A timelapse of our site in Sunshine Key RV Resort and Marina in the Florida Keys, looking towards the beach and Overseas Highway.
campsite
Places we stay in our coach.
Encore Sunshine Key RV Resort & Marina
We stayed at Encore Sunshine Key RV Resort & Marina, in Ohio Key, Florida. (Campground Reviews listing.)
A large park in the Florida Keys.
Dates:
- Check in: 2024-02-04
- Check out: 2024-02-18
- 14 nights
Weather:
- Partly cloudy; rainy in the first couple of days
- High temps 66-76°F, lows around 61-74°F
- Windy most days, gusts to 32 MPH
Noise:
- Significant highway noise
- No train noise
- Negligible neighbor noise
Site:
- #406, front in, gravel
- Needed to disconnect toad, parked beside coach
- Very level; used hydraulic leveling
- Gravel site about 50 feet long by about 40 feet wide
- Picnic table on gravel area
- No fire pit
- A bunch of small bottlecap-sized garbage on site
Utilities:
- 50 amp power, inconveniently located on passenger side (when fronted in)
- 35 PSI water, inconveniently located on passenger side
- Loose sewer connection, somewhat conveniently located (2-3 10-foot pipes needed)
Internet (in usage priority order):
- T-Mobile: 40-50 Mbps down, 40-50 Mbps up, 22 ms ping
- AT&T: 830 Mbps down, 70 Mbps up, 25 ms ping
- Verizon: 10 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, 35 ms ping
- Starlink: not used
- Campground Wi-Fi: not used
Amenities:
- Pool
- Swimming beach
- Marina with kayak etc rental
- Package delivery to office
- Garbage dumpsters
- Frequent food trucks and other vendors onsite
Our review on Campground Reviews:
Waterfront and road noise
We have a Thousand Trails Adventure membership, but that did not help us get a reservation here at all. Considering how hard it is to get a reservation in the Keys, we bit the bullet and paid retail for a two-week stay in a waterfront site that was the most expensive site we’d ever booked. I should point out that site 406 really shouldn’t be considered a “Premium waterfront” site. There is a peep of the water through the mangroves, but nothing like a panoramic view. However, we enjoyed watching the water and the ibises hunting in the mangroves from our front window, so I’ll let it slide.
While the peek of the water was nice, the constant highway noise was not. No matter where you are in the park, there is a constant hum of the Overseas Highway, although it’s somewhat reduced on the far edge and towards the marina.
The park has definite drainage issues. We arrived after a major thunderstorm swept through the Keys and there was a large lake at the entrance and in several other places around the park, including the road our site was on. They had pumps going to try and divert the worst of it out to sea, but it took days to completely dry up.
They allow motorhomes to front-in at the waterfront sites, which is nice even though the hookups were then on the wrong side of the coach. Luckily, we have pretty long power cables and hoses, so we’re able to reach across the nice wide site.
One downside of the waterfront site is that people think it’s okay to walk through your site on their way to the beach. It is not.
There are lots of activities and a robust social scene if you’re into that. We liked that it was convenient to everything we wanted to do in the Keys, but $300/night would be a dealbreaker if we wanted to visit the Keys again. We camped at Encore Sunshine Key RV Resort & Marina in a Motorhome.
Campground map:
An interactive map:
Our site:
Our power and water hookups were on the passenger side, since we fronted in. Fortunately we have a long power cord and hoses, so it wasn’t a problem (I didn’t even need to use my power extension cord).
I flew my drone for some aerial views; this first one is above our site:
Entrance sign:
Direction sign:
Rental golf carts:
Rental Slingshot:
Mail room; quite well organized. People go in to claim their own packages:
They regularly had food vendors onsite:
Birds in front of our site:
Our coach next to a rental tiny home:
More tiny homes:
Rental trailers:
Other sites:
Dog park:
Swimming pool:
Marina:
Fish in the marina:
Sunset Pier, with a swimming area and fishing:
People checking out a grounded boat:
Beach access down from our site:
An old bridge, now a walking path:
The old bridge next to the newer Overseas Highway bridge:
A glimpse of our coach from the water:
A large, nice RV park. It would have been nicer if we could have stayed for free via our Thousand Trails membership, but the premium site was nicer.
