Wintering out in Florida

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Being a full time RV’er has advantages in that we can choose to move anywhere our hearts desire and truly travel in search of 70 degrees. After shoveling snow for 33 years in Alaska, we chose to opt out of dealing with the fluffy stuff and fly (drive) south for the winter. I have always heard the term Snowbird and now we can experience just what that means.

We were on the East coast, so the likely choice is Florida for the winter. But where in Florida is a good question, we try to be active and enjoy traveling, yet we are getting older and prefer the down time to be quiet. The real trick is to make that decision well in advance and research where you are considering calling your roost. The sooner you make your reservations, the better as the prime RV resorts fill up fast with people whom have been coming south for years. I found that out the hard way, wanting to camp in the St. Augustine area of Florida, most parks start taking reservations as early as April for that following Fall season. As we struggled through the long list of places that were too expensive and those that were full for the season, we found a reasonable site in central Florida. Just south of Orlando on FL Hwy 27, there is a nice town of Lake Wales which has good shopping and restaurants. We found a site at Camp Inn a 55+ community which was a mix of park model RVs, travel trailers with sun rooms and RVs from the north. The Average cost of a site in the area is around $550 a month on a 6 month basis. Some are family owned and some are corporation or property developers. If you can, check out the parks well in advance, find out where the sites located are in the park and what amenities are offered. Some of the establishments that we checked out looked really nice but when we got down to the costs, I had to shake my head and move on to the next. Most parks or communities have decent facilities and activities, things like tennis courts, pickle ball, horse shoes, botchy ball, shuffle board and swimming pools are a plus. Usually there are club houses where they have meeting, bingo, dances and dinners. Check to see what is on site and what they offer for off site such as golf or bowling. We were so happy with the area that before we pulled out of Florida, we located a great place for when we return to Florida. We look forward to wintering there again.

Get out and go…

Choosing Central Florida not only made for a mild winter, but we were able to venture in any direction to explore and see the sights. Traveling north to St. Augustine and exploring the oldest town in the US, be sure to take a tour of the fortress that has been standing since the Spanish built it. The Castillo de San Marcos was constructed in the 17^th century and currently is under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. There is a fee for entry, but it is well worth it in my book. There are plenty of things to do in St Augustine, with it’s Shops and Museums, the tours and guide services. You can make your visit as eventful as you desire. There are lots of great stores and eateries, be sure to check out the Pirate Museum. There are shops that seem to have everything a tourist could want for gifts or trinkets. My favorite lunch stop is the White Lion Restaurant and Pub, great food, service and well priced. Or you might go to the Ponce De Leon Fountain of Youth ( which didn’t work for me), there is Ripley’s believe it or not, numerous art and historical museums that dot the area, so have fun and take your time. Spend time in town and at the beach in Anastasia state park, we recommend spending several days here to take it all in. Take a tour of the St. Augustine Light house and gardens, a heck of a view if you can make it to the top of the lighthouse, my knees said “NO” when I thought about it, so I settled for a miniature and a t-shirt. There are still a lot of places we will have to go back and explore.

The Orlando area offers more to entertain people of all ages, with Sea World, Universal and of course Disney theme parks. You name it and the Orlando – Kissimmee area has it and more. We spent several days at Epcot center and Animal Kingdom right off the bat, we had been before and it still attracts us with its atmosphere and activities. There are lots of water parks, amusement centers and great restaurants. And though there are a few RV parks in the local area, I recommend staying outside the metro area and driving in if you can just so you can escape to drone of the city and a car does get you around much better than the RV. We always found something new to do with each adventure, I am sure you will too.

At the south end of Lake Tohopekaliga is Boggy Creek Airboat Rides, they offer 30 minute and 60 minute tours of the south end of the lake. You will see birds, turtles and yes Alligators. The boat captains are very good at getting you to the wild life and are well versed in the area. At the center is a working Seminole exhibit with demonstrations on the ancient life for the Native American Indians in the area. Our boat captain was very good at getting us up close to the wildlife for some great memories.

To the East of Orlando is Titusville and Cape Canaveral, home of NASA and the Kennedy Space Center. We love the exhibits and the bus tour around the area, too bad we could never seem to hit the missile launch dates as the weather can postpone them. But you do get to experience a lot, you might meet an Astronaut and defiantly be humbled by the equipment and technology that took us to space, the moon and soon Mars. You might shake hand with a robot or walk the halls of honor where past astronauts are remembered. You can see a space shuttle and the inspiring Saturn V rocket that pushed the Apollo spacecraft into history. Take a bus tour of the launch facility; after all it is included in the park entry fee.

