Florida Rv Parks in Winter

Thanks Everybody for the insight. You've headed me in the right direction, as always. This is such a great Forum!

I just came back from FL....Stayed at the Clearwater Travel Resort----I think that is what it was called. Nice place, cheap, and clean....

Just to second what some are saying. From 2009 until last winter it was relatively easy to get a spot even Jan to April. This year not so much. Many more units in all of the parks. It depends on what you desire in a park. If you want to be "near" the beach you will need reservations Jan - Mar. If cost is a big factor you might want to stay north of I-4 or in south central Florida. Having said that, those areas are far more rural than the coasts. From Tampa south through Ft Myers west of I-75 plan on reservations Jan - Mar. As you can see Jan, Feb and Mar are the high season. In the more desirable locations you can not just drop in during those months. Do your research and then make reservations. You can modify your plans the next year from what you discover in the first year.

Staying In N Fort Myers at present. Parks are not full, probably more than the 350-450 you will pay near Disney. Above Orlando expect cooler weather but warm comparedTo where you live. FL state parks are not cheap and stays are limited to 2 weeks. Sites should be available at Lake Louisa, Clermont unless you try spring break.

Entirely depends on how set in where you want to stay.

Further south and east you go the more likely you'll need reservations to stay.
Especially if cost is a factor.

Further west things seem to open up more as there are more options. Central florida is generally better as well but keep in mind the closer you are to orlando the more likely you'll need to be time sensitive in your plans (school vacations).

In short if you have a decent radius of 30 miles or so you will be fine out near tampa and orlando. If you try that on the east coast south of St lucie or so then you might have issues unless you pay big bucks per month to stay at Outdoor Resorts or Vacation Inn.

As mentioned, South Fl., over and above what it already has become, gets very crowded with winter snowbirds because of the tropical weather. You can always identify the transplants during the winter. I lived in Key West back in the 60s, having moved there from my native Jax., FL. in Oct of '63. I was one of only a few in high school who made it through the winter in short sleeved shirts and hit the beach in a bathing suit. '64 was a different story. I dressed like the locals as my blood thinned out. Navy kids moving in after I did, made it through the winters in much the same way while stationed there... lol. It's all relative... what you become accustomed to.

As a working full timer, I travel without reservations (zip, zero) and usually winter in north and central FL. It's nice to reside in the few remaining vestiges of "Old Florida" where life is laid back, cost is more reasonable and the pace is slow. This year, as a walk-up, I spent Nov and Dec on the "Forgotten Coast" at a city park, FHUs @ $15/night and I'm currently near the state capital in a commercial park, full services @ $485/mo while visiting family. You'll find winters in the sub-tropical parts of the state to be quite mild relative to temps in SD. Good luck and travel safe.

I live in Florida and can't even find a State park to go to from November till March because of all the snowbirds filling them all up.....

Check out Quail Run RV Park in Wesley Chapel FL. Nice park with long level paved pull thrus. Not cheap in the winter but we felt it was worth it. That's where we stay when in Tampa area. It's about 20 minutes north of Tampa. Convenient to shops, restaurants, movie theater. A bit of a drive to the beach.
If you arrive during the week you should be able to get a site there unless they are having a rally. Holidays or weekends or for longer stay I would make reservations. They do charge for electricity on monthly rentals. Our electric for a month in the winter was about $75. Another park we like in FL is Rock Crusher Canyon. Off US19 northwest of Tampa.

The further south and the closer to the ocean the more you might want reservations and it's more expensive. That said, for a first trip I would not make any reservations as there are plenty of sites for a few days in SW Fla. For SE Fla where there are fewer RV parks and the Canadians come down early and stay all winter you will need reservations.

We are in Crystal River and there are more people in the park this year than ever. At over 400 sites. it looks like about 95% occupancy with very few spots available on weekends. The folks in the office are suggesting reservations before we leave if we want a long term spot next year.

Bill