Sugarloaf Key / Key West KOA Resort
We stayed at Sugarloaf Key / Key West KOA Resort, in Sugarloaf Key, Florida. (Campground Reviews listing.)
A very nice resort, that actually lives up to the resort label. We wished we could have stayed longer.
Dates:
- Check in: 2024-02-02
- Check out: 2024-02-04
- 2 nights
Weather:
- Mostly clear
- High temps 70°F, lows around 65°F
- Little wind, gusts to 24 MPH
Noise:
- Some highway noise
- No train noise
- Live music from pool area on the first night
Site:
- #102, back in, gravel
- Needed to disconnect toad, parked in front of coach
- A little unlevel, high on left; used hydraulic leveling
- Gravel driveway about 50 feet long by about 10 feet wide
- Shrubs between sites
- Picnic table and fire pit on gravel area
- Clean site
Utilities:
- 50 amp power, conveniently located
- 35 PSI water, conveniently located
- Good sewer connection, very conveniently located (1 10-foot pipes needed)
Internet (in usage priority order):
- T-Mobile: 52 Mbps down, 67 Mbps up, 37-437 ms ping
- AT&T: 37-50 Mbps down, 0.2 Mbps up, 70 ms ping
- Verizon: 25 Mbps down, 16 Mbps up, 30 ms ping
- Starlink: not used
- Campground Wi-Fi: not used
Amenities:
- Garbage pickup from site
- Pool
- Pub and cafe
Our review on Campground Reviews:
Most resort-like KOA ever
This was a last-minute change as we had reservations at another place in the Keys, but needed to avoid a major storm and came down a couple of days earlier than planned. We only stayed two nights, but I wish we could’ve stayed for our entire trip in the Keys. We’ve stayed at lots of KOAs and lots of other so-called “resorts”, but this one felt the most like a true resort that we’ve ever stayed at. The pool and bar area were like something at a beachside resort in Cancun, with lush landscaping and attentive bartenders. It does get a bit loud in the evenings when they have live music, so if that’s not your scene, just be aware that you will hear it from your site.
We had a back-in along the perimeter, which we enjoyed. There is very nice landscaping between the sites, so it was relatively private. The site was just long enough for our 40′ motorhome, with our tow vehicle parked perpendicular at the front of the site. Since everyone does this, the road was a bit narrow when backing in and when we left, so make sure you have a reliable spotter.
The cost is a bit higher than we are used to, but it is what it is. It was cheaper than a less-fancy resort that was further away from Key West, so bear that in mind. We would definitely stay here again. We camped at Sugarloaf Key / Key West KOA Holiday in a Motorhome.
Campground map:
An interactive map:
Our site:
Office:
This KOA is different in that it has a couple of hotel buildings for non-RVers:
Other sites:
Dog park:
They have nice paths in the middle of rows, so people aren’t tempted to cut through unoccupied (or occupied!) sites:
Sothernmost KOA:
Marina:
Rentals:
Boat ramp:
Hammock:
Pools:
Always nice when there’s food onsite. They have a poolside pub:
Menus:
We tried some beverages:
Sandwiches and fries:
Second round:
The next day, more beverages:
And pizzas:
Cafe and store:
A path to a “beach”:
Bridge:
Mangroves:
“Beach”:
A nice resort. We’d be happy to stay here again.
Video: bike ride around Long Pine Key Campground, Everglades National Park
A two-part video, with the route and photos, then a timelapse, of riding around Long Pine Key Campground within Everglades National Park.
Long Pine Key Campground, Everglades National Park
We stayed at Long Pine Key Campground within Everglades National Park, in Homestead, Florida. (Campground Reviews listing.)
A basic no-hookups campground within the national park. A little short for our coach, but we made it work.
