Rainbow Village RV Park ~ Largo, Florida

Description: Rainbow Village is one of the cleanest RV Parks in Pinellas County Florida. It is a mix of full time residents in Park Models and RV's and also has a large quantity of rental sites. Located in Largo – Rainbow Village RV Resort provides a peaceful retreat for the 55+ community to relax and play. The grounds feature laundry facilities, a bathhouse, 307 sites with wireless internet access available, and a dog run for guests with pets. It has many amenities ~ Hi-speed wireless Internet for a fee, Pool, Large recreation hall, Shuffleboard, Horseshoes, Bocce court, Card room, Bingo. It is owned and operated by Carefree RV Parks

Date of Stay: Nov 1st thru May 1st, 2004 thru 2012 ~ Winter Residence

Weather During Stay: Varied ~ Winters are very mild

Site Description: we have stayed on several different spots in the park... most can hold large rigs. Our last few years we have been on #604

Favorite Sites: #802 & 604

Rate: Go to web site for prices ~ http://rainbowvillagelargorv.com/

Phone/TV/Internet: This park is in the Tampa Bay Area so phone, TV and Internet are all received excellent. Both Verizon & At&t

Elevation/Landscape: Flat level roads and sites... Clean well kept landscaping

Lighting/Noise: Noise level can be high in a few areas of the park due to 2 busy roads near park

Hiking/Walking/Biking: There are many places in Pinellas county to walk, bike or hike including beautiful beaches near by, many parks and also the Pinellas Trail.

Things to See & Do: There are many things to see and do in this area ~ Museum of Science and Industry, the Salvador Dali Museum and the Florida Botanical Gardens. Also beautiful beaches and the gorgeous Fort Desoto & Caladesi State Parks. Located less than 20 miles from Tampa’s city center, Rainbow Village is perfectly situated for visits to the city’s major attractions like Busch Gardens, the Florida Aquarium and major league sporting events. Nature lovers enjoy boating on Tampa Bay and hiking the Pinellas Trail.

Rating: 7.5 ~ Only because of the noise level. Still the cleanest park in the county and at a good price.

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Cedar Key RV Resort ~ Cedar Key, Florida

Description: Cedar Key RV Resort (click here to go to their website) is a very clean and friendly park. There are 85 sites ~ Amenities included at the park are: Large clubhouse with full kitchen, Laundry mat, Swimming pool, WIFI, Paved roads, Large sites (45x90), Concrete pads and patios, Full hook-ups w/ 50 amp service, Community fire pit, Lend-a-library, Air conditioned bathhouse, Pet Friendly, Horseshoes



Date of Stay: September 16th, 2011 (3 nights)

Weather During Stay: Sunny (85') and beautiful!

Site Description: All sites have cement pads & patios with a picnic table. Grassy area around sites and a few trees.

Favorite Sites: All sites are good ~ we stayed on site 16 and loved it!

Rate: $30 night • $180 week • $400 month + elec (Passport America honored for 1 night only)

Phone/TV/Internet: We had both AT&T and Verizon good phone service. Our Verizon Air Card worked really good. We got TV with our roof top satellite dish (Direct TV).

Elevation/Landscape: elevation was at sea level and the park is full of grass and has beautiful old oak trees & palm trees scattered throughout the park.

Lighting/Noise: It was very quiet at night and there were lights at the electric boxes but did not shine into the coach.



Hiking/Walking/Biking: A lot of paved roads right in the park for walking and biking.

Things to See & Do: Not much of anything to see and do in this area except visit Cedar Key and eat great seafood. But if you want a relaxing few days this is the place to go. Also Manatee Springs is about 12 miles from this park and you can go and swim with the manatees there & also go kayaking or canoeing. Also you can go into Cedar Key & Kayak or Canoe... beautiful are for that.

Rating: (9.5) Great park ~ we will definitely be back to this park. It is about 10 miles from Chiefland and we have friends there. It would have been a 10 if there had been a few more things to see & do. However you can go into Cedar Key for dinner and witness a gorgeous sunset!

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Eastbank COE Park ~ Bainbridge, Georgia

Description: Eastbank Campground is located on Lake Seminole which borders both Georgia and Florida. The lake & surrounding area provides a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities for: Fishing, camping, boating, picnicking, hiking, biking, bird watching & sightseeing. The Eastbank Campground offers total of 65 sites, 63 of those sites have both electric and water hookups. Additional amenities include a dump station, laundry facilities, 2 bathhouses with showers, a boat ramp with courtesy dock, a group shelter, and a fish cleaning station.

