"The Campies" awards are out for 2024 and 3 of the 18 awards went to a single Florida RV Park - the only site in Florida to receive an award. The Florida campsite took the awards for Best Luxury RV Resort, Best Campground Features and Amenities, and Best Winter Escape Campground in the annual Campers' Choice Awards from RVshare.
RVs are a common sight here in Southwest Florida, especially once we get past hurricane season and the Snowbirds start coming down for the winter. When my in-laws drive down, they stay at what's now called the Sun Retreats Estero Bay RV Park (formerly Woodsmoke). They become regulars at the FK Your Diet restaurant across the street, where the food is amazing.
It hasn't all been great news done here, however, we lost a lot of spots in Fort Myers when the Red Coconut was destroyed by Hurricane Ian. The space is now being transformed into condos.
The Luxury Florida RV Park With All The Awards
The Florida RV park with all the awards is Camp Margaritaville Auburndale, located just outside of Lakeland, Florida. The resort has 326 RV sites and 75 Cabana Cabins for those staying without an RV. The park's amenities include a pool with waterslide and a bar, mini golf, pickleball, splash pad, a fitness center, facilities, and fire pits as well as the Bark-aritaville Dog Parks for your furry traveler.
More Than Just a Campsite
It's not just the goings on at the resort than brings the Central Florida RV Park all the awards, it's the location. The area near Lakeland is roughly an hour drive from Orlando and Tampa, making all the theme parks, sporting events, museums, and more in easy reach. That is, if you ever choose to leave the park during your stay. Especially not on Monday, on Mondays the Tiki Bar has happy hour pricing. Boat Drinks!
Before you book at Camp Margaritaville, make sure you check for discounts. The Florida RV Park currently has a promotion for 15% off for Florida residents, and 30% off for teachers and first responders.
Here's a look at all the winners in the Camper's Choice Awards.
- Best RV Family Travel Content Creator of the Year: @TheEverywhereFamily
- Best RV Travel Content Creator of the Year: @RVMiles
- Best RV and Camping Instagram Creator: @CampinErin
- Best RV and Camping TikTok Creator: @TheEverywhereFamily
- Best RV and Camping YouTube Vlog: RV Lifestyle
- Best RV and Camping Blog: RV Lifestyle
- Best RV and Camping Podcast: RV LIFE Podcast
- Best Alternative Camping Experience: Harvest Hosts
- Best Luxury RV Resort: Camp Margaritaville Auburndale - Auburndale, FL
- Best National Park Campground: Elkmont Campground - Gatlinburg, TN
- Best State Park Campground: Skidaway Island State Park - Savannah, GA
- Best Family Friendly Campground: Mendota Hills Campground - Amboy, IL
- Best Waterfront Campground: Cape Hatteras/Outerbanks KOA Resort - Rodanthe, NC
- Best Pet-friendly Campground: RiverWalk RV Park - Jonesville, NC
- Best Campground Features and Amenities: Camp Margaritaville Auburndale - Auburndale, FL
- Best Summer Escape Campground: RiverWalk RV Park - Jonesville, NC
- Best Winter Escape Campground: Camp Margaritaville Auburndale - Auburndale, FL
- Best Campground Views: Jellystone Park Golden Valley - Bostic, NC
"The 2024 Campies marks the third consecutive year of this esteemed awards program. This annual event serves a dual purpose, both helping travelers across the United States discover the best RV camping experiences, while also acknowledging the dedication and creativity of campgrounds, their teams, and the content creators who inspire countless individuals to explore the outdoors," said RVshare Travel Expert, Maddi Bourgerie. "RVshare is proud to recognize, support, and promote these campgrounds and avid outdoor enthusiasts and experts as we all work together to help renters make the most informed decisions throughout their travel planning process, while prioritizing the things that matter most to them."
Finding The Best Florida RV Park
If you're looking for a Florida RV park with less amenities and more nature - we have that, too. Here's 10 other amazing places to check out, courtesy of Visit Florida.
