Florida 1st time

[spud1957]

We are heading to Florida for the winter. Couple questions looking for opinions.

We are driving down for the month of November and don't have reservations. Plan on staying north of I4. Flying home for Dec. Fly back down mid Jan and stay till April.

Should we be concerned about not having reservations north of I4? Since it's our first trip, not sure I want to commit to a place right yet. Don't mind staying short term for a couple weeks and moving on.

If anyone can share there thoughts would be great.

Thanks
S

[lizzie]

We winter a long way north of Orlando in the FL Panhandle. We had freezing temps exactly twice last year, both times were during the night followed by a beautiful, crisp day. It, and the winter of 2015, was the warmest winters I can recall in Florida. We are seeing citrus trees again in our area. We had tangerines, grapefruit, and kumquats during my childhood but they died in a series of hard winters in the early 60's. Impossible to predict this far ahead of course but I hope we do get a few more cool nights to help control the bugs. lizzie

[The_Painting_Te]

spud1957 wrote:
Thanks for all the responses.

North Beach? Nice looking park but almost $90/night Canadian? Too rich for me.

Clerbrook Golf and RV Resort? Good potential. I hope to bring my clubs. Rates aren't too extreme.

For the coming season at North Beach the rates are: November through February is $905(US) a month or about $30(US) a night (electric is extra ... about $1.25/day) AND we're blest with several of your countrymen/women

[spud1957]

Thanks for all the responses.

North Beach? Nice looking park but almost $90/night Canadian? Too rich for me.

Clerbrook Golf and RV Resort? Good potential. I hope to bring my clubs. Rates aren't too extreme.

[Dick_B]

Take a look at Clerbrook Golf and RV Resort in Clermont, FL. They are huge and always seem to have space for us. You don't have to be a golfer but it would be convenient if you were.

[charlestonsouth]

spud1957, Google the following blog: khflorida.blogspot.com

This was their travels in Florida last winter season and includes maps. They also flew home for the holidays. However, their blog does not become active until they hit the road each season, so it is hard to ask them questions before the winter season starts. But everything on it is very self-explanatory.

[TomG2]

darsben1 wrote:
With Texas under water you might want to rethink committing; Clean up will take a while and some normal winter Texans might become winter Floridians

The four hundred plus RV parks in the RGV (Rio Grande Valley of Texas) where most Winter Texans go, was unaffected by the Hurricane. As crazy as it sounds, we need rain. Plenty of excess capacity in the RGV for those who want to check it out.

[darsben1]

With Texas under water you might want to rethink committing; Clean up will take a while and some normal winter Texans might become winter Floridians

[The_Painting_Te]

I can tell you from past experience North Beach Camp Resort in St Augustine has plenty of space in Jan and Feb, but it fills up in March...not sure about Nov/Dec Our first year ('06) we spent a week at a time in 12 different places and had no trouble getting those one-week reservations. Good luck

[TomG2]

When I was preparing to spend my first winter in Florida, I mentioned to an experienced guy that I was thinking about staying north of Orlando. He laughingly said that I might as well stay in Illinois if I was not going to South Florida. I took his advice and loved my three winters in the Arcadia area. A few degrees does not sound like much until the water line freezes and it is too cold to sit outside and enjoy an iced tea. Day after day.

[Ivylog]

I would suggest StageStop in Winter Garden as you can store your rig there. I'm a no reservations type and N of I-4 will not be a problem if you use Google and various towns to find CGs that do not advertise.

[PghBob]

Spud, to some degree it may well depend on where geographically you will stay "north of I4". I think if you stay closer to the Georgia line or inland away from the coasts, you will have better luck finding a spot without reservations. If you want to stay closer to Orlando or near the coasts, you will likely have a more difficult time.

Since this will be your first trip to Florida, some would suggest staying a one place a couple of weeks, then moving on to explore another place, is a good strategy. This could help you find a special place where you might want to spend the season on future trips.

Be advised, if you stay north of I4, you may run into some below freezing temps. at times. Most believe if you want to stay away from freezing temps, you need to be south of I4, which is in general, a more expensive trip. We have experienced below freezing temps in the Orlando area.

Best wishes for a safe trip.

[Dutch_12078]

We started making our Florida reservations for this winter while we were still there last winter, including the ones north of I4. Even then we found some of the parks fully booked already, and some of the state parks filled up within seconds of the 11 month reservation window opening. For short term stays of a couple of days or so, you'll probably be okay, but longer stays of a week or more could be problematic. I suggest calling around now to see where you can get in. The RV Park Reviews website is an excellent source for finding suitable parks with good user histories.