Who is going South this Winter?

cheteckie wrote:
We are newbie snowbirds, too. We're heading southwest as soon as all the leaves are off the trees, and the lawn raked.

Born and raised in Green Bay and remember raking leaves mixed in with some snow. With the leaves wet it made it easy raking.

Living in Reno now and the leaves are coming off the trees in the yard, although the weather has been warm in the 80's the last couple of weeks, we can't wait to head to Casa Grande in mid-November.

Safe travels.

We are on the road heading south at this time.

chevman

larry barnhart wrote:
We are on the road heading south at this time.

chevman

That's not fair!!!

You going to beat us down to Casa Grande?

Safe travels Larry & Linda....see you down there.

LynnandCarol wrote:
We are already here (Rockport, TX)! And the Winter Texans are slowly trickling in already! This is the earliest we have been here (normally arrive in Dec.). They are arriving earlier than normal to enjoy some beach time while it is still warm, which it is. Upper to mid 80's. Some will be flying home for the holidays and then returning.

I am thinking about heading there in a couple of weeks for a few days (Oct after Columbus Day).

Do you have any recommendations between Rockport and Port Aransas where to camp?

Will be heading down to Crystal River, FL (about 75 miles north of Tampa along the coast) just after Christmas for 3 months. It's our 4 year. The first year was for 6 weeks, then about 9 weeks, went for nearly 3 months last year, and this year will be 3 months. Notice the pattern here.

First year we traveled around Florida staying 2-7 days in about 8 different locations searching for where we might want to spend more time the next year. Second year we stayed in Crystal River for a month and traveled around. Third year we stayed in Crystal River 2+ months and traveled around a bit less. This coming winter we'll be in CR for 3 months straight unless we decide to take a short side trip or two.

Do some research on RV parks in areas you might want to check out and stay for a few days to get a feel for the surroundings. When I say research I mean using RV Park Reviews.com or inquire on the Snowbirds forum here on RV.net about good parks in areas of interest. We didn't make many reservations the first 2 years, but found that things are getting busier these days as the economy is improving and more boomers are retiring.

Areas south of I-4 are more expensive, especially along the coasts (often $,1000+/month). The middle of the state, along US27 are generally less expensive (can find parks from low of $400+ up to $750/month). We liked the Sebring area (stayed at Highland Hammocks State Park) but didn't find a private park that fit our needs...yet.

We prefer moderate temps over hot, thus the Crystal River area appealed to us. It's not a beachy area, but if you like to fish or kayak it's very good. Great seafood in the area too. Nice golf courses and Tampa is about an hour or so away if we want the big city amenities.

Explore and decide for yourself. Happy Travels!

LowRyter wrote:

LynnandCarol wrote:
We are already here (Rockport, TX)! And the Winter Texans are slowly trickling in already! This is the earliest we have been here (normally arrive in Dec.). They are arriving earlier than normal to enjoy some beach time while it is still warm, which it is. Upper to mid 80's. Some will be flying home for the holidays and then returning.

I am thinking about heading there in a couple of weeks for a few days (Oct after Columbus Day).

Do you have any recommendations between Rockport and Port Aransas where to camp?

LowRyter: Here are some of the better RV parks in Aransas Pass (Between Rockport and Port-A). They all have Websites! Feel free to PM us if we can help out further.

Aransas Bay RV Resort
Ransom Road RV Park
The Palms RV Park
Redfish Bay RV Resort

thanks

Last year we went out west, This winter we are going to Naples for 3 months Jan Feb Mar. Leaving Canton ohio the 1st of Dec and stopping off at paris island s.c. for a couple of weeks then work our way to Naples.
Last year was our 1st year, R Ving is fun

X2 on the Sebring area. We used to go to CB Smith in Pembroke Pines, but tried in the Sebring area and loved it. We ended-up buying a park model there. Sebring is centrally located, has good shopping, lots of lakes for fishing, lots of golf courses, and is in the middle of the orange groves and cattle ranches. Disney World is less than 1 1/2 hours away, and several cruise ship ports (Tampa, Canaveral, Ft Lauderdale, and Miami) are a couple or so hours away. Most importantly, it's south of the frost line. I think I only had to cover my tomato plants twice last winter. Rates will tend to be a lot cheaper than parks near the coast. RVparksreviews.com is a good place to start, but, be forewarned, not all of the parks advertise or are reported there. Our park is on FL 17, the truck route around Sebring and off the main drag (US 27).

We already live in AZ so don't go anywhere. 365 days a year of RV'ing within a couple hour drive or less from Phoenix. Cool mountains during the summer and moderate temps in the desert during the winter. Love it!