Check in area & ride down to lake

Date of Stay: September 2nd, 2011 ( 14 days)

Weather During Stay: We started out with seasonably warm weather ~ then TS Lee brought us a lot of rain. It was not a direct hit but the outer bands ~ still enough to rain for 2 days. After Lee passed it was excellent weather... around 78 during the day and 58 - 60 at night.

Site Description: There are 3 loops in this park ~ Loop A has paved roads with gravel sites, W/E 50 amp service. Loop B has paved roads with gravel sites W/E 30 amp service and Loop C has paved roads and paved sites W/E 50 amp
service. All sites are level and many are on the lake. There is a problem with ants but if you treat the area around your wheels & jacks and keep your electric & water hookup off the ground you should have no problem. We used comet which was recommended and it worked for us. We also had ant spray which we use around the table and chairs

Favorite Sites: Any of the sites are great ~ the ones on the lake have a beautiful view and all have fabulous sunsets. We stayed on C-28 but saw others I likes better. C-26 & C-24 were nice too.

Rate: Sites are $22 per night but if you have the Senior Access Pass it is half price.

Phone/TV/Internet: We had good service on both Verizon & AT&T phones: Our MiFi Card with Verizon had 3G service and was pretty reliable and our roof top satellite dish (Direst TV) had no problem picking up a signal. TV antenna is spotty.

Elevation/Landscape: Elevation is 152' above sea level here. Beautiful rolling hills with great wooded areas but around the campsites is nice grass and level. Some trees around on sites...

Lighting/Noise: At night it is very quiet and the lighting is pretty much none. During the day was also quiet since school was in and there were no kids here.

Loop B & Loop A

Hiking/Walking/Biking: Plenty of paved roads for walking and bike riding. There are some trails around the area for hiking.

Things to See & Do: Other then Fishing, hiking you can discover the many parks and small town of Chattahoochee. There is the Florida State Hospital that is on the National Register of Historic Buildings; Jim Woodruff Dam; The Historic towns of Bainbridge & Thomasville Georgia.

Rating: (8) This is a beautiful park and Lake Seminole is a very large lake. The fact there is no sewer and the ant problem knocked this down a little for us. However with that being said I would definitely come back again. BRING ant spray!!!

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Grayton Beach State Park ~ Santa Rosa Beach, Florida

Description: Grayton Beach consistently ranks among the most beautiful and pristine beaches in the United States. The beach provides an idyllic setting for swimming, sunbathing and surf fishing and is the backdrop for golden sunrises and silver moonlit evenings. The nearly 2,000-acre park features a boat ramp that provides access to the lake's brackish waters for both freshwater and saltwater fishing. There is a total of 80 sites: 52 FHU sites with 30/50 amp service; 1 site tent only; 27 cabins.

Date of Stay: August 19th, 2011 (we stayed 14 nights)

Weather During Stay: Hot & sunny with a few scatterd rain storms

Site Description: The roads into the park are all paved as is the two loops for the RV sites. Sites are gravel with W/E/S with 30/50 amp service. There are several sites that you can see the lake from with the rest being in the wooded area. Most sites are open for TV reception. They have picnic tables and fire rings on each site.

Favorite Sites: We stayed on 39 which was plenty big for Tassie and also 38 next to us was really nice. Both sites were level.

Rate: The price of the sites are $30 per night but if you are a Florida resident senior it is half price. To find out more info click here .

Phone/TV/Internet: We had very good service on both Verizon & AT&T; we had good satellite TV with our on roof Direct TV dish; Excellent internet service with our Verizon MiFi card.

Elevation/Landscape: Elevation is at sea level and a salt marsh ecosystem. The forest palmettos, scrub oaks and magnolias stand, bent and twisted by the salt winds. Typical Florida beach landscape.

Lighting/Noise: Very dark at night and quiet.

Hiking/Walking/Biking: Visitors can paddle a canoe or kayak on scenic Western Lake to get a closer look at a salt marsh ecosystem. A nature trail winds through a coastal forest where scrub oaks and magnolias stand, bent and twisted by the salt winds. Hikers and bicyclists can enjoy more than four miles of trails throughout the pine flatwoods.

Things to See & Do: There are not very many things to see & do in this area except visit the little coastal towns and enjoy the beach area.

Rating/Comments: (8) A nice quiet park near the beach but not close to anything else. If you're looking to get away and just enjoy the peace & quiet of the Gulf of Mexico, ride your bikes and take nature walks then this is the park for you. There is occasional wildlife that meanders through especially at dawn & dusk.

