Camping in Florida: Best Sites

If you want to go camping in Florida, make this your go-to list! Get ready for the time of your life in Florida’s great outdoors.

By Breana Johnson

While Florida has more than its fair share of awesome vacation spots and sprawling resorts, nothing can beat getting back to the elements and camping in Florida. If you want to experience Florida camping, make this your go-to list! Get ready for the time of your life in Florida’s great outdoors.

1. Grayton Beach State Park. Beautiful Grayton Beach is filled with fun activities: swimming, exploring, kayaking, and absolutely nothing that involves screens. Thank goodness! We all need to step into these kinds of places sometimes and do things like go camping in Florida. There are 59 campsites within the park, all with electricity and water and some with sewer. You can camp in an RV or a tent, whichever you prefer.
2. Anastasia State Park. The 139 campsites at Anastasia State Park are wonderful opportunities to stay and play in one of most gorgeous seaside locations for Florida camping. You’ll have everything you need at your campsite. Each one is equipped with electricity

   

   and water, plus a fire ring, picnic table, and grill. When you’re ready to venture from your campground, you’ll discover hours of diversion at the edge of the sea or one of the park’s trails. You can boat, wildlife watch, surf, or enjoy one of the other many activities.

3. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. You can tent or RV camp in this incredible state park. This is one you definitely want to put on your bucket list, because there are so many unusual and fun things to do here. The park is based around the coral reef, which you can explore in a few different ways. The most popular way is snorkeling, although scuba diving is also a huge draw. If you’re not into getting wet, you can take a glass-bottomed boat tour. Staying on shore still brings plenty to see and do! The wildlife in the park is part of a thriving ecosystem that you’ll love to enter for a few days.
4. Fort de Soto Park is filled with history and interesting antiques. The fort itself was never used for battle, but it’s an important historic site and contains old canons that are the last of their kind in the United States. You can give yourself a tour of the old structures before your head to the water’s edge for fishing, boating, and whatever else you love to do. You enjoy your Florida camping in a tent near the beach or in an RV spot with all the hookups.
5. Sebastian Inlet State Park. This park boasts one of the best spots for saltwater fishing anywhere around. Grab your pole and come join the fun! If fishing isn’t your thing, you can also swim, dive or surf along the three mile long beach. If you’d like, rent a kayak and paddle through the lagoon. Make a trip to both museums in order to learn about the area so you can get a feeling for its natural and historical significance. When it’s time to kick off your experience camping in Florida, you have two options: primitive camping or RV camping with all the amenities. There’s even a library so that the littlest campers can pick out a bedtime story.
6. Everglades National Park. No Florida camping list is complete without Everglades National Park. Florida’s most popular park is a great place to get out into the wild outdoors and stay the night in the wilderness. If you really want to face the elements, there are many places to pitch your tent for old-fashioned backcountry camping. If you prefer, however, there are plenty of RV and tent spots to enjoy frontcountry camping in Lone Pine Key Campground or Flamingo Campground. While you’re in the park, you can take a tour, hike, kayak, canoe, nature watch, or do one of the dozens of other activities offered in the Everglades. Be advised that fall is the wet season, so you may want to plan your trip at a different time of year.
7. Fort Clinch State Park. Visiting Fort Clinch on Amelia Island will give you the chance to learn about Florida’s history as well as enjoy nature. If you visit during one of the fort’s reenactments, you may find yourself back in 1864 when the fort was in full operation. If you miss this event, you’ll still have ample opportunity to get in touch with the 19th Century when you visit the museum. Beyond the fort, three miles of shoreline await you. You’ll have a hard time choosing what to do first: gather shells, surf the waves, or swim in the water? You can stay in comfort at one of the two campsites, which offer heated restrooms, laundry, and the whole nine yards. If you want to rough it, there are lots of good places to pitch a tent for primitive Florida camping, too.