snowbirding for the 1st time

[mirwin]

Hi All,

Hubby and I would like to snowbird in Florida for the month of January. A friend suggested trying out a Sun RV resort. Can anyone suggest one that you have stayed at? Also, if I stayed around the Ocala area how is the weather in January?

[Jim_Shoe]

If you're looking to avoid the cold, pick a spot south of Orlando. And the closer you are to one of the coasts, the higher the price. If you want to avoid crowds, go in the summer. 🙂

[Louba]

Mike,

I did go over to 7 Rivers one time last year and hooked up with a couple from RCC. I'll look you up when we get there Feb 1. Let me look and see where we'll be this year...
hmmm, my confirmation email doesn't say but we picked out a site up on the upper level, somewhere around 328 or 330. I'll see you then.

Lou

[Parrothead_Mike]

Louba wrote:

Parrothead Mike wrote:
There is a good group of golfers there

Mike,
We were at Rock Crusher last Feb and will be again this Feb. There was never any kind of notice posted about golf groups. How can I hook up with the golfers there next year?

Lou

Lou: I know what you mean. One morning while walking I had to ask a fellow camper that had his clubs/bag out sitting by the side of the road (apparently waiting for someone to pick him up). He mentioned someone I should check with and then I had to find which site he was at before I went over to ask him about hooking up with the golfing group. I was there two weeks before I discovered the golf group as it's not posted in the clubhouse.

Once I got hooked up I found out that they played once a week at 7 Rivers Golf & Country Club, which isn't far from the park. They want you to get your handicap established so they can set up the different groups on golf day. I'll be at site 177 after mid-January. You can check with me and I'll hopefully be able to get the coordinator's name & campsite so you can play. I've got the info, but I can't lay my hands on it right at the moment. I'm still kind of a newbie, having played only twice before we left to go north, but I'm on the list for next winter.

See you next February!

[Louba]

Parrothead Mike wrote:
There is a good group of golfers there

Mike,
We were at Rock Crusher last Feb and will be again this Feb. There was never any kind of notice posted about golf groups. How can I hook up with the golfers there next year?

Lou

[Bill1374]

Yep, great paark. Me and the black Lab will be there mid January to mid March. Real nice park with lots of friendly folks. Area is very nice with many small restaurants with great food (Freezer is a must)

[Parrothead_Mike]

neschultz wrote:
Hey Parrothead Mike -

Thanks for the suggestions. We just reserved the month of Feb in Rock Crusher Canyon RV Park. Coincidentally, my wife wants to learn to paint and beginners painting classes are offered.

Norman & Janet

Glad to see that you were able to reserve for February. We will be there mid-January to mid-March. I saw some of the painting classes and hope your wife enjoys. There is a good group of golfers there and horseshoes on Wednesday and Sunday.

[Boldtning]

Norman & Janet
GREAT choice at Rock Crusher Canyon. We've wintered there for the past 5 years. I'm sure you'll enjoy the park and the people!

[neschultz]

Hey Parrothead Mike -

Thanks for the suggestions. We just reserved the month of Feb in Rock Crusher Canyon RV Park. Coincidentally, my wife wants to learn to paint and beginners painting classes are offered.

Norman & Janet

[Louba]

In answer to the original question...the only Sun resort I've stayed in is Grand Lake Golf & RV near Citra, FL. We stopped there for 2 nights on the way down last winter and found it to be a very nice park although a bit far from anything. If you're staying for a month I think the rate is around$700. Temps in January can be nice or it can be cold...you never know.

[Bears_Den]

Take it from a Floridian who has been thru 30 snowbird seasons, the farther south you go the warmer the weather. With that said, the farther south you go the more crowded and expensive it gets. By the time Easter comes we locals are looking forward to less crowds and cheaper prices. Yes, we too have to pay higher prices. Good luck.

[mirwin]

Thank you Mike and to all who responded. This is great info for me to check out. Hopefully I can find something nice that won't be too expensive. I did call one park caled the Tropical Palms and they wanted $1600 per month. Ouch.....that was a bit pricey.

[Parrothead_Mike]

I'll offer a few suggestions.

For a more north location you might check out Rock Crusher Canyon in Crystal River. This area is called the Nature Coast where you can see and swim with the manatees. Crystal River is about 75 miles north of Tampa and 30+/- miles southwest of Ocala. We've stayed here and will be there for a couple of months next winter. It has a state park feel, but with FHUs and cable for a reasonable price.

http://rockcrusherrvpark.com/


A bit northwest of Orlando you'll find Olde Mill Stream campground in Umatilla. This is a small rural town, but there is plenty of shopping and places to visit nearby. The park is very nice with nice sites and a good activity calendar if you're interested. We stopped here 2 winters ago for a 3-4 day stay as we moved around Florida checking out various campgrounds.

http://oldemillstreamrvresort.com/

Further south, in the Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda area, although it's mail address in Arcadia, is Riverside RV Resort. It's really much closer to Port Charlotte and only about 5 miles east of I-75. We stayed here last winter for a week and really enjoyed our stay. Lots of activities, nice pool area, and a very large activity center for guests. It's a bit more expensive than the 2 above, but again, we wanted to visit a number of campgrounds to see where we might want to stay again for a longer period.

http://www.riversidervresort.com/

Another park we stayed at and enjoyed very much, but this is quite a bit further south. Miami Everglades RV Park. It's actually closer to Homestead than Miami and is located in a rural farming area away from the big city. Nice facilities.

http://www.miamicamp.com/

We went down a couple of years ago for 6 weeks and last winter for about 9 weeks. Next winter will be closer to 3 months and we reserved for 2 months at Rock Crusher because we like the setting, better traffic conditions, golf courses, great seafood, etc. We've stayed at state parks and private parks visiting various areas of the state. While it may be more expensive the further south you go you might consider the center areas of the state like Sebring, Winter Haven, Clermont, etc. (check out U.S. 27 areas) as prices are generally less as you move away from the coasts, but the parks can be just as nice. Good luck with your search.

[oh_boy]

Look up rvparkreviews.com and click florida..book early as fla. will fill up fast after the last 2 winters.

[pennysmom09]

Staying south of rt. 4 is a good way to choose a warm place in winter in Florida.