Florida state park

wbwood wrote:

fla-gypsy wrote:
Been to all 4. St Andrews is a beautiful but very busy park lacking serious maintenance. The beach area is fantastic and PCB offers activities for the entire family. Camping on the water at the Grand Lagoon is very nice and provides great kayaking opportunities. Henderson is a great park but travelling around Destin is difficult due to traffic. It would the best location for Deep Sea fishing IMO. Topsail is loved by most but not me, overpriced for what you get IMO but is FHU. Grayton's FHU loop is my favorite by far. Not as many people, good kayaking opportunities and a great beach.

I think Topsail is well worth the extra $12 a night in price ($42 vs $30 at Grayton). For one, you are almost guaranteed to be shaded and on a concrete parking pad. Landscaped. The gravel and open sun at Grayton gets hot, especially during the summer. Topsail also has a pool, cable tv, shuffle board, a store for a few supplies, etc... like I said, if you could put topsail at Grayton's location, then it would be awesome. But $42/night for the amenities at Topsail is a decent price, especially at the ocean.

I don't care about landscaping, I prefer the natural Florida landscape. I choose a shady spot at Grayton and reserve 11 months out and run my A/C. The dinky overcrowded pool at Topsail doesn't compare to the wide open beach at Grayton that I can drive to and leave on my schedule. TV and shuffleboard are not why I go camping. A beautiful beach and a campfire in my native environment is. I will save my $12 for my next meal and enjoy what God created, to each his own but the OP was seeking opinions.

fla-gypsy wrote:
Been to all 4. St Andrews is a beautiful but very busy park lacking serious maintenance. The beach area is fantastic and PCB offers activities for the entire family. Camping on the water at the Grand Lagoon is very nice and provides great kayaking opportunities. Henderson is a great park but travelling around Destin is difficult due to traffic. It would the best location for Deep Sea fishing IMO. Topsail is loved by most but not me, overpriced for what you get IMO but is FHU. Grayton's FHU loop is my favorite by far. Not as many people, good kayaking opportunities and a great beach.

I think Topsail is well worth the extra $12 a night in price ($42 vs $30 at Grayton). For one, you are almost guaranteed to be shaded and on a concrete parking pad. Landscaped. The gravel and open sun at Grayton gets hot, especially during the summer. Topsail also has a pool, cable tv, shuffle board, a store for a few supplies, etc... like I said, if you could put topsail at Grayton's location, then it would be awesome. But $42/night for the amenities at Topsail is a decent price, especially at the ocean.

Been to all 4. St Andrews is a beautiful but very busy park lacking serious maintenance. The beach area is fantastic and PCB offers activities for the entire family. Camping on the water at the Grand Lagoon is very nice and provides great kayaking opportunities. Henderson is a great park but travelling around Destin is difficult due to traffic. It would the best location for Deep Sea fishing IMO. Topsail is loved by most but not me, overpriced for what you get IMO but is FHU. Grayton's FHU loop is my favorite by far. Not as many people, good kayaking opportunities and a great beach.

We've stayed at all except Henderson (drove through it)...here's our synopsis.

St Andrews - Been about 14 years since we were there. Close to the Panama City Beach action. Sites were ok. We were in a pop up on the bay side.

Grayton - Loved the location of it next to Seaside. It has two sections. The older section sites are more secluded, but on dirt and a dirt road. Only electric and water. The newer section is full hook ups (minus cable). They are mostly on gravel. A couple of the handicap sites are on concrete I believe. Easy access to beach (you can drive to it).

Topsail - Probably one of the nicest state parks you will have seen. Full hook ups (to include cable tv). It's the prettiest. Good location. A little ways out from Destin. Far enough to not have the traffic, but close enough to be there in 20 minutes. Would love this park at Grayton's location as we really like the town of Seaside. There's a pathway that you can walk, ride bike or take the tram to the beach. It's about a mile long. Not too bad.But you can't drive to it.

Henderson - right down in the middle of Destin. Sites are gravel and water/electric only. Dump station at park. Easy access to the beach. Probably our least favorite due to the location. We prefer not to be in all the busy section. There is a Walmart across the street though.