New Snow Birds Looking For Help

Relatively new to this scene, but I'm full-timing for work related purposes. But $580.00 per month seems a tad steep compared to my $375.00 (+ power) w/wifi in Kingsville TX. I am in a really nice clean park, in a great town with lots to see and do nearby.

Re FL and reservations....strongly suggest you take care of that before you leave home. Most everywhere is pretty full and what remains may not be what you'd like. Agree on Kissimmee....very nice, away from the main crowds. Believe it was a KOA we stayed at several years ago. Not normally a KOA fan, but this was very nice and good size sites.

Back to Lakeland....from Jackson, TN to Lakeland is 792 miles. If you work it just right, you can overnight at the CW in Calera, AL - just south of Birmingham - with FHU at no charge if space available. Shopping is appreciated and I just always plan to get our black tank treatment + other necessities. The next stop, if needed is the CW Tallahassee. You may get FHU or just water/electric, but again no charge. Our DS has to have numerous stops to get out and move around, so it takes us 3 travel days when towing. There are not a huge number of CGs along I-65 and we usually take advantage of their hospitality.

HEB is the largest grocery store chain in the southern half of Texas. Good prices, great selections and service. Based in San Antonio. I think Mr. Butt didn't use his last name for obvious reasons.

Well, "economical" and travel trailer used in the same sentence doesn't always work, lol. We have gone for several years to Lakeland, FL for Detroit Tigers spring training. Usually just a week or so with our disabled son who is well past just being a baseball "fan". First thing to remember is Spring Break = lots of people = more $$ = traffic you would not believe. The closer you are to beaches the higher everything. Born and raised So CA, have seen all the beaches we need to, so we prefer to steer clear. We found Lakeland only because of DS#1's love of baseball and a dear friend who played for Detroit. Lakeland is on I-4 and about 1/2 way between Orlando and Tampa - a smidge closer to Tampa. We've stayed at Carefree RV Resort and recommend it highly. Meticulously clean, reasonably priced, security gate, friendly folks who have returned year after year. There are some park models, some TT and 5ers who may only stay for a period of time, but are considered full-timers. Some for only a week or so like we do. Some parks that have seasonals or full-timers can get really trashy looking....not Carefree. They are pet friendly...HOWEVER, 2 is the limit and they cannot be on "the list". We were prepared to get a park model and move there permanently last year but a corporate decree at the last minute changed their pet policy to 2 only and we have 4. Activities galore, pool,shuffleboard....if you find yourself bored, it's your fault. The location is wonderful for day trips. An hour to 1 1/2 to either the Orlando or Tampa areas, if you're a baseball fan there are lots of teams within a couple of hours. With health issues, medical facilities are always in the back of your mind and Lakeland has a huge and highly regarded medical center for central FL. Traffic is moderate.

You might notice we love Lakeland....we just bought a home there and as soon as we sell our current one, we're heading south. Guess where we're staying this visit?? We have a TT, but looks like it may be sold, so not using that. We have a home in Lakeland but the current owner is not due to leave until April 15, so not there. We're staying at Carefree in one of their cute cabins.

sail2liv wrote:
S Tx Port O Connor area 1/2 cost of Fla.....shop HEB.....if you are on move get Tx State park pass for about $70 pays for itself and then some....

Please define HEB

Thanks for all your help. As I stated we are pretty new to this and appreciate all hints and shortcuts. We are excited to give this a try and of course there is some trepidation when just deciding that the Ritz Carlton or buying a second home is out of the question. LOL
We are at the crossroad in our life where we need to make some decisions for the future such as do we sell out and buy or rent a condo somewhere or stay put and just try and spend the cold somewhere warmer. We have decided to give this route a try as we sadly are not independently wealthy. We enjoy traveling and have decided that this may be the most economical way to follow our dreams.
We watch Hotel Impossible on tv and are mortified to see how some Motels and Hotels are absolutely filthy and just decided that at least this way we are sure that our sheets are clean LOL. I need to be back in Nashville every 6 weeks for medical reasons for a few days and I am thinking that if we can find a nice reasonable place it would be best to visit home and family for a few days and then drive back south is better than dragging the TT back and forth. One of the biggest factors going with a travel trailer was that I sometimes just need to stop and lie down for a few hours because I can now only drive 4 hours at a time comfortably and this will give us the opportunity to stop and take a nap until my back settles down. Cold wet climate plays havoc with my condition and I get the winter blues without sunshine.
So looking forward to exploring this avenue and again appreciate your input.
We have a lot to learn and this way every day will be an adventure.

We have three dogs, one of them a golden retriever and have no problem with the cg. It's centrally located in Kissimmee, fl.and quiet, mostly retirees. The rate is 580 a month and includes wifi, no cable. Weather's great, come on down.

S Tx Port O Connor area 1/2 cost of Fla.....shop HEB.....if you are on move get Tx State park pass for about $70 pays for itself and then some....

Florida input -- the past 4 winters we've spent in the Punta Gorda area just north of Ft Myers. It's nice, but it's not warm enough for our taste - nights can be downright chilly - 40's & 50's mainly with an occasional 30's. This year we moved south to the Keys where it's consistently 10-20 degrees warmer at night. Days vary - right now it's 72 in Key West and 72 in Punta Gorda. So depending on the temperatures you're looking for, you may want to be further south than even Ft Myers. Of course, the Keys are more expensive and reservations necessary far far far in advance. Enjoy!

We were down to the Everglades last year in Feb. and Mar. with a 25 foot TT and had no problem finding camping spots. Rather than stay in one spot, were toured the State for three weeks.

Buy touring we could see where we would and would not like to stay.

Down the east coast we found several nice camp grounds. Things were a bit busy around the larger towns like Jacksonville and Daytona.

The Glades were nice and we came up the Gulf coast. There were many campgrounds on the Gulf side that were fishing resorts.

My point is, unless you are desperate for a place to stay, you might want to try several areas for a few days to see if you like the area. With a 20 ft. TT you should not have a problem getting a spot.

We used the Good Sam’s website and our cell phone to reserve ahead every few days so we always had a campsite waiting for us.

We put a lot more miles on the TV sightseeing than we did towing.