Dates:
- Check in: 2024-01-21
- Check out: 2024-02-02
- 12 nights
- We were going to stay 14 nights, but left early to avoid some nasty travel day weather
Weather:
- Mostly cloudy
- High temps ranging between 69-84°F, lows around 48-70°F
- Little wind, gusts to 23 MPH, fairly sheltered by trees
Noise:
- No road noise
- No train noise
- Negligible neighbor noise
- Generators during the day
Site:
- #6, back in, asphalt
- Needed to disconnect toad, parked in front of coach
- A little unlevel, high on right and front; used hydraulic leveling
- Asphalt driveway about 36 feet long by about 10 feet wide; had to back into shrubs
- Passenger side grass to hedge of trees between site about 30 feet
- Driver side grass to road wedge-shaped, maximum about 30 feet
- Picnic table
- Fire pit
- Clean site
Utilities:
- No hookups
- Used generator and solar for power
- Used water bladder and pump to refill fresh water tank
- Used dump tote and macerator to empty gray and black tanks
Internet (in usage priority order):
- Starlink: 45-60 Mbps down, 16-22 Mbps up, 30 ms ping
- AT&T: 145 Mbps down, 7 Mbps up, 30 ms ping
- Verizon: 25-41 Mbps down, 20-27 Mbps up, 30 ms ping
- T-Mobile: 3 Mbps down, 35 Mbps up, 37-437 ms ping
- Campground Wi-Fi: none
Amenities:
- Garbage dumpsters
- In Everglades National Park
Our review on Campground Reviews:
Basic campground in the heart of Everglades NP
Pros: Beautiful, large, private sites within the national park.
Cons: Most sites much shorter than listed and facing the wrong way depending on your configuration (motorhome or trailer) so you have to think creatively to get orientated.
Neutral: No hookups of any kind, so be prepared. We camped at Long Pine Key Campground in a Motorhome.
Campground map:
An interactive map:
Our site:
Not really long enough for our coach:
I got my bike out, for the first time in months (we sold Jenn’s a while ago):
A path to the nearby bathroom block:
Dish washing sink:
Inside the men’s bathroom:
We were staying inside Everglades National Park, and did a sailing trip in Biscayne National Park (posts coming on those in the next couple of days), so we added those stickers to our coach:
A snake on the road:
Entrance and dumpsters:
Info sign:
There were some solar-heated showers:
An interesting way to park a coach; perhaps a bit against the rules, but a good solution to cope with the sites being too short for big motorhomes:
Other sites:
Tent sites:
The campground had a path to an amphitheater, where they did ranger talks (with my bike in the foreground):
The Long Pine Key lake:
A nice campground, despite the lack of hookups. We’d be happy to stay here again.
Thousand Trails Orlando RV Resort
We stayed at Thousand Trails Orlando RV Resort in Clermont, Florida. (Campground Reviews listing.)
TTO (as it’s commonly called) is the flagship Thousand Trails park, with over a thousand sites.
Dates:
- Check in: 2024-01-07
- Check out: 2024-01-21
- 14 nights
Weather:
- Mostly cloudy, some rain, mostly drizzle
- High temps ranging between 63-80°F, lows around 35-65°F
- A little wind, gusts to 38 MPH
Noise:
- No road noise
- No train noise
- Some neighbor noise, dogs and kids
- Distant fireworks from Disney some evenings
Site:
- #178, back in, asphalt
- Needed to disconnect toad, parked beside coach
- Rather unlevel, high on right and front; used hydraulic leveling
- Asphalt driveway about 50 feet long by about 18 feet wide
- Passenger side to next site’s driveway about 10 feet
- Driver side to next site’s driveway about 20 feet
- No picnic table (but apparently available upon request)
- No fire pit
- Steep drop-off next to rear of site
- Mostly clean site
Utilities:
- 50 amp power, very inconveniently located; needed to use my extension cord
- 75 PSI water, inconveniently located
- Loose sewer connection, inconveniently located (2 10-foot pipes needed)
Internet (in usage priority order):
- Starlink: 47 Mbps down, 6-14 Mbps up, 50 ms ping
- T-Mobile: 24-30 Mbps down, 0.5 Mbps up, 60 ms ping
- AT&T: 1 Mbps down, 2 Mbps up, 80 ms ping
- Verizon: 2 Mbps down, 10 Mbps up, 40 ms ping
- Campground Wi-Fi: none
Amenities:
- Garbage dumpsters only in a central location
- Package delivery to office, for $5 per package (we got a local mailbox)
Our review on Campground Reviews:
The flagship Thousand Trails park
It’s good to know what’s what before showing up at TTO. Half the park is older, with rundown pads and a kind of state park feel, and half the park is newer, like a perfectly manicured RV resort. And if you’re used to the usual Thousand Trails “first come first served” rigamarole, you might be confused by how they do things here. I prefer the orderly check-in process with the rangers knowing what sites are available and guiding you to what’s there. This place is so huge, that you’d be crawling the lanes for hours before finding one on your own. I hate having to find a place at other TT parks. Our site was on the “older” side of the park, backed up to some trees, which was nice. There was a bit of a drop-off at the end of our pad, but it was long enough for our 40′ coach, and we were able to park our truck on the grass alongside it. It was kind of downhill in a hollow, so cell reception was not great but Starlink was just fine. We camped at Thousand Trails Orlando RV Resort in a Motorhome.
