, snorkelling and diving. They also have a boat dock that can offer tours of the river. During winter months you can see plenty of Manatee and even kayak in the water with them. Highly recommended you try kayaking at least one. There are also walking trails and most of them are good for mountain bikes. Overall it's a great state park with many things to do. Great to go with a group of campers to enjoy fires at night and the springs during the day. Only thing that is a pain lately is the roads are not maintained at all and many pot holes. Several sites have many roots and can be dangerous and several sites wash out during rain which ruins the experience. Also many of the full hookup sites have the sewer in the wrong place and you can't even use it because of where it was placed. It was really bad designed.