Ideas for FL in the summer

We are coming to FL in Aug! All I can say is that I'm glad the new coach has 2 A/C's. Going to visit some of the "tourist" areas as we don't have the same here in NY.

If you are talking weekend trips, you are SOL getting to nice weather. Miami to the Georgia border can easily be a 6hr run.

If you have a week or more, you might try the mountains around Tenn. A little altitude can help cool things down. Anything on the coasts will be hot and sticky in the summer (spent a miserable summer in SC where you never wanted to go outside because it was so hot and sticky).

You could try the keys. It will still be hot and humid but there is usually a breeze to make it a little more tolerable.

I tried to beat the heat at Ft. Benning, GA, and failed.

I can second Rock Crusher Canyon. Been there a few times and will use it again in future travels. It has tall trees so you do get shade and are able to stay out of the direct sun. It has a great pool and club house. If you like to fish Crystal River is all about fishing. Love the area ourselves.

St. Augustine is nice, anytime of the year. Recommend Stagecoach RV park there.

I understand Rock Crusher Canyon in Crystal River is nice.

I am about 10 miles from Hillsborough River State Park. Park is nice to go to, but nothing outstanding on the campground. OK, tho, for a change.

My favorite area to beat the heat (lived in FL 60 years) is Elijay, GA or Mountain City, GA

I've found the same, Dutch, poking around California, Nevada and Arizona....close to home.

RRinNFla wrote:
I like Myakka River SP, near Sarasota, and Hillsborough River SP NE of Tampa.

Ditto on Myakka, Hillsborough is OK but not outstanding in my view, YMMV. Oscar Scheer is also a good park in the area, it has beach access within 20 mins or so.

I like Myakka River SP, near Sarasota, and Hillsborough River SP NE of Tampa.

Think of it this way, millions of people travel TO Florida for their one and only 2 week Summer vacation and have so much to do, they can barely scratch the surface of possibilities. You live there and can't see what draws millions of visitors each year to your state.

Perhaps it's time to take a vacation North and get out of Florida. Folks going South for vacations don't see the attractions in their own back yard either. So maybe a trip North is what you need.

Several years ago, when this country had an economic turn down, fuel prices skyrocketed, and folks were loosing employment and their homes left-and-right, we also were caught in the financial pinch. But that did not stop us from camping.

We live in Indiana, and I thought about it for a little bit and realized millions of people travel to Indiana to visit my state. What is in this state that attracts so many, that maybe I've just become deadened to. So, I opened my eyes and started studying out all the different kinds of attractions Indiana offers and what the tourist industry considered "hot spots".

My wife and I then formed a plan. We would visit and camp in every Indiana State Park and State Recreation Area run by the Indiana DNR system. Travel anywhere in the state was 3 hours at the most one way, easy to do, and relatively cheep camping. So we started our quest. It took about 8 years, but we finally did it. We camped at every State Park and State Recreation Area in Indiana that has a campground, and we visited those that did not have a campground.

What we found out was astounding. Each State Park had something completely different and unique to offer visitors there. Many have so much activity and things to do, sites to see, and surrounding attractions that's it's impossible to take it all in on a 2 or 3 day week-end. Also, camping at different times of the year make the same campground uniquely different too.

I gained a new appreciation for Indiana. We gladly return to any of the State Parks or Recreation Areas in Indiana now, never get tired of returning to any of them, over and over again. Each time, it's always different.

We are now again branching out farther than just Indiana. We started going to ..... yes ... Florida ... once a year or so (mostly the Pan Handle area), and we REALLY enjoy the State Parks in Kentucky and South Carolina. We haven't been to a bad one yet (Except Boonsboro State park in Kentucky, which has horrible road traffic noise and a stone quarry that starts operation at 6:00 am right beside the campground.)

So, I suggest, do a Google Search for "Weird Florida" and see, just how many oddities and strange and new things there are in your State that you've never thought about before.

Or, travel North. There's LOTS of forests and wooded areas to camp in. This might be a pleasant experience to escape the Florida heat!

Sure the north of Orlando state parks with springs. Manatee, Rainbow, Blue Springs ect. Plus the Federal Juniper, Alexander springs ect. Most of the CG are well shaded under trees and you can jump in the springs to really cool off. Hiking isn't great since most of the trails have sugar sand and long sunny stretches. There are also commercial parks on the rivers up here which often have shaded sites in their CG and the river for swimming and canoeing/boating.