Wickham Park in Melbourne, FL

[Pinikki36]

We are becoming full-timers in June, and I think our first stop is going to be Wickham Park in Melbourne, FL because it's located near my cousin and her family. Just looking for reviews. On their website it didn't list 'Laundry Facility'. I called today, though, and the lady that I talked to said that the laundry is in with the shower/bath house. I would love a pool (we have 2 young boys), but she said that they have 2 swimming lakes. I'm from WV/OH. When I think of a swimming lake in FL, I think of alligators! So a 'swimming lake' is perfectly normal? No alligators? I checked out the park on google maps, and it looks as if the sites are nice and spread out. Any bad experiences here?

[Pinikki36]

Thank you all for the responses. I feel better about our decision of making Wickham Park our first spot. Thanks!

[HappyKayakers]

I used to take my kids swimming in those lakes when they were younger. Saw lots of birds and turtles, never any gators. I would imagine that if a gator was spotted the rangers would put up the no swimming signs until they could relocate the thing.

[Mich_F]

My wife and I stayed there 2 or 3 nights back in Nov. We were going to a show at Eastern Florida State College, which is right next to the park and an easy walk.
It is a very nice, well kept up county park. It was too cold for swimming that weekend, but the areas looked nice. It was a great show (Celtic Thunder) and a great campground.
The two other Brevard county campgrounds, Manatee Hammock (formerly private - with a pool) and Long Point (my favorite for boating with many sites right on the water) are also nice.

[tegu69]

I live within a 45 minute drive of the park and a couple of years ago, we decided to go someplace close for a 4th of July holiday. We had never been there before and weren't sure of what to expect. It turned out that the campground was about half full for the holiday and we had a great time. Nice park with lots to do. Several months later, I wanted to go to a car show there and camp and was told they were full from October until about April with snowbirds. June should be good.

[agesilaus]

Yes there are alligators. Will they bother you, that's very unlikely. Just based on my own memory the last non-fatal attack was a couple of years ago. I just checked online and the odds are 1 in 24,000,000 (how they calculated that is a mystery). I will say do not allow your dog to swim, especially smaller ones since they can be in danger. And don't swim in poor light, near dawn, twilight or in the dark since that's when the gators come out.

Anyway I've been swimming in those lakes and ponds since the 1960's and have never had a problem yet. BTW do not feed the gators.

If you want to see a lot of gators, head down to the Everglades National Park and take US 41 across the north edge until you get to the Park's Shark Valley entrance. Take the tram ride or rent the bikes they have for the loop trail. You will see a LOT of gators and those gators I would not swim with....heh.

There is an Alligator Farm in St Augustine, but they only have caged gators that are more sad than threatening. However is you want to see, and very closely see, egrets , herons ect. in breeding plumage, then that's the place to go in the spring. Right now probably. You'll get within a few feet of the nests in some cases. Photographer's paradise then.

One other thing, if the water has a brown tint, that's normal and just comes from oak leaves. It does not mean the water isn't clean. I knew a women from NY who refused to swim in the brown water.