first snowbird season in florida this winter 2014/2015-help

rockhillmanor wrote:
My advice would be to ask the CG manager how many of the campers are 'permanent residents'. This will determine how pleasant of a stay you will have.

Does that mean all permanent residents are bad? Or all permanent residents are good? Or they're more/less demanding?

My advice would be to ask the CG manager how many of the campers are 'permanent residents'. This will determine how pleasant of a stay you will have.

I full time and found out that once I drove over the state line into Florida it 'did' make a difference how many permanent resident campers where in the CG I stopped at. It became my first question when calling to ahead to reserve.

As a SE Fla native I often recommend Arcadia as a good place to snowbird if you are on a tight budget. It's far enough south for warm weather, not too far from the beach but at a price many are willing to pay. If you want more things to do then N or S of Arcadia will be better but you'll have to pay more. Bugs in the winter are not that big a deal and even fire ants are easy to control. Winter is the dry season in Fla so all of those problems are over stated for snowbirding. Any items that you will use in a week can be kept in it's own bag with a clip on it. Relax as you will not be there in the summer.

dog folks is right ,, the people are real nice people . very down to earth and genuine . and also right about it not being touristy . and also right about the farmers who could buy and sell me ,,, funny thing is though the farmers who own the land ,,orange groves ,,, dont live there . they live in sarasota ,,, and are still my friends .

Well I have lived in Florida for 35 years and most of elle8 says is their opinion and should be taken as such. It may be their attempt at being funny.

Arcadia is rural, and does have ants, those two items are true. The rest........

As for the people, the are much more friendly that those found in the standard tourist areas of Florida. Some of the farmers there could buy elle8 and not even miss it.

If you want the real Florida, Arcadia is a great place. If you want more of the tourist traps, it is not.

oh , yes , old people ,,, be prepared to pull a shopping cart of a moving cars bumper every time you go to the grocery store . they put it in reverse and go , no looking . oh and be patient while in the grocery store . old people do what they use to smack their for doing .

morning pattyann ,, i am a bostonian who lived in fla for 7 yrs . i have been to arcadia many times , lived in sarasota . the ants ,,well they are there . red ants actually . and you cant miss them . they make piles . step in one and immediately rip all your clothes off and get in the shower . like immediately . they can go from your feet to your neck in seconds . you will never even know they are on you until they start biting . the powder does kill them ,, what an awful smell to that powder . thats not what i would be worried about . as far as food goes ,,,not a problem at all . just keep it all in containers after opening . its humid there but not as much in the winter . what we call cockroaches , they call palmetto bugs . they are there ,,,and i use to have my house sprayed quarterly . everyone did . fla is buggy ,,,snakes , alligators , also . i mention snakes and alligators because they are in every fresh water lake,pond river . dont let the dogs go in the fresh water . okay so none of what i have mentioned should stop you from going . however ,,,,ARCADIA,,,,dont do it . its a pretty long drive to the ocean , one way, there is nothing but orange groves there . its farmland . the joke was , the best looking woman in town was the one who had at least 3 teeth . very backwards . very behind the times . alot of poverty . my concern is that there isnt anything to do other than hunt or fish . they did have an excellent rib place there ,,,forget the name ,,,and the rodeo comes every year . but honestly i wouldnt go there . i must be cheap rates or at least i hope so . if you want to be near a beach and activities , check out Sun and Fun in sarasota . it might be a little pricey now but it has everything . and its close to everything . and still off the beaten path . its on fruitville st. my mom stayed there for yrs. also there are some nice places that i understand arent too pricey in punta gorda i think ,,, stay along the coast . Arcadia is to central ,,,nothing there . you can always drive out there to see , well, nothing . PM ,me if i can be of any help . i know the area well .

rickybobby

I would like to hear some of the "horror stories about real old people" !!!!!

Jack L

You shouldn't need a dehumidifier during snowbird season. I developed an ant problem a few months ago and used Terro to fight them. This product takes a whole different mindset since you want the ants to visit, then take the poison back to the nest. It took about 2 weeks but I've been ant-free since then.

Real old people in FL during snowbird season? You betcha. Since you're staying for the season, I would assume you'll be at a combo mobile home/RV park. As you're driving through the park, be on the lookout for tricycles and folks using walkers. Don't mess with the shuffle board courts.

FL will seem worlds apart from AZ. I have live both places. Our winter months are generally dry (relatively) but bugs will be bugs and really no problem once you learn how to control them. Yes, ants are a biggy but boric acid sprinkled around will take care of them. Food storage is a big concern too. Keep open pkgs. in baggies or closed plastic containers.
Come and enjoy. You will love Arcadia!