Campground map:
An interactive map:
Our site:
A rather steep drop-off:
I needed to use my power extension cord for the first time ever (other than at Mom’s):
I had fun tossing a ball for this very good boy whenever I went to top up our water tank or dump our waste tanks:
The nearby bathrooms were closed the entire time, but they had portapotties for the few people who needed them (and I did use one once, as we sanitized our fresh water tank while here):
There were a few big storms that rolled through; here are a couple of screenshots of one (with a potential tornado southwest of us!):
Big checkers board:
Rec center:
Mail info; they charge $5 per package, and suggest alternatives:
Group fire pit:
Mini golf:
Pickleball courts:
Boat launch:
Hibiscus flower:
Tortoise:
Grasshopper:
A large crane-like bird:
There were several that roamed the grounds:
Other sites:
One section has buddy sites:
A massive campground. We’ve already been back again since this, and no doubt will be back more times in the future.
Video: sunrise and tide timelapse at Ho-Hum RV Park
A timelapse of the sun rising and tides going in and out from our waterfront site at Ho-Hum RV Park in Carrabelle, Florida.
Ho-Hum RV Park
We stayed at Ho-Hum RV Park in Carrabelle, Florida. (Campground Reviews listing.)
A nice casual RV park, with the gulf literally feet from our front door.
Dates:
- Check in: 2023-12-17
- Check out: 2024-01-07
- 21 nights
Weather:
- Mostly sunny, some cloud and rain
- High temps ranging between 52-67°F, lows around 33-60°F
- A little wind, gusts to 42 MPH
Noise:
- Highway noise
- No train noise
- Some neighbor noise, dogs, but few kids
Site:
- #48A, pull in, gravel
- Needed to disconnect toad, parked behind coach
- Rather unlevel, high on left and front; used hydraulic leveling
- Gravel site about 50 feet long by about 30 feet wide
- Picnic table on gravel
- No fire pit
- Clean site
- Waterfront, facing the water
Utilities:
- 50 amp power, conveniently located
- 32 PSI water, conveniently located
- Good sewer connection, conveniently located (less than 1 10-foot pipe needed)
Internet (in usage priority order):
- T-Mobile: 50 Mbps down, 8 Mbps up, 48 ms ping
- AT&T: 57 Mbps down, 2 Mbps up, 60 ms ping
- Verizon: 26-42 Mbps down, 26 Mbps up, 160 ms ping
- Starlink: not used
- Campground Wi-Fi: not used
Amenities:
- Garbage dumpster
- Waterfront (gulf)
- Package delivery to office
Our review on Campground Reviews:
Nothing ho-hum here
We spent three weeks here over the holidays and loved the laid-back vibe and beachfront views. Watching the birds along the shore right from the window of our motorhome was wonderfully relaxing. There is some road noise from the highway, but it is pretty nonexistent at night. Some of the waterfront sites are a bit sloped and could be problematic for larger rigs, but ours was fine enough that our leveling system could cope. The staff were all friendly and helpful and the amenities were well-kept. We loved our stay so much that we booked our stay for the end of 2024 before we left. We camped at Ho-Hum RV Park in a Motorhome.
