Where to camp?

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Permalink Reply by Cherie Schneider on August 2, 2010 at 12:40pm

You have a few things to consider here--first the time of year and storms. We are careful to plan our camping when we aren't going to get those nasty summer storms at 3pm every day. If you do this then you will avoid most of the heat/mosquito season.
Next are ticks--they are vicious in certain areas and parks if they don't control the deer--we love O'leno and this area but the ticks are horrid so we don't camp in the interior parts of FL---we LOVE going to Anastasia State park--you really can't get any better in our opinion--go for coquina loop--during the summer and holidays though you have to reserve your spot a year in advance. Don't ever expect to drive up to a Fl State park and get in --doesn't happen. During the fall we love going to north Ga camping--but when it's apple season again you have to reserve your spot a year in advance (big fair time and they are fun)--it was so much easier when the kids were small and we didn't have to take into consideration band, tests,etc--you could reserve a year in advance and know you were going--but now that the kids are older we've given up camping because we just can't plan that far in advance now. Just to the north of us (Jax area/St. Marys Ga) is Cumberland Island National park--they have primitive camping on the island--but it's a year in advance reservation--you want to be on the beach area as the ticks are really awful on the rest of the island. If you want to just go for the day--go to Crooked River State Park (Ga) and either camp or rent a cabin--then make reservations to take the ferry over to the island. Go south and Sanabelle Island is really nice but long wait list again. The Keys has a great state park but--a year long reservation list.

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Permalink Reply by Christine Gregory on August 2, 2010 at 9:20pm

The Ocala National forest has some nice campgrounds near the springs. Bahia Honda State park is a nice one in the keys. There is a nice state park with camping on St. George Island. Highlands Hammock State Park has a campground - very pretty park. It is really too hot and buggy to camp in the summer as far as I'm concerned. Spring Break is a nice time to camp and anytime late fall or winter. If you can afford it, many people like Ft. Wilderness at Disney.

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Permalink Reply by lovelymom on August 2, 2010 at 10:21pm

Thank you so much for the information, Cherie and Christine! I never thought of ticks before. Need to do more research!

Lovely mom

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Permalink Reply by lovelymom on August 3, 2010 at 1:11pm

Thank you for the link, Joan. Good to know that there are many choices!

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Permalink Reply by Amy H on August 3, 2010 at 9:12pm

Hi lovely mom,

I'll also give a vote to high tick population at O'Leno, and know folks who have had similar experiences. I will disagree a bit on how far some camping sites need to be reserved. We have camped both in northern Georgia in the fall (definitely gorgeous) and at Cumberland Island (which had wicked mosquitos when we went in September but was still an awesome experience) and found a few months advance was all that was needed, except if we had wanted to go on a holiday weekend.

Good luck.

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