When the Snowbirds are Gone

We were at Gulf Waters in Fort Myers Beach last week and couldn't believe how 'dead' it is. There might have been 10 occupied sites in the park (excluding the ones that simply close up their rv but leave it on the site year round). We were told that there's might be about half a dozen people that stay there year round (out of 319 sites).

Last year I decided not to head back north. It WAS very interesting to watch everyone start packing up to leave and one by one they pulled out until I was the only one left in the park!

I too was disappointed on how small the sites where in Florida. I was not prepared for that. I had taken my time going down to Florida the first time and all the CG's I stayed at were real nice and roomy. Until I crossed the state line.

TomG2 wrote:

skipnchar wrote:
There is a good REASON for that. Heading to the gulf coast during hot weather months is not MY idea of a fun place to be :)

"They" told me that June is the busiest month of the year for tourists in Florida. Must be some people willing to "Go south" in the summer. Historically, people went to the coast in the summers to cool off and enjoy the beaches.

We're on the Gulf Coast from Nov.1st to May 1st every year and I would love to be there 12 months a year...I love the hot weather and I love to swim in the Gulf of Mexico...the water is delish!

Sher

skipnchar wrote:
There is a good REASON for that. Heading to the gulf coast during hot weather months is not MY idea of a fun place to be :)

"They" told me that June is the busiest month of the year for tourists in Florida. Must be some people willing to "Go south" in the summer. Historically, people went to the coast in the summers to cool off and enjoy the beaches.

I lived in that Resort for the better part of three winters and into the summer the third year. It is a large park with over 1500 spots and lots to do in "season". The spot I had was 40ft. wide so not to shabby by park standards. If you want to know about Fla. RVing
try one of our beautiful state parks.

Florida parks are funny like that. Some of them are so packed with RV's that you can barely stretch your arms between them. Might explain why so many are in a hurry to leave in the spring. Always amazes me why someone with a half million dollar plus coach would spend the winter packed in like that trying to save condo costs.

We enjoy COE parks and Casino RV parks. The midwest has a bunch of both all nicely spaced out. Makes our slow migration down and back very enjoyable.

Now this is my idea of a snowbird park (which is on the edge of hill country in Texas.) Nice place to hang out on either side of Jan/Feb.

Eycom wrote:


.......... The plentiful live oak trees gave the impression of "old Florida", but the location on a 4 lane U.S. Highway contributed a lot of noise 24/7. Plus, I was a sardine in a can. There's not many commercial parks that have MY definition of the "it" factor. Spending the winter at a 6 screen drive-in, sans the big screens, is not my cup of tea. To each, their own.:D

This is how I feel also. This past winter we were stuck in a lot with an RV so close on each side I could hear everything our neighbors said. We weren't thrilled with the situation but they did allow screen rooms and those First-Up gazebos. I felt we had no privacy at all. No space. I any case I wish my husband would consider spending a month in each place instead of all 3 months in the same Resort or CG. We did find a better place in the Ocala National Forest with much larger lots with RVs spaced further apart. We will at least have some privacy, some space to breathe this coming winter. Look past the cat and out the window behind her. You can see how close the RV next to us was. The green thing is their handrail. The RV in front was just as close. :(

The place that I stay in FL. in St. Petersburg has many permanent homes and the park is only about 1/3 full in the summer. The people that stay say it's real nice having all the facilities to themselves but they miss use snowbirds. There is also a lot less trafic in the summer.

R12RTee wrote:

empty_nest wrote:
I dunno. Just looks like a big "parking lot". Don't think I'd really like that. Some trees or bushes or something between lots would be nice. Is that the way most Florida CG's look?

The pictures are only showing a very small section of this campground and is a section only opened in the past five years or so. Small trees are planted but will take time to mature. In the background is an older section and you can see dense tree foliage. Most Florida campgrounds have lots of trees. Most of this campground is wooded with mature trees but the sites are a bit smaller. We only stayed there a few weeks to visit family and the open area is what we preferred.

So, there's more to the story than meets the eye.... :W Thanks!

empty_nest wrote:
I dunno. Just looks like a big "parking lot". Don't think I'd really like that. Some trees or bushes or something between lots would be nice. Is that the way most Florida CG's look?

The pictures are only showing a very small section of this campground and is a section only opened in the past five years or so. Small trees are planted but will take time to mature. In the background is an older section and you can see dense tree foliage. Most Florida campgrounds have lots of trees. Most of this campground is wooded with mature trees but the sites are a bit smaller. We only stayed there a few weeks to visit family and the open area is what we preferred.