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㊅Gulf State Park ~ Gulf Shores, Alabama ㊅

Description: Gulf State Park offers a 496-site improved campground with modern clean bathhouses. The campground is approximately 1/2 miles from the Gulf beaches. All camping pads are paved with larger lots for RV's with pullouts. Tents are also welcome in the campground. They also have tennis courts and a large swimming pool.

Date of Stay: August 15th, 2011 (we stayed for 8 nights)

Weather During Stay: We had several huge thunderstorms but mostly it was around 90+' and sunshinny.

Site Description: All sites are FHU with 20, 30, 50 amp service. Sites are all paved and they are not close to each other and most of them very long. Plenty of room for slideouts even if you have 4. They have both pullthroughs and back-in sites. All sites have a grill and picnic tables.

Favorite Sites: We stayed on sit 291. It was a pullthrough right on the canal. Our passenger side was facing the canal. All the sites are pretty much nice and wide open.

Rate: We paid $41.49 per night which includes the 11% tax fee. Prices vary between $30 dollars thru $40 dollars depending which site you pick out. There is a 15% discount if you are over 62. You can make reservations to hold a spot for you and when you get there pick out the site you want. To make reservations on line. Click here

Phone/TV/Internet: We had great reception with both AT&T and Verizon phone service. Since all most all of the sites have no trees Satellite TV is excellent. We have Direct and had no problems. I am sure you could get regular TV from Pensacola which isn't to far away. Our Verizon Internet card had 4G service in this area... was very fast!

Elevation/Landscape: Elevation is Sea Level and the area is surrounded with Marshlands, scrub oaks, palmettos and grasses. Typical beach look!

Lighting/Noise: It is dark at night and the noise is pretty much quiet even with other campers in the area.

Hiking/Walking/Biking: They have a very good trails systems for biking or walking. Plus just 1/2 mile away is the beaches where you can walk for miles. With over 400 sites the roads inside the park are and excellent place for walking & bike riding.

Comments: We loved this park and will visit it again. It is a little pricey if you stay on a water site but well worth the money. During our visit here in mid August it was not busy at all as you can see in the photos.

Things to See & Do: The park is centrally located to shopping, restaurants, beach and any activity in Gulf Shores or Orange Beach. There are 2 very interesting Restaurants in the area. Lambert's Cafe "Home of the Hand Throwed Roll" in Foley and LuLu's right hear in Gulf Shores. It is owned by Lucy Buffett... yes she is Jimmy's sister. Also if you are a birder there are plenty here for you to watch not to mention the Alabama Birding Trail is near here. Also not to far is Fort Morgan and the USS Alabama in Mobile.

Rating: (9.8) This park has it all ~ I would have given it a 10 but I like a few trees and there weren't to many. We will be coming back here!

sunset from our campsite




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Gulf Islands National Seashore ~ Fort Pickens Campground

Description: This park is great! It has wonderful hiking trails, swimming beaches, and boardwalks. There were also numerous picnic areas. Pets are welcomed in the park, on all of the hiking trails and boardwalks but not allowed on the beaches. When we were here the mosquitoes & bugs were not bad at all. They also have a lot of beach areas for swimming along the intercoastal waterway. The swimming areas were long narrow white sand areas, and there were plenty of shallow areas for wading and splashing around. Bathrooms were always clean. Firewood, ice, and soda machines available at the bathhouse areas or the campground host areas. There is a little store where you can get limited groceries, and a few lunch items. Also in that building is a laundry facilities. There are 2 washers/ dryers . Staff was nice and knowledgeable. Binoculars for birding (free for check-out), canoes, and kayaks for rent at the office. Also they have a pretty extensive activities program run by the rangers.

Date of Stay: July 29th (14 nights)

Weather During Stay: Mostly sunny with occasional rain storms. Temps around 88-90' and 70 at night.

Site Description: There are 4 loops in this campground which fit anything from tents to big rigs. There are a lot of sites that are plenty big for big rigs especially in the A loop. Just check recreation.gov for site descriptions & length. All sites & roads are paved with 50 amp electric and water. Each site has a fire rings & picnic tables.

Favorite Sites: We stayed on A47 and it was a very nice site. Just a little unlevel, low in the back. It had some grass and sand mix with a few trees. Behind the site is Marsh land, scrub oaks and Palmettos.

Rate: $20.00 per night unless you have the National Park Senior pass then it is $10.00

Phone/TV/Internet: We had great service from both Verizon & AT&T service out here. Our roof satellite picked up TV with no problem on the site we were in. Also Verizon Internet 4G service was very good with our Mifi card.

