List your favorite CG to spend a month in FL... Gulf side

[CaptnJohn]

I know it is late to make reservations but hope to find a nice CG along the gulf coast. To make it tougher, maybe not farther than Ft Myers/

 

[danemayer]

Hi CaptJohn,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum. I'm sure there must be a lot of Heartland owners who spend time on the Gulf Coast of Florida, so I expect you'll get some responses shortly.

 

[yport]

Some campgrounds to check out:

Fort Myers Beach area:
Woodsmoke Camping Resort
Cypress Woods RV Resort
Swan Lake RV Village
DO NOT GO TO:
Fort Myers Beach RV Resort ... they use that word "Resort" way too liberally !!

Sarasota area:
Sun-n-Fun RV Resort

 

[CaptnJohn]

Thank you,,, called Woodsmoke today but they are closed Sundays. They are 1st on my list in the AM and if no sites available the rest of your list will be called!

Some campgrounds to check out:

Fort Myers Beach area:
Woodsmoke Camping Resort
Cypress Woods RV Resort
Swan Lake RV Village
DO NOT GO TO:
Fort Myers Beach RV Resort ... they use that word "Resort" way too liberally !!

Sarasota area:
Sun-n-Fun RV Resort

 

[buddyboy]

We stayed at Shady Acres, Ft Myers in January 2014. Nice facility.

 

[CaptnJohn]

Thank you!!!!!!!!!! I'll be searching all tonight online!

We stayed at Shady Acres, Ft Myers in January 2014. Nice facility.

 

[klindgren]

Our MOST favorite spot is Gulf Waters RV Resort in Ft. Myers Beach. It's a small campground and hard to get into (always seem to be full if you want to stay 3 months) but it is beautiful place and very well maintained. Because we can't go South until after Christmas we haven't been able to get into Gulf Waters the past couple of years so we stayed last year (and are again this year) at Sun-N-Fun in Sarasota. Nice facility with lots of activities. They concentrate on permanent manufactured home sites way too much for my liking, but have enough open sites for those of us who bring our home with us.

 

[lindaw]

Seminole Campground in Ft.Meyers is very nice .
Lindaw

 

[CaptnJohn]

Called every one except one of those suggested and one suggested by another campground. The next to the last one had 2 sites left for the month of January. We took it! It is Sun N Fun in Sarasota. While in FL we will make reservations somewhere before coming back to NC. Nothing available for either January or February any where. Thank you all for the suggestions!

 

[klindgren]

Called every one except one of those suggested and one suggested by another campground. The next to the last one had 2 sites left for the month of January. We took it! It is Sun N Fun in Sarasota. While in FL we will make reservations somewhere before coming back to NC. Nothing available for either January or February any where. Thank you all for the suggestions!

February is always the hardest month to get a site. Seems everyone wants to be in Florida then. I'd keep checking with Sun-N-Fun even while you are there. They do have cancellations come up so you might still be able to get in for February. At the very least, stop by Site 815 and say Hi while you are there in January. Keith & Carol

 

[CaptnJohn]

February is always the hardest month to get a site. Seems everyone wants to be in Florida then. I'd keep checking with Sun-N-Fun even while you are there. They do have cancellations come up so you might still be able to get in for February. At the very least, stop by Site 815 and say Hi while you are there in January. Keith & Carol

Looking forward to meeting you there. No site assigned yet ~~ just an RV Premium Site,,, felt fortunate to get it!

 

[jmgratz]

I know it is late to make reservations but hope to find a nice CG along the gulf coast. To make it tougher, maybe not farther than Ft Myers/

Check out www.mobilerving.com and do a search for Fort Myers, FL. It will give you a listing of campgrounds in the Ft Myers area and then you can look at the details, contact them for more info. Good luck

 

[TXTiger]

Sun N Fun in Sarasota is nice but very expensive.

 

[CaptnJohn]

Yes it is expensive ~~ that could be why they had the only two sites left out of the 13 campgrounds we called for a month during Jan or Feb ~~ other than 1 that had 2 weeks. We will have our FL reservations made for 2017 before summer! Or maybe it will be LA, just not New Orleans.

 

[Toy1Ton]

Soul what is considered expensive what does one have to expect to pay to stay in one of these RV parks for the month of January and or February

 

[CaptnJohn]

Soul what is considered expensive what does one have to expect to pay to stay in one of these RV parks for the month of January and or February

Just as in real estate much depends on location. Generally, the panhandle of FL is less expensive during winter than the central area and the Keys can be more so. Temps in the panhandle are closer to my home in SE coastal NC so I prefer central on the Gulf coast. Even somewhat localized costs can fluctuate. February seems to be the preferred month of all 12 and I found a few that charge the highest rates for Feb. Most often stays of up to 2 weeks electric is included with the weekly rate. Longer stays the electric is often metered. For the two popular winter months I have seen prices seem to hover around $1300 for the month. A rare $900 +/- to $1950. Amenities and activities impact price along with location.

 

[klindgren]

Just as in real estate much depends on location. Generally, the panhandle of FL is less expensive during winter than the central area and the Keys can be more so. Temps in the panhandle are closer to my home in SE coastal NC so I prefer central on the Gulf coast. Even somewhat localized costs can fluctuate. February seems to be the preferred month of all 12 and I found a few that charge the highest rates for Feb. Most often stays of up to 2 weeks electric is included with the weekly rate. Longer stays the electric is often metered. For the two popular winter months I have seen prices seem to hover around $1300 for the month. A rare $900 +/- to $1950. Amenities and activities impact price along with location.

Another factor impacting price is your length of stay. We have found "no room at the inn" for most campgrounds if you only want 2 or 3 months. Naturally, campgrounds are going to accept reservations for longer time periods first, then if there are any openings left, they will accept shorter stays. Because of our North Pole duties, we can't head south until after Christmas. Ideally I'd like a 3 month reservation (Jan-Mar) but have found most of the campgrounds we tried to get reservations for are "filled" and that's trying to reserve a year in advance. We tried 4 or 5 different campgrounds while we were in Florida last winter and although they are willing to take a deposit and put you on a list, usually by summer we get our deposit back and a "rejection" letter because the campground is full. At Sun-N-Fun for 2016 we had to book for 4 months (to get the site we wanted) even though we will be leaving the second week in April.

 

[lindaw]

Another factor impacting price is your length of stay. We have found "no room at the inn" for most campgrounds if you only want 2 or 3 months. Naturally, campgrounds are going to accept reservations for longer time periods first, then if there are any openings left, they will accept shorter stays. Because of our North Pole duties, we can't head south until after Christmas. Ideally I'd like a 3 month reservation (Jan-Mar) but have found most of the campgrounds we tried to get reservations for are "filled" and that's trying to reserve a year in advance. We tried 4 or 5 different campgrounds while we were in Florida last winter and although they are willing to take a deposit and put you on a list, usually by summer we get our deposit back and a "rejection" letter because the campground is full. At Sun-N-Fun for 2016 we had to book for 4 months (to get the site we wanted) even though we will be leaving the second week in April.

Ill make that fish fry worth you leaving early.
Linda

 

[CaptnJohn]

I'll help catch the fish ~~~

 

[justafordguy]

If the pan handle is warm enough for you you should check out Top Sail Hill State park in Santa Rosa Beach. It's a beautiful park and very reasonably priced. Getting a site in Jan - Feb may be an issue because it stays booked up at least 6 months out.