- Florida Caverns State Park, Marianna
- Topsail Hill Preserve State Park, Santa Rosa Beach
- Anastasia State Park, St. Augustine
- Fort Pickens Campground, Pensacola
- St. George Island State Park
- Juniper Springs National Recreation Area, Ocala
- Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort, Orlando
- Bahia Honda State Park, Florida Keys
- Lion Country Safari KOA, Loxahatchee
- Fisherman's Cove, Tampa Bay
Winter Is Coming
The time to book your stay at a Florida RV Park is now. As the weather cools up north, the spots down here fill up fast, so you really shouldn't wait if you want to keep your options open. I'll leave you with one tip, and that is to check the social media accounts of any spot you may be considering. Hurricanes are especially damaging to camping spots with high winds and flooding a danger to really any Florida RV park, not just the ones on the coast. Here's another helpful resource to check out. Happy RV'ing everyone, and we'll see you down here this winter.
Florida Has 3 Of The Top 10 Bass Fishing Lakes In The Country
The state of Florida continues to show as a top destination for fishing in the latest "Top 10 Best Bass Lakes of 2023." The annual rankings come from the highly regarded Bassmaster. Theyshow that when it comes to bass fishing lakes, Florida is a clear choice. And with winter approaching in the north, many will be flocking down here to Florida to fish.
In a press release, Roger Young, FWC Executive Director stated, “We take a tremendous amount of pride in managing our freshwater fisheries. The recognition of multiple Florida waterbodies in the Best Bass Lakes is a testament to our commitment to preserve the well-being of our aquatic ecosystems while promoting recreational fishing in Florida,”
Fishing is a big part of the Florida lifestyle. Whether you're out in the gulf fishing for grouper, or just passing the time at the retention pond at your Fort Myers condo. People here love to fish. But sometimes you want to hit a lake and do some bass fishing. Fortunately for us, 3 of the top 10 lakes in the U.S. for catching bass are right here in Florida.
If you're up for a road trip, number one on the Bassmaster list is the O.H. Ivie Lake. The lake is a reservoir on the Colorado and Concho Rivers, 55 miles east of San Angelo, Texas. The reservoir was formed when a dam was built in 1990. They're seeing a lot of double digit bass being pulled from there this year. Some of these spots will be best if you wait until spring. Do your research, but here's some ideas to get you started.
Here's the Florida lakes that made the top 10.
5. Fellsmere Reservoir
Sometimes known as Headwaters Lake or Lake Egan, this is a 10,000-acre manmade lake in Indian River county. This place was made to be a bass fishing lake with underwater features and am ideal habitat. Recommended lures are topwater lures and weedless soft plastic jerkbaits or stickbaits. When the lake was originally flooded, it was stocked with 1,000,000 Florida bass.
8. Orange Lake
This lake is 20 miles southeast of Gainesville. A lot of vegetation on this lake, making some areas inaccessible. The deeper areas are good fishing for largemouth bass. This lake also features a handicap-accessible pier with a fish attractor to provide for good fishing.
10. Lake Okeechobee
In the Seminole language, this literally means 'big water'. Because Lake O is so heavily affected by rainfall, it's levels vary. The current restriction "For largemouth bass only one may be 16 inches or longer in total length per angler per day, with no minimum length limit. The bag limit remains the same, at five." Because the releases of Lake O always make negative headlines here in SWFL, it's easy to forget that it's a really good spot for bass fishing.
Some Florida lakes that just missed the top 10.
Lake Tohopekaliga
Lake Toho is an 18,810-acre lake located southeast of the city of Kissimmee. The FWC has installed fish attractors, so check here for locations of the best spots.
Lake Seminole
A reservoir at the juncture of the Florida, Georgia, and Alabama state lines. 80% of this lake is in Georgia, but Florida fishers can fish up to an imaginary line. More details on that here. Beautiful place.
Lake Placid
Lake Placid has 27 freshwater lakes. Cool small town. I like it because it's not too far from here. My neighbor has a place on one of those lakes and it's a really nice change of pace from Southwest Florida.
Lake Panasoffkee
This place is more well known for it's trails, but four spring-fed creeks enter the lake which provides for some solid bass fishing. Bass as big as 8 pound on up to double digits. Just to the northwest of Orlando.
Lake Istokpoga
Lake Istokpoga is five miles northeast of Lake Placid. There's fishing resorts on the lake with accomadations. Excellent largemouth bass fishing can be done from the bank near the canal.
Lake Rousseau
West of Ocala, this is a man made reservoir on the Withlacoochee River. A real old Florida feel out here. You might even see a manatee.
Rodman Reservoir
This one comes as a recommendation from Captain Debbie Hanson, host of ESPN Reel Talk Radio. This man made lake is a premier largemouth bass fishery located in Putnam County in Northeast Florida. North of Ocala.
