campground reviews

Our Second Camping Trip to Long Point Campground

A review of our second camping trip to Long Point in Melbourne Beach, Florida.

Back in March (2023) we camped at Long Point Campground in Melbourne, Florida, which is on the east coast. I have a link to that review at the bottom of this page. The whole campground is an island with many sites that back up to the water. On our first visit, we had a small, uneven campsite, but nice water access. I was eager to see how our second trip would go.

This time, in May, we had a great view, but no easy water access directly from our site because of coquina rocks. When booking a site online it’s impossible to tell whether you will have access to the water or not. I thought we would. Don’t assume that every site on the water gives you water access!

Our stay of two days began with wonderful peace and quiet.

Coquina rocks block water access — No easy water access

Fortunately, our site – #67 – was the last in the row of rentable sites (at the time). Every campsite beyond us, down to the end of the island, was closed (photo below) due to erosion from a storm it seemed. That meant we could use the beach access next door (site #68) for putting in the kayak. (The campers in that little tent at the end of the island were working on their boat motor which they ran off and on all morning the next day.)

No campers to the south of us — Empty sites to the south

To the north, our closest camping neighbor was many sites away. We had arrived right after the Memorial Day weekend and the place was nearly empty!

First Camping Adventure at Salt Springs

First time camping in Florida and we went to Salt Springs in Ocala.

My son and I took delivery of our new travel trailer the beginning of June. A few days later I had Covid. And a week later he had Covid.

We’d just begun filling the camper with necessities (there are a lot) when we were taken out of commission by the illness.

As you know, if you’ve already dealt with Covid, everything stops as you deal with the dreaded disease. I was so glad that I didn’t have a job to get to because I could not have gone. Most of the time I slept, or stayed on the couch. We ordered food to be delivered and never went out. We didn’t want to spread it, and we didn’t have the energy anyway.

After picking up the camper we had originally planned to camp nearby. We needed to see if there were things that needed to be fixed for the first check up visit.

Finally we went to Salt Springs in the Ocala National Forest and stayed one night.

The Campsite

This was our first time camping so we have nothing to compare it to. We were very happy with the site. It was easy to back in and there was an dump station next to each pad.

The fire pit ring was back behind the trailer under some oaks. As you can see in the photos, the next row of campers was not close.

We had campers on either side of us, but they were not super close either. One side had kids and the other side had a dog. But it was very quiet.

campsite fire pit beneath the oaks — The Campsite

The Springs

The springs area is the highlight of this campground. Because it’s a spring and the water is continuously bubbling up from the ground, the water temperature is 72-74 degrees.

We camped for less than 24 hours, but our overall experience was quite good. The employees were friendly, the campground was quiet and well cared for, the Spring area was awesome, and we had fun!

Camping at Florida’s Beautiful State Parks

camping trailer art — Vintage RV camper art by arti1st @ Zazzle

Most people I know visit Florida by plane. They stay at an expensive resort in Disney World or in a condo at the beach (or both) and then head home. Not only is that type of vacation quite costly, it means that the best parts of Florida (in my opinion) have been missed.

Of course, if you are not an outdoorsy type of person, you may be very happy to skip a trip to a state park, or chance to kayak on a river. Campers have adventurous blood running through their veins, and they know how to find adventure while saving their cash.

As you get ready to plan your camping vacation in Florida, just remember that it is hot there. Most of the year it is very hot, with no cool down at night either. Camping with the luxury of air conditioning is the way to go, if you ask me, but to each his, or her, own.

When planning your trip, a great place to start is the Welcome to Florida State Parks site. This website is full of great information about the many parks all over the state as well as the variety of campsites available. Some places have facilities for horses and some are for boat hookups, so you can “camp” in your boat as you travel. Some are right on the ocean, with beaches just a few steps away. If you are truly adventurous and prefer seclusion, look for a location in the Primitive Camping area. (You own snakebite proof boots, right?)

Navigating the site is easy. View a state map and choose the area you plan to visit, then click on the links there. More specific information is given on each specific park page. I like the looks of Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area at Flagler Beach. Park the camper right on the dunes with the ocean on one side and the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway) on the other.

** At the time of writing this, there are alert notices for certain parks, and one of them (Blue Springs) is familiar to me, so I looked it up. The notice is because the manatees have come into the spring area early so the spring has been closed for swimming. Of course going there to view the manatees is allowed.

Camping is one of the best ways to visit the real Florida. These are the beautiful places that Disney lovers never venture out to see. And they are really missing out.

P.S. Disney has camping too.
(The postcard image is from art1st’s store @ Zazzle)