Campground map:
An interactive map:
Our waterfront site:
It’s been ages since I flew my drone, but this seemed a perfect place to get some aerial photos:
Now that we’d made it to Florida, it was time to add its sticker to our coach:
We stayed here over the holidays, so of course we did our 20th annual The Lord of the Rings movie marathon, watching the extended editions of all three movies (though like last year, we split it over two days; not quite as much a marathon, but more relaxed):
One of the other guests dropped off a little Christmas gift:
We really enjoyed having the beach right in front of our site:
A fishing pier:
As you can see, there was quite a difference between low and high tides; I liked to watch the tide charts; fascinating how the two tides (from the moon and sun) merge and split to create single bigger tides or two smaller tides:
Our neighbor moved from a oceanfront site to one further back:
Most of the RVs on the oceanfront were motorhomes, fronted in, but there were a few trailers, backed in:
I’m glad we didn’t have a trailer next to us, with their door facing ours:
Other sites:
We’re planning to stay here again for the next holidays; this is the site we’ve already reserved for next time:
Beach area:
Dog park:
Rec room:
Entrance and office:
We enjoyed our stay here, and are looking forwarding to returning at the end of the year!
Meaher State Park
We stayed at Meaher State Park in Spanish Fort, Alabama. (Campground Reviews listing.)
A delightful state park with spacious sites and lots of wildlife. The I-10 freeway across the water isn’t ideal, but not too bad.
Dates:
- Check in: 2023-12-03
- Check out: 2023-12-17
- 14 nights
Weather:
- Partly cloudy, some rain
- High temps ranging between 57-72°F, lows around 39-59°F
- A little wind, gusts to 28 MPH
Noise:
- Freeway noise across the bay
- No train noise
- Negligible neighbor noise, other than kids on weekends
Site:
- #54, back in, asphalt
- Needed to disconnect toad, parked in front of coach
- Fairly level; used hydraulic leveling
- Asphalt driveway about 55 feet long by about 12 feet wide
- Grass between sites about 52 feet wide
- Picnic table on asphalt patio about 18 by 14 feet
- No fire pit
- Clean site
- Waterfront, though with the back of our coach facing the water
Utilities:
- 50 amp power, conveniently located
- 25 PSI water, conveniently located
- Good sewer connection, conveniently located (1 10-foot pipe needed)
Internet (in usage priority order):
- T-Mobile: 20 Mbps down, 4-9 Mbps up, 45 ms ping
- AT&T: 180-395 Mbps down, 4 Mbps up, 22 ms ping
- Verizon: 5 Mbps down, 9-12 Mbps up, 120 ms ping
- Starlink: not used
- Campground Wi-Fi: not used
Amenities:
- Garbage dumpster
- Waterfront (bay)
- Walking paths
Our review on Campground Reviews:
Gorgeous sunsets, distant hum of I-10
This is a lovely state park along the Alabama Gulf Coast. Gorgeous views of the water, and various shorebirds. I-10 is visible, but the hum is distant and pretty much just background white noise. There are many nice walking trails in the park, including a boardwalk through the wetlands. Sites were large and nicely spread out. We’d definitely stay here again. We camped at Meaher State Park in a Motorhome.
Campground map:
An interactive map:
Our site, backing onto the water:
Utilities:
Shortly before we left, I got out my telescoping ladder to clear off a bunch of large pinecones that had fallen on our coach:
Not too bad, though (a rare look at our roof; I’ve still never been on it, and this was only the second time I’ve used the ladder to clear stuff off it):
Behind our site:
“Do not feed or harass the alligators” — we didn’t see any, but they’re probably all brumating by this time:
We were warned that there were invasive ants in the area, and advised to sprinkle borax around the coach (which we did). We saw some ants, but none near our coach:
Other sites:
Cabins:
Tents:
The entrance station:
Baby turtle crossing:
Fungus:
Bathrooms:
Other bathrooms:
Picnic shelter:
Boat ramp area:
Kayaks etc:
Boat ramps and dock:
Kayak dock:
There were lots of birds in the area:
Some bees:
A small beach, popular for fishing:
A nice delta boardwalk:
A fishing pier:
One evening I went for a walk to the fishing pier shortly before the sun set, and enjoyed watching the sunset and hundreds of birds:
Back to our coach:
Another day, another sunset behind our site:
A very nice state park. We’d definitely stay here again.