Elevation/Landscape: 33ft' above sea level with a typical Florida & seaside vegetation. Scrub oaks, palmettos, sea oats, marshlands. A lot of sand

Lighting/Noise: It gets pretty dark and quiet at night... and while we were here there were no rowdy campers.

Hiking/Walking/Biking: There are many miles of beaches, trails and roads to walk or ride bikes on.

Comments: We will be coming back to this campground over & over again!!!! It is a wonderful place to relax and enjoy.

Things to See & Do: Right here in the park is Fort Pickens built in 1836. It is a great fort for exploring and one of the largest we've seen. Also if you are a bird watcher there are many osprey and othe sea faring birds to watch here. You can go to Historic downtown Pensacola, the Pensacola Naval Air Station and Naval Aviation Museum, the Pensacola Lighthouse and other historic sites. Also at the Naval Base is Pensacola National Cemetery. There are miles & Miles of the beaches of the "Emerald Coast" of the Gulf of Mexico and Pensacola Bay. Plus many good restaurants & nightspots.

Rating: (9) This park for us is a ideal place to spend a couple of weeks and having fun in the sun... if you like the beaches it can't be beat. It doesn't have sewer or it would rate a 10 in my books.

Come & Enjoy beautiful sunsets

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St. George Island State Park ~ St. George Island, Florida

Description: This campground on a barrier island is along the “forgotten coast of Florida” and at the east end of the Panhandle. The park is located on the eastern end of the island and has nine miles of undeveloped beaches and dunes with the Gulf on one side and the Apalachicola Bay on the other. 1,962 acres are laid out in a very long narrow strip and much of it you need a permit to drive on the dirt road to get to the end of the spit. Along the paved section there are pullouts with boardwalks to the beach and then you have two developed areas with showers and changing rooms. This is not a busy area and it's almost like having your own private beach

Date of Stay: July 15th, 2011 ~ we stayed here for 2 weeks

Weather During Stay: Some days rainy and other days full of sunshine. Temperatures in the mid to high 80's. During the summer you need to be aware of the weather ~ being that it is Hurricane Season.

Site Description: The campground is in two loops back to back but there are shady sites among the pines and coastal scrub bushes. There are a lot of sites that will accommodate big rigs but you need to check the length out on the Reserve America site. Each site has W/E 50amp and a dump station is located in the front of the campground.

Favorite Sites: We stayed in site 46 and it was level and across from the bathrooms. Which was nice since we didn't have sewer hook-up.

Rate: Cost is $24 per night but with the Florida resident senior discount we paid $12 per night.

Phone/TV/Internet: We were worried about TV, phones and internet but once we got set up we managed to get our TV roof satellite working (Direct TV) with no problems. Both phones had service and even my Verizon Air Card work. The air card was slow at times but it did allow me to post on my blogs and FB.

Elevation/Landscape: Typical Florida tropical landscape with Pine trees, scrub oaks and local vegetation. It is about 10 feet above sea level... since we are on an Island it is pretty much sandy.

Lighting/Noise: No noise at night and the lighting is pretty well dark.

Hiking/Walking/Biking: There are trails and beach to walk on and there are miles of roads all paved for bike riding.

Comments: One can fish, swim, bike, kayak, boating, hiking, bird watching for Bald Eagles & Ospreys and for the fall and spring bird migration. Nice place to camp but make sure you make reservations because it was full pretty much all the nights we were here with waiting lists to get in. The park has such amenities as beaches, birding, boating, canoeing, fishing, hiking, kayaking, picnicking areas, swimming, wildlife viewing. The sunset & Sunrises are breathtaking.

Things to See & Do: The little town of St. George four miles from the ranger station is cute little town with bike trails, shops, restaurants, historic lighthouse and museum and little beach houses to rent and also Apalachicola about 8 miles away for exploring the historic district and several great seafood restaurants.

Rating: (8) This is a lovely place to be if you love the water and outside sports. The mosquitoes can be heavy and you need to bring bug spray. I loved it here!

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Lee's RV Park ~ White Springs, Florida

Description: Park has 38 RV sites and can accommodate large rigs. 30 pull through; 21 FHU & 12 W/E ~ dump stations; laundry; 20/30/50 electricity; comfort station; pay phone with modem hook-up; horseshoes and tree or open sites. There is a tent camping area. Access is quick and easy from interstates. Park is located 2 miles West of White Springs; 12 miles North of Lake City; and 13 miles East of Live Oak.

From I-75; take Exit 439. Go east 0.8 miles on SR 136 to campground on right.

Date of Stay: June 28th, 2011 ~ we stayed 3 nights

Weather During Stay: Hot, sunny during the day and rainy in the evening hours

Site Description: Some sites are on the grass and some have a hard shell surface. There are a lot of trees for shade.

