Where to go

We loved the panhandle when we did our retirement trip. We went all along the Gulf coast from Sarasota to Galveston and the panhandle was the nicest. We stayed at HoHum in Carabelle and Topsail Hill SP in Santa Rose Beach. Also stayed at Buccaneer SP in Waveland MS. The panhandle doesn't have the crushing congestion of central and south Florida. There are several private and state parks in the area.

We also enjoyed the Homasassa area about an hour north of Tampa. Once again, it's not like the rest of FL.

South of I-4 is fine is you have to have 70 degrees all winter. But parks down there are already booked for next year.

pcaffrey wrote:
Looking to go south for a couple of months this winter and looking for a destination. Places I really don't want to go are Florida Texas, and Arizona, just personal preferences. Looking along the Gulf Coast and would consider the Florida panhandle. Thoughts and suggestions, we are new to extended stay camping, travel with a 31' 5th wheel. Thank you

You have really limited yourself to a very small area. Rule of thumb is to stay below I-10 to try and make sure you stay warm all winter. Personally, the area that you've confined yourself to is one that we have spent time traveling through, a couple of weeks outside of Mobile, and wouldn't do again. Not enough to do, see, enjoy for us.

We're at Ho Hum in Carrabelle FL right now. Depending on what you like to do, this would be a nice place to winter. It's a no frills park right on the water, so fishing & relaxing are the order of the day...no activities. The area is a fishing area and not like central FL where we're from. Small towns/villages with major shopping 50 minutes to an hr. away.

You pretty much eliminated the 3 warmest locations. If you don't mind an occasional frost or frozen waterline there are options. The states you eliminated are large and have many options. What is it you don't like about them that we can help you avoid.

I could be wrong but I don't understand how I would be limiting myself, looking at maps it appears the Gulf Coast extends from Florida to Texas. Quite a distance. The three locations I mentioned it seems that everyone heads to those areas which seems to cause a lot of congestion and from reading on this and other sites a camp site would be hard to come by. Texas would be a possibility.

Our first winter of retirement, two years ago, we explored. We stayed anywhere to a week or two at any given area. Robertsdale, AL, Pass Christian, MS, Lafayette, LA, Willis, TX, Rockport, TX, Edinburg, TX, Mathis, TX and Glen Rose, TX. Of those locations, we chose to go back to Rockport, TX last winter. Unfortunately, that area was ground zero for hurricane Harvey, but as luck would have it, the park we had reservations with, had things cleaned up and ready for our arrival. We stayed four months, Dec-Mar and we are going back this winter. My only suggestion, decide what type of activities interest you and choose accordingly and the sooner the better, check availability for the dates you are looking for. Have fun.

I'm not sure where you want to go exactly but I would suggest you book now. Most RV parks are already booked up January thru March of 2019.
We booked ours the beginning of May and were lucky to get one of the last 2 sites open.

The areas you mentioned - the coastline can get cold during the winter. Spent 3 winters and part of a 4th on the coast in MS. Not near of bad as up north and usually no snow, but had an ice storm at the MS coast one of the winters we were there. Or, it can be mild and nice. You never know.

pcaffrey wrote:
I could be wrong but I don't understand how I would be limiting myself, looking at maps it appears the Gulf Coast extends from Florida to Texas. Quite a distance. The three locations I mentioned it seems that everyone heads to those areas which seems to cause a lot of congestion and from reading on this and other sites a camp site would be hard to come by. Texas would be a possibility.

I don't know what you mean by congestion and sites hard to come by in the major three states for winter. It just depends on what kind of park you're looking for. There are always openings in the 'not so popular' parks. The southern part of Florida is the warmest and will be more crowded. South Texas can be done as can the Tucson, Phoenix, Yuma areas of Arizona, including the outskirts. Every park doesn't fill and you don't have to make reservations years in advance.

If this is your first time wintering then I'd recommend picking a few places and different areas in each state - even using state parks for a week or two or Corp of Engineer parks so you can get a feel for the different areas of each state. Plopping yourself down for a couple months in a place you've never been isn't the way to go. You could be very disappointed in the park or the area but then you're stuck.

Skipping my stops in states you’re not interested in, I usually spend a couple months at Buccaneer State Park in Waveland, MS and a couple at Magnolia Branch Wildlife Reserve in Atmore, AL. You won’t encounter any blizzards but occasional chilly weather and even a below freezing night or two is likely.