Florida is one of those states that keeps surprising you the more time you spend in it. We’ve camped our way through a lot of it over the years, and the thing that gets us every time is how different each region feels. The northeast has ancient shell beaches and a living history you can walk through. The center of the state has cold-water springs pushing up from the aquifer — crystal clear, 68 degrees year-round. The Gulf Coast has that white sand and the slow sunsets. And the Keys are something else entirely.
If you’re looking for camping spots in Florida that are worth the drive and won’t leave you disappointed, this list is the one we’d hand to a friend. Five campgrounds. Five completely different experiences. All of them genuinely good.
A Few Things to Know Before You Camp in Florida
These apply everywhere in the state and they’re worth taking seriously:
- The sun is intense. Florida’s UV index is among the highest in the country year-round. Plan your outdoor time around shade, drink more water than you think you need, and wear SPF every single day.
- Bugs vary, but they’re real. Mosquitoes and no-see-ums can ruin a campsite fast, especially near water and in summer. A good screen room and strong repellent are worth every penny.
- Alligators live in every body of water. That includes the cute little pond that looks harmless. Any water, anywhere in Florida — keep pets and kids away from the edge, especially at dusk and dawn. This isn’t fear-mongering; it’s just Florida.
With those dialed in, Florida camping is some of the best in the country. These are our favorite camping spots in Florida. Here’s where to start.
1. Anastasia State Park — St. Augustine
Anastasia is one of those parks that earns every bit of its reputation. Sixteen hundred acres of unspoiled beach, salt marsh, and maritime hammock sitting right at the edge of St. Augustine — the oldest city in the country. That combination of genuine wildness and walkable history makes it hard to beat.
The campground has 139 sites, all within walking distance of the beach. Every site comes with electric and water hookups, a grill, picnic table, and fire ring. There’s a free dump station for registered campers, four bath houses with hot showers, and laundry facilities. Maximum RV length is 40 feet. Pets are welcome in the campground. The park sits on the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail — bald eagles, great blue herons, and laughing gulls are regulars.
Day use is $8 per vehicle. Camping runs $28 per night plus a $7 reservation fee. For activities, you’ve got beach access, fishing, hiking, biking, and kayaking all within the park. And right outside the gates, historic St. Augustine has horse-drawn carriages, brick-lined streets, solid restaurants, and more to explore than a single trip can cover.
This one fills up fast — especially in winter when snowbirds figure out how good it is. Book through Reserve America or call 1-800-326-3521. The park is at 300 Anastasia Park Rd., St. Augustine, FL 32080.
2. Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park — Jacksonville
Hanna Park is the kind of place that locals treat like a secret even though it has over 300 campsites. It’s a city park — run by the City of Jacksonville — but it doesn’t feel like one. The campsites are wooded, shaded, and spaced out enough that you’re not staring into your neighbor’s kitchen window.
RVs up to 45 feet can fit here, which is longer than most Florida state parks allow. Every site has water and electric hookups. There’s a dump station, full restroom and shower facilities, 24-hour security, and a camp store on-site. You can also rent kayaks and bicycles right at the park.
The draw here is variety. You get 1.5 miles of Atlantic beach with multiple access points, a 60-acre freshwater lake that’s good for kayaking and fishing, and over 20 miles of biking and hiking trails that wind through the wooded interior. There’s enough to do that you could stay a week and not repeat yourself. It’s one of the most underrated camping spots in Florida.
Day use is $5 per vehicle. Tent camping is $20 per night; RV sites run $34. Reservations are available online, though first-come, first-serve spots are also available. The park is at 500 Wonderwood Dr., Jacksonville, FL 32233. Phone: (904) 249-4700.
3. Bahia Honda State Park — Florida Keys
There is nothing else in the continental United States that looks like Bahia Honda. The water is turquoise and shallow and clear enough that you can see the bottom in 10 feet of it. The old Bahia Honda railroad bridge — left over from Henry Flagler’s Overseas Railroad — rises out of the water nearby, rusting and enormous and somehow beautiful. And the snorkeling offshore puts you over the third-largest coral reef system in the world.
The campground sits at mile marker 37 on the Overseas Highway, about 12 miles south of the Seven Mile Bridge. There are three camping areas — Sandspur, Bayside, and Buttonwood. RV sites at Buttonwood have full hookups including electric, water, and sewer. Maximum RV length varies by loop; check the current site map when booking because it changes. Tent and cabin options are also available.
This is not a cheap campground — sites run $36 to $43 per night depending on hookup type — and it books out months in advance, especially November through April. If you’re planning a Keys trip, make Bahia Honda the first reservation you lock in, then build the rest of the trip around it. Reserve at Florida State Parks Reserve America. The address is 36850 Overseas Hwy, Big Pine Key, FL 33043.
4. Fort De Soto Park — Near St. Petersburg
Fort De Soto consistently shows up on national “best campgrounds” lists, and it earns that. The park is made up of five connected islands covering about 1,100 acres in Pinellas County, and it has some of the best beach access of any campground in the state — seven miles of shoreline, including a dedicated dog beach that’s actually one of the best in the country if you’re traveling with a dog.
The campground has 236 sites with electric and water hookups. Maximum RV length is 40 feet. Amenities include a snack bar, camp store, and kayak rentals. There are fishing piers, and a ferry runs from the park to Egmont Key — a small barrier island with sea turtle nesting beaches and the ruins of an old fort. The Spanish-American War-era Fort De Soto itself is worth an hour of your time.
Camping rates run roughly $35 to $40 per night. It’s managed by Pinellas County Parks — book through the county reservations system at pinellascounty.org. The park is at 3500 Pinellas Bayway S, Tierra Verde, FL 33715, about 30 minutes from downtown St. Petersburg.
5. Myakka River State Park — Sarasota
Myakka is the Florida that doesn’t make the brochures — 37,000 acres of raw Florida interior with alligators in every pond, roseate spoonbills wading in the shallows, and wild hogs rooting through the prairie grass. It’s one of the oldest and largest state parks in Florida, and if you want to see what this state looked like before the condos showed up, this is the place.
The campground has 76 sites in a shaded, wooded loop. Full hookup and electric-with-water sites are both available. Maximum RV length is 40 feet. It’s a working campground — simple and well-maintained, not glamorous. The draw isn’t the campground, it’s what surrounds it.
Two deep-water lakes — Upper and Lower Myakka — sit in the heart of the park. You can fish from the shore or rent a canoe. Airboat tours run on the lake and put you within 20 feet of gators that completely ignore you because they’ve seen it all. There’s a suspension bridge canopy walk through the treetops, 39 miles of multi-use trails, and enough wildlife sightings on a single afternoon walk to fill a memory card.
Day use is $6 per vehicle. Camping runs $22 to $24 per night depending on site type. Reserve through Florida State Parks Reserve America. The park is at 13208 State Road 72, Sarasota, FL 34241.
Final Thoughts on Camping in Florida
These five camping spots in Florida cover the range of what the state can offer — coastal, wooded, tropical, and wild interior. None of them are drive-through experiences. Each one rewards a slow stay. If you’re new to camping in Florida, grab our RV camping checklist and start with Anastasia or Hanna Park. If you’ve done those and want something more remote or more dramatic, Bahia Honda and Myakka are the ones people talk about for years afterward.
If you want to skip the reservation game, check our free boondocking guide for nearby options. Otherwise, book early for anything from November through April. Florida’s winters draw campers from everywhere, and the good sites disappear fast. But if you can get in, it’s worth every bit of the planning.