Favorite Sites: We stayed on site 30 which had FHU 50A. Nice level site with shade trees. We did receive satellite with our roof Dish (Direct TV) on this site.

Rate: we paid &16.50 per night with Passport America

Phone/TV/Internet: This park is only a half of mile from the interstate so Both AT&T and Verizon had good reception. Also our Verizon Internet air card worked really well. Not all sites can get satellite so be sure to tell them you need a site that can get satellite

Elevation/Landscape/Terrain: Nice and level with a lot of nice shade trees. Across the street is forest with huge pine trees and palmetto bushes.

Lighting/Noise: Other then a street light which didn't bother us, it was ok. However we were right out by the road so the traffic on SR136 was loud but not heavily traveled.

Hiking/Walking/Biking: Just the short little circle in the park... you could go to Stephen Foster and walk there.

Comments: This is a very clean and well taken care of park. It is only about .6 miles from the interstate 75 so it is a great place for a few days or a overnight stay. Owners are very friendly and proud of their campground.

Things to See & Do: Historic White Springs, Big Shoals, Stephen Foster Folk Cultural Center State Park, State Farmer's Market

Rating: (6) Park is great for a few days or overnight

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Stephen Foster Folk Cultural Center State Park

Our Opinion: We have stayed in this park many times and it is one of our favorite parks in Florida. It is an excellent park with huge level sites and plenty to see and do. The park is one of the nicest state parks in Florida.

Date of Stay: June 15th, 2011; We stayed for 2 weeks

Weather During our Stay: Sunny & Hot... with a slight breeze along with a few rain storms from time to time.

Site Description: There are 45 campsites that are arranged in three loops, with both back-ins and pull-throughs. There is both 30 & 50 amps sites. The sites have plenty of privacy, and the campground is in a wooded area with lots of BIG Oak trees with Spanish moss hanging from them. Sites are gravel with a picnic table & Fire ring/grill. All roads are paved in the park.

The campground has 2 restrooms with showers and covered outdoor laundry facilities. A large playground is located near the Suwannee Loop. A dump station is available.

Rate: It is $20 per night and 50% off for Florida seniors. No other discounts available. Florida uses the Reserve America system for reservations. The cabins are available for $100 per night. They are really nice also.

Phone/radio/TV: Great Verizon service for phone and aircard. We recieved TV with our roof-mounted TV satellite (Direct), the tree cover in some sites would present challenges but with a portable dish you may get satellite. We recieved nothing on our antenna. NPR is available on 88.9, from Tallahassee.

Elevation/Landscape/Terrain: This is a flat campground at low elevation. Lots of saw palmetto, tall pines, large oaks trees draped in Spanish moss. Sites are pretty much private; our view is of trees, moss and a few other RV’s.

Lighting/Noise: No light or noise to bother us at night. Sometimes you will hear a train in the distance.

Favorite Sites: We like site 15 but there are MANY large, level, semi-private sites in this park. Most sites have a lot of trees but they keep them trimmed so there is no problem with low branches.

Hiking/Walking: Miles and miles of hiking, including a wonderful trail along the banks of the Suwannee River. There is also a historic walking tour in White Springs.

Comments: Within the park you can visit the Stephen Foster Museum, Carillon Tower, Craft Square/Gift Shop, and a view of the famous Suwannee River. The Stephen Foster Museum and Carillon Tower features exhibits and dioramas from Stephen Fosters songs as well as a display of antique pianos. The Carillon Tower is also home to the worlds largest tubular bell instrument, constructed and installed in 1957. The tower rings out Fosters tunes in scheduled concerts throughout the day. Visit the Craft Square where you can see working craftsmen demonstrate cultural arts and traditions, from quilting to blacksmithing and home canning. Classes are offered regularly. The Cousin Thelma Boltin Craft & Gift Shop sells regional foods, crafts, gifts, handmade items by local artists as well as Stephen Foster memorabilia. On the first Saturday of the month they have local entertainers, including Barber shop Quartets and Story tellers that come to the Nellie Blye Kitchen.

Things to see & do: Big Shoal State Park is just down the road about 3 miles & is Florida's only White Water rapids on the river, The Historic town of White Springs, Florida's State Farmers Market, and down in Olustee (about 30 miles south) there is the Olustee Civil War Battlefield (in Feb they have a huge reenactment), and a Old Historic Train Depot.

Rating: (8) This park is one of our favorite parks in Florida. Even though it doesn't have swimming or sewer it is still rated high in our books.

Have fun & Safe Travels