Fla Gukf Coast

[pennstaterv]

Hi all -

I am looking to plan a trip this spring to the Gulf coast... Preferable the Bradenton area.

First off, is it too late to get a reservation for March? And second, any suggestions for a nice park close to the beach?

Thanks!

Can't wait for spring!

[pennstaterv]

thanks for all the help.

anyone have any strong feelings towards the bradenton fl area vs clearwater? being from PA we are phillies fans and would like to catch a spring training game or two --- for some reason I remember reading the bradenton area had nicer RV parks

[spoon059]

pennstaterv wrote:
Thanks spoon, really appreciate it.

What was too long for the 4 month old? The drive?

We just had our first and he will be 5 months in March...

Yea, I was afraid of the long drive. We are coming from a little closer than you will, the DC area. When it was me and the bride we would drive about 500 miles in a day, then stop for the night, then drive the final 400 miles or so. It would be 8 or 9 hours on the road per day, plus gas breaks (small 26 gallon tank in the Tundra) plus bathroom breaks.

This year we are breaking it up even more. Going to drive about 4 or 5 hours the first day and stop. Then we are going to drive 3 or 4 more hours and stop for 2 nights in Savannah on the way down. After stopping in Savannah we are going to drive the final 5 or 6 hours straight into Bradenton for a week. On the way home we are stopping in Charleston for 2 or 3 nights. Depending on how everything else goes we are planning to drive straight back home from Charleston. Worst case scenario we break up that final leg and stop somewhere in NC again on the way home.

[wbwood]

I would make reservations now. We made reservations for state park in destin area back in November For April and was very limited on sites. Had to adjust my arrival date by a day just to get a few days there and then a few days elsewhere. Spring is a very popular time in Florida.

[noe-place]

We go down frequently on spring break with our grandson and I don't make reservations till January or Feb and have always gotten a site whichever campground we've chosen.

[pennstaterv]

Thanks spoon, really appreciate it.

What was too long for the 4 month old? The drive?

We just had our first and he will be 5 months in March...

[spoon059]

Might not be out of luck. We are going in February and got spots, I think there were more available. We go to Buttonwood Inlet RV Park. It is the closest to Anna Maria Island, off Cortez Rd, less than a mile from the gulf. Easy drive, walk or bike ride to the Gulf. They have full hook up sites. The "cheapo" sites are right on Cortez Rd, but I don't find it to be too noisy. They renovated last year, we had just had our first child and that was too long a trip with a 4 month old. The old bath house and sites were perfectly fine then, I can only imagine they are nicer now. They have a pool that we've never used in February trips.

We're gone to Holiday Cove before, WAY over priced. Nice RV park... but over TWICE the cost of comparable sites at Buttonwood. We stayed there one time because it was the only close place available for a last minute trip.

If you can't find a spot there, you have options within a half hour of the water that seem nice.

www.Frogcreekrv.com
www.lazyoaksrvpark.com
Little Manatee River State Park (don't know the website)

All three of these are our "backup" parks in case we can't find a spot. I've never been to them, but the reviews were good and the parks look nice and affordable. With a 16 month old and 3 dogs, the closer to the water we are, the better. A 5 minute drive home for naps or dog walks beats a 30 or 45 minute (depending upon traffic) drive every time!!!

There are other 55+ communities in the area, some close to the water, others a little further out.

Not sure if you have ever been to the area before, but it is BEAUTIFUL!!! Bring a bike and some sunscreen! We are super excited for our trip... leave February 15th for the trip down there!!!

[Jack_Diane_Free]

Making a reservation now for March would be very iffy since that is March break for just about everybody. You might get lucky on a cancellation but the area you are looking at is very popular. Just get on the email/phone and spend some time investigating.

[Bears_Den]

Go to rvparkreviews.com and look up campgrounds in Bradenton. This will give you an idea what there is in the area and get aditional feedback posted on this site.