New Orleans RV Resort & Marina
We stayed at New Orleans RV Resort & Marina in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Campground Reviews listing.)
A canal-front site close to the attractions of NOLA.
Dates:
- Check in: 2023-11-19
- Check out: 2023-12-03
- 14 nights
Weather:
- Partly cloudy, some rain
- High temps ranging between 54-77°F, lows around 50-62°F
- A little wind, gusts to 24 MPH
Noise:
- Some road noise
- Distant train noise
- Plane noise from local airport
- Occasional boat and jetski noise in the canal
- Little neighbor noise
Site:
- #7, front in, gravel
- Needed to disconnect toad, parked behind coach
- Fairly level; used hydraulic leveling
- Gravel driveway about 50 feet long by about 20 feet wide
- Bark between sites about 6 feet wide
- Picnic table on grass
- No fire pit
- A bunch of small garbage and dog poop
- Waterfront!
Utilities:
- 50 amp power, very conveniently located
- 35 PSI water, very conveniently located
- Very loose sewer connection (the screw part wasn’t connected to the pipe), conveniently located (1 10-foot pipe needed)
Internet (in usage priority order):
- T-Mobile: 55 Mbps down, 32 Mbps up, 54 ms ping
- AT&T: 7 Mbps down, 20 Mbps up, 52 ms ping
- Verizon: 9-13 Mbps down, 7 Mbps up, 135 ms ping
- Starlink: not used
- Campground Wi-Fi: not used
Amenities:
- Garbage pickup from site
- Package delivery to office
- Onsite restaurant
- Waterfront (canal)
Our review on Campground Reviews:
Industrial shipyards and pelicans
Don’t let the sketchy-looking area fool you as you drive in. This is a very nice resort close to everything you’d want to do in NOLA. We had a waterfront site and loved watching the birds skimming over the water and the parade of fishing boats going between the lake and the river. Our site was pretty short, just long enough for our 40′ motorhome, with barely enough space to park our tow vehicle alongside, but being able to face over the water was very nice.
The resort has a nice restaurant and bar onsite for when you don’t feel like going into the city itself. All the touristy stuff you’d want to do is conveniently close and parking in the French Quarter was not as scary as I thought it would be. We camped at New Orleans RV Resort & Marina in a Motorhome.
Campground map:
An interactive map:
Our canal-front site:
Views from our site:
A rail drawbridge, sticking up in the open state:
And closed:
A barge waiting for the drawbridge to open:
Lots of pelicans:
The City of New Orleans arriving for servicing:
Some rainy days:
And thunderstorms:
The sewer connection was super loose:
The site wasn’t very clean; this is the trash I picked up on arrival:
We could fill a gap in our states map (but yes, by the time you read this, Florida will also be there):
We were sandwiched between two “Presidential” sites, with covered kitchens and hot tubs. We wouldn’t have preferred such a site, though, as the roof would have impeded our view:
The neighboring hot tub kept blowing open in the wind:
Other sites:
Cabins:
The office:
They allowed package delivery for guests, with a large pile in the front of the office (not very secure; people just come grab their packages; I prefer it when they have a mail room to keep packages more secure, though of course that is more staff burden):
There is a shuttle to downtown, though we didn’t use it, preferring to drive and park; plenty of paid parking available:
Pool:
Dog park:
There are two marinas; this is the smaller one behind the office:
The larger one opposite a boat repair yard:
A nice thing about this resort is an onsite restaurant, The LightHouse Bar:
Menu:
We went there several evenings; here are a sampling of our food and beverages:
A nice resort; we’d be happy to stay here again.