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Ryan Robinson takes you for a ride in the passenger seat of his RV, off the grid, deep among the dramatic rock formations of the Utah Desert. Robinson and friends chill by the fire, tell stories, and of course, rig a one of a kind highline over the Looking Glass Arch in Moab, UT.
As colder weather sets across the Northeast, Snowbirds will be making their way back to Florida, but they’ll be doing a lot more than hanging out by the beach. "When people think of Florida as a destination, they often conjure up images of our beautiful white sand beaches," said Bobby Cornwell, executive director and CEO of the Florida RV Park and Campground Association. "But we've got so much more than that.”
Indeed, Florida not only offers the historically rich culture of Pensacola and the Southern hospitality of northwest Florida and Florida’s capital city of Tallahassee but North America's oldest European settlement in St. Augustine. “Venture further south,” Cornwell said, “and you can enjoy the Kennedy Space Center, the many theme parks in and around Orlando, the Art Deco Historic District in Miami and the breathtaking natural wonders of the Everglades and the Florida Keys. There’s literally something for everyone in Florida.”
Online resources for RVers bound for Florida include VisitFlorida.com and CampFlorida.com, a searchable database of more than 500 campgrounds, RV parks, and resorts across the Sunshine State. While cleanup efforts were underway at the time of this writing in the greater Ft. Myers and Fort Myers Beach areas because of Hurricane Ian, most attractions across Florida are open for business. Here’s a sampling of things to see and do in different locations across Florida, with links to nearby campgrounds that can be used as base camps for each region:
Northwest Florida
This region of Florida includes the white sand beaches of Panama City, Destin, St. George Island, and Cape San Blas. Visitors to this area are also drawn to the National Naval Aviation Museum, which features historic aircraft, cockpits, and interactive exhibits. Nearby campgrounds include:
Visitors to Northeast Florida gravitate to historic St. Augustine, the oldest permanently occupied European settlement in North America. Established by Spanish explorers in 1565, It predates the establishment of the English colony in Jamestown, VA by 42 years and the Pilgrims’ landing at Plymouth Rock, MA by 55 years. Historical attractions include the Castillo de San Marcos, the oldest masonry fortress in the U.S., and the Fort Matanzas National Monument, which preserves the fortified coquina watchtower, completed in 1742. St. Augustine has more recent historical attractions, including the St. Augustine Distillery Company, built in 1907, which houses Florida’s first legal distillery since Prohibition.
South of historic St. Augustine are the beautiful Daytona Beach and two other nationally known attractions, including the Daytona International Speedway, which boasts the most diverse array of racing events in the world, and Cape Canaveral, which is home to the world famous Kennedy Space Center, a Smithsonian affiliate that provides opportunities for visitors to view artifacts of NASA’s Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle programs.
No trip to Florida would be complete without visiting the many attractions in the greater Orlando area, which include Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World Orlando. Nearby campgrounds include:
In addition to beautiful bays and beaches, attractions in the Tampa and St. Petersburg areas includeBusch Gardens Tampa; the Salvador Dali Museum, which has the largest collection of Dali paintings outside of Spain; and Weedon Island Preserve, which has over 3,000 of beautiful wetlands filled with wildlife along with elevated boardwalks and padding routes for canoe and kayak enthusiasts. Nearby campgrounds include:
In addition to its many famous beaches, visitors to Miami are drawn to the city’s Art Deco Historic District, which features historic buildings, museums, and walking tours. Ft. Lauderdale also has beautiful beaches as well as the Ft. Lauderdale Riverwalk, which has many waterfront attractions as well as places for biking and kayaking.
Visitors to South Florida also use the greater Miami area as a base camp for day trips to see the alligators at Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve, which preserves 729,000 acres of scenic swaps. Nearby campgrounds include:
Snorkeling and hiking complement beach and water sport activities in the Florida Keys. Many visitors also like to explore Key West, where visitors can check out Ernest Hemingway’s home and historical Duval Street.
Jeff Crider, President and CEO of Crider Public Relations, has been involved in covering the campground industry for over 25 years. Jeff has worked as a freelance writer for publications such as RV Business, Motor Home Magazine, Trailer Life, Highways and other Affinity Group Inc. publications since 1995. He has also successfully pitched many of the nation's top tier media outlets, including CNN, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, The Financial Times, Reuters, The Associated Press and National Public Radio. In addition to writing, Jeff is also a talented photographer and humanitarian.