Vera Beach was to the East of our site by about an hour, although the water is a little cool during the winter, the beaches were far from being crowded. Those few people we did encounter were local folks that are permanent residents or snowbirds like ourselves that don’t care for crowds. Though I will say, when there is a special event such as a holiday or city fair, the people come out in droves. However the off season is the best time to find bargains on the summer items. I found really nice tropical shirts and shorts at wholesale prices.

The Florida State fair (mid-February) in Tampa Bay is something to plan for, do it early enough and you can park the RV in one of the back lots while you enjoy a multi-day pass. Lots of food, events, fun rides and great entertainment. Tampa Bay fairgrounds is also where one of the largest RV show for the east coast is held, something there for everyone. Towable’s to custom coaches, lots of accessories’ for the trailer or RV including camping gear for all levels. If you enjoy Knights, Wenches, and a day of great fun, do check out the Florida Renaissance Faire just outside Tampa Bay. 15^th and 16^th century attire is optional if you have a costume, but not needed. Wander the many shops of clothing and wares that the vendors have. Enjoy a Turkey leg, roasted ear of corn and a mug of ale or mead. The wife and I enjoy spending time at these Ren-faires when we can and yes we have assembled period appropriate clothing and accessories over the year's. Having started in Anchorage Alaska as members of the S.O.M.M.A. (Society of Medieval Marshal Artists), demonstrating sword play, period wrestling and armored warfare.

If you have the chance, check out the Butterfly Museum and the Henry Ford Museum in Fort Meyers Florida. The Butterfly Museum is recovering from hurricane damage but the exhibit is coming back strong and the Ford Museum is very informative. Well worth a day trip to see them both and finish off with a trip to the Manatee Park. A small parking fee and very short walk to the canal where the Manatee gather when the waters turn a bit cooler. The manatee seem to find warm spots to gather when water in the area are cooled by winter. The park is down stream from a power plant where the outflow warms the water in the canal. While in the Fort Meyers area, take a trip over the bridge (toll) to Sanibel Island. As soon as you are off the bridge you will find a visitor center on the right. Be sure to stop here and get you maps, talk to the people whom are very friendly and helpful. Learn where to go for the best beach, the dinning choices and best shops to check out. You will find the beaches are usually a short walk from the parking areas, the waters have a gentle slope and you can wade out quiet far. I found that at the waterline there was a band of shells that you could sift through. We bagged some up and later used them to make some shell art with.

If you are ready for a little road trip, I suggest taking a drive to Everglades and Big Cyprus National Preserve on Hwy 41. As you arrive at the visitor center for Big Cyprus, you may notice very large reptiles lounging in the canal passing in front of the center. Please take note that the large alligators are not in an enclosure. They are wild and the one piece of fencing is to keep people from getting into the danger zone. Take a walk along the board walk, the crystal clear water is filled with a wide variety of fish and alligators of various different sizes. There are plenty of photo ops as you take the stroll. Spend some time inside the facility learning about the area, the park staff is very happy to answer questions and there are souvenirs available to commemorate you visit.

We did venture south to Key West on one of our trips, but because of hurricane damage to the parks and RV campgrounds, we elected to stay at the Sheridan and walked or used the shuttles to get around. If you do find yourself in this historical little town, be sure to tour the Hemmingway Home. A historical landmark, there are 50 plus cats that still call this property home. And you will also take note of the chickens running wild through the streets. There is always a line to get a picture in front of the Southern Most boundary marker but friendly people are usually abundant and it made the wait seem very short. A stop at Margaritaville for libations is a must for those wanting to really get into the island frame of mind. Other points of interest include Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center, USCGC Ingham Maritime Museum, Key West Lighthouse & Keepers Quarters Museum, Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society & Museum and the Key West Shipwreck Museum. We found plenty of shops along Duval Street and finished up our day at the Conch Republic Seafood Restaurant and then a shuttle bus back to our hotel.

I guess I have made my point about there being so much to do in Florida that it made it a great place to spend the winter, may you have fun and enjoy the sites, sand and sun as we did.



Happy Trails and be safe.



Bob & Julie

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