Where to go?

MichDoc wrote:
We LOVE Texas, but HATE the border area of the Rio Grande Valley. We found it dirty, congested, and no different than "camping" within the boundaries of any great big city. (And now, at this point, the "RGV Varsity Cheerleading Squad" will jump in to tell you how wonderful it is). :B
If some occasional cool nights don't bother you, try the Hill Country west of San Antonio (Kerrville, Fredericksburg, etc.). Beautiful, hilly country with lots of rivers and streams......very reminiscent of Tennessee. If you like it a bit warmer, and enjoy the beach, then check out Rockport, Port Aransas, and Mustang Island areas. You can camp right on the beach on Mustang Island if you like boondocking.
We did one month each in several areas, and finally settled on Rockport, but there are so many beautiful and interesting areas in Texas to explore.

I wholeheartedly agree. We spent last winter roaming around Florida (making reservations a few days before arrival at each place!) and had a blast. We spent this winter in the Rio Grande Valley and really disliked it. Unfortunately we had paid for the winter. We did explore the South Padre Island area and agree that area (Rockport/Aransas Pass) would be the place to go in Texas - as well as our favorite Hill Country of Texas.

rockhillmanor wrote:
Some people swear by Florida and some swear by Texas. I read all the forum posts on both for a year and then decided on Florida.

Florida is such a small state that no matter where you park you can go and see something nice on a day trip. Don't like the CG you are in? Within a day you can drive to another area of Florida. State is so narrow you can just about spend one day on the Gulf Side and then drive to the East coast to enjoy the ocean there the next!

CG's might be higher priced in Florida but IMHO there is WAAY more to do and drive to than where the Texas snowbirds park. I really never hear them talk much about driving to see attractions or site see. I'm sure some do but just saying from what I see on the forum. That and the Texas Snowbirds speak of the wind and dust quite a bit. THAT was what my deal breaker was.

But we do not talk about the crowds and line ups, higher prices, disgruntled neighbours or frosty nights. We will leave that to you Floridians. Just saying

Just a little insight on being in a park that is in the middle of Florida.

We spent a winter in Mount Dora, Fl (great weather and fun area.) It was $600/month (cheap) and was 60 minutes from either coast. If DW wanted to catch some salt air and sun while I surfed fished it was an all day affair. An hour there, and hour back, pack the car, fight traffic, find a parking space, keep a meter fed, find a place for lunch, etc... On the plus side we went on three fire sale cruises that winter (very nice to drive one hour and jump on the cruise ship.)

In Texas we now have slightly worst weather (cooler, cloudy, & windy), and not nearly as an affluent area like a Florida tourist areas, but we can walk to the beach. All that for $500 a month and people that make us know what a "Winter Texan" really means(neighbor.)

I find Texas a wonderful place to be an RV'er if mobile. No reservations, with lots of things to see and do. You can move around weekly or monthly and never have issues. Florida is not that way.

I just love what Shirley said "A lot of the fun and adventure in RV'ing is exploring all the options" If you're young (age, mind, or in heart) then keep the wheels rolling. Plenty of time to settle down in a non-moving place and play pickle ball.

This year was our first winter to go south. I've followed threads on this site for several years and created a load of info for both Texas and Florida. When it came down to it I decided I was partial to having more vegitation than Texas can provide. I read threads from people that wintered in Texas who found it was often windy down in the RGV and somewhat dusty. We were down there back in the 90's and also had been to Florida so we knew enough to decided we'd give Florida our first try. We liked it so much we're going back for longer next winter.

Florida parks can be more expensive than Texas. At least when comparing monthly rates for RV parks. We found some less expensive parks even further south where it is often more expensive. If you stick to the middle of the state, along US27, you will find the parks there to generally be less expensive than the coastal parks. But the beaches are certainly nice along the coasts. Still, Florida isn't so big and that allows you to visit the coastal areas even when staying in the interior.

I think you can find parks in both Texas and Florida without making reservations. We stayed in 9 different parks during out trip this past winter so we'd get a better feeling of the different regions. We only made three reservations the whole time and one of those was a state park (usually need reservations, especially in south FL). The other two reservations were in the Keys and a park near Miami, but we could have stayed in both without reservations as there were always vacancies during our stays.

Take the opportunity to go to one state or the other and travel around rather than staying in one place the whole time. Definitely do some research on this site or RVparkreviews.com. That's how we narrowed down our parks.

