South Florida has quite a few RV campgrounds.
An RV is a recreational vehicle that provides not only a mode of transportation but also living quarters while on the road. According to the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA), there are more than eight million RV owners in the United States. These owners enjoy the flexibility and convenience of RV travel, which tends to more affordable than other types of travel such as flight. The RVIA reports there are over 16,000 campgrounds in the United States including south Florida.
Locations
RVers have several options when considering camping in South Florida. These include privately owned campgrounds, state parks and national parks. Big Cypress National Park, located in the town of Ochopee, is the only one of the four national parks in south Florida that allows campers. The Florida Park Service lists 14 state parks in its southeast and southwest districts that are open for RV camping. These include Curry Hammock State Park in the town of Marathon and Highlands Hammock State Park in Sebring. There are dozens of privately owned RV parks and campgrounds in south Florida.
Amenities and Hookups
Amenities will vary between campgrounds. They can include laundry facilities, bathrooms, showers, dump stations, Internet access and cable TV. Some campgrounds, such as the privately owned Glades Resort in Moore Haven, also provide other amenities and services such as a swimming pool, snack bar, club meeting room and golf. Other parks may offer playgrounds, game rooms and tennis courts. There may be a convenience store at the park for campers to restock their supplies. Ideally, RV campgrounds will have full hookups. This means each RV site will have water, sewer and electrical service. Campgrounds may have sites for full and partial hookups.
Activities
Camping puts vacationers in natural surroundings, which means an opportunity to enjoy what the great outdoors offers. Many campsites, such as Lazy Lakes RV Resort in the Florida Keys, are located near a lake or river that is suitable for swimming, fishing, boating, canoeing and other water activities. Campgrounds may also have trails for hiking or biking. Horseback riding may also be available. Alafia River State Park in the town of Lithia has hiking, biking and equestrian trails. Because campgrounds tend to be in wooded areas, they are ideal for bird watching and looking for other wildlife such as deer.
Fees and Times
Most RV parks and campgrounds are open year round. Some parts of parks, such as museums at state facilities, may not be open daily. State parks usually close to the general public at sundown but remain open to campers. Fees for RV camping vary. There is a per-night camping fee and some parks, such as Club Naples RV Resort, charges additional fees for use of park facilities such as dump stations. Some park amenities, such as canoe or kayak rentals, may require payment.
Comparisons
Staying in a hotel while on vacation is convenient---there is a maid to clean up and hot meals are usually just a room service phone call away. With RV camping, the camper cleans up messes and prepares their own meals. RV campers will also find most of their leisure activities just outside their door and instead of hearing the sounds of traffic or city noises like they would at a hotel they will hear birds, crickets and other sounds of nature.
Tags: privately owned, State Park, dump stations, Hammock State, Hammock State Park, hiking biking