Our state has some of the most beautiful and diverse places to visit. You can travel from one end to the other and feel like you have been completed transported to another part of the country.
My family and I love to camp, but we are fairly new to it. Since owning our camper, we have visited 3 beautiful locations in the great Sunshine State.
Imagine going to sleep or waking up to the gentle sounds of the ocean on the shore. This was our experience while camping at Bryn Mawr on St. Augustine Beach. The campground sat on the other side of the sand dunes and the view was incredible. The white sand beaches were full of wonderful shells for the picking. Horses taking a daily stroll could be seen and many of them you could pet. Located near the historic district made it a wonderful location to camp.
If State Parks are where you like to be, St. Augustine is home to Anastasia Island, known for beautiful beaches, hiking trails, and water sports.
Speaking of beach camping, we were able to go on a longer adventure and camp again, in The Florida Keys.
Our resting place was located on big Pine Key at the Big Pine Key Fishing Lodge. Just across the bridge from Bahia Honda, one of the beach parks in the Keys, where you could snorkel, camp, fish, or just spend the day enjoying the beach.
Here snorkelers could see lobster, blow fish, jellyfish, and a wide variety of sea life. The Big Pine Key Fishing Lodge had a wonderful view of the water and the famous Key Deer could be found wandering all over the property. The deer were a big hit with the kids who loved to feed and follow them around the campground.
The campground offered a variety of activities like pie night, s’mores by the beach, mixers, and movies. The location was perfect for a trip to Key West, at only about 45 minutes, but far enough away to relax and enjoy the tropical life.
Our most recent stop was Jellystone Park located in Madison, FL — just off of I-10. This was a true family campground. Complete with a water park that contained a giant slide, they also offered a beautiful lake for catch and release fishing, ATV trails, mini golf, bounce pad, bounce house, and GaGa ball which my kids loved, and so much more.
We visited in October so we were able to enjoy the Halloween activities which included a haunted house, haunted trail, trick or treating, scavenger hunt, and a hay maze.They have different themes throughout the year. The sites are well shaded and spacious. Don’t have a camper or don’t want to camp in a tent? Not a problem. Jellystone has many cabins you can rent, all with their own fire pit and in the heart of everything in the park. This was such a great place, we didn’t want to leave and my kids ask often when we can go back.
With so many wonderful places scattered throughout our state a weekend adventure or a long getaway are at our fingertips. Whether you like ocean camping or secluded camping under the trees, or anything in between you can find it without having to travel across states. We can’t wait to explore the next place on our list. Here are the websites for the places I mentioned:
www.jellystonefl.com / www.brynmawroceanresort.com / www.bpkfl.com.