We LOVE Texas, but HATE the border area of the Rio Grande Valley. We found it dirty, congested, and no different than "camping" within the boundaries of any great big city. (And now, at this point, the "RGV Varsity Cheerleading Squad" will jump in to tell you how wonderful it is). :B
If some occasional cool nights don't bother you, try the Hill Country west of San Antonio (Kerrville, Fredericksburg, etc.). Beautiful, hilly country with lots of rivers and streams......very reminiscent of Tennessee. If you like it a bit warmer, and enjoy the beach, then check out Rockport, Port Aransas, and Mustang Island areas. You can camp right on the beach on Mustang Island if you like boondocking.
We did one month each in several areas, and finally settled on Rockport, but there are so many beautiful and interesting areas in Texas to explore.

I doubt there is a resort with more activities than Imperial Bonita Estates Located in SW Florida five miles from the beach and between Fort Myers and Naples, you will discover that the RGV wind and the middle Florida bugs just aren't here. People are here! And for a reason. If your idea of snowbirding is sitting outside with a book in one hand and a cold one in the other, then Florida is the place to be.

I'm not sure where the 2 gypsies were, but their list of negatives all in one place just isn't accurate. As stated elsewhere, winter is a time of low humidity in Florida; and the rest is hyperbole. Traffic is heavy at times, but intelligent snowbirds do not shop when the locals shop and quickly learn the back roads to avoid most traffic.

There's absolutely no reason to be afraid of being close to the border. You're reading too much 'glorified' news stories! :)

How about 1 month in each place (FL, TX, AZ) then you'd have a chance to see both children? You'll also get a feel of each place and it will be easier to choose the next year. If you're 'active' folks AZ is the best for beautiful hiking along with geocaching, golf, 4-wheeling, tennis, pickleball (the new craze) and many other activities. We absolutely love Arizona best of all three. The last time in FL we planned to stay 6 months. After 2 weeks we were out of there (bugs, humidity, rain, cold, crowds, traffic). The Rio Grande Valley of Texas was the same way but add the constant wind. Arizona has no bugs (in winter), no humidity, mild temps in the 70's for the most part with a few cold days but quickly warms up, and the spring winds don't start until March/April and it's not every day.

Have fun planning!

We were in the same situation you are when we first started looking for warm winter weather. First year we went to Florida and traveled the entire State. Loved the Keys. Florida is beautiful. We never stayed in one location longer than two weeks that winter. The problem we found is that the State is such a narrow strip of property it was just too crowded for our comfort zone. They cannot handle the influx of winter visitors on top of the already overcrowded highways/ businesses. We felt the locals were more than a little annoyed having to deal with so many winter visitors.

The next two winters were spent in Arizona. Arizona is beautiful! We made a base camp in Surprise but again we ventured out and tried to cover most of the state. With side trips to Vegas and Southern California. So much to do and see in Arizona!!

Then we went to South Texas. The Rio Grande Valley. I think it is fair to say there is not a lot of beauty in the land in that area. Just pretty flat. Of course South Padre Island is beautiful. What we found were the people so kind and welcoming. They genuinely liked us and were very kind and polite. Yes I realize we are quite a boost to their economy but we are to Florida and Arizona also. You do not see the big "Welcome Back Signs" all over Florida and Arizona as you see in Texas.

You just have to venture out until you find the place that is the right fit for you. Even in the RGV it took a few years for us to find the location and the park that felt like home to us. I can't remember how many years we have been coming to the same park maybe about 8 years.
A lot of the fun and adventure in RV'ing is exploring all the options.

Shirley

We like south Texas, friendly locals, warm weather, low costs for food, fuel, entertainment and RV parks. We have wintered within 2 miles of the Mexico border the past 8 winters. Being close to the border does not worry us, we even make regular trips to Mexico.

Winter is the dry season in Florida and the humidity drops considerably in the state. Compared to NY winters, you'll find the sub-tropical climate of N. Florida to be quite warm up until mid-December. It'll cool down to temps ranging between a high of 68° and low of 44° on average between Dec. and March and get warmer as you move south into the tropical region. There's always a chance of a cold snap in Florida. Regardless, you're going to see native Floridians in long sleeve shirts, sweaters and jackets during the winter. Acclimated to warmer temps, 55° in Key West is quite cold to natives and implants having lived there for a couple of years.

Georgia, North and South Carolina are doable in the winter. In NC, you want to stay in the Piedmont and Coastal areas where campgrounds are open. You may get a day or two with a little snow or an ice storm that comes through. Still, far better than NY conditions. Generally, CGs in the NC mountainous areas are closed. Good luck in your travels. Travel safe.