National Parks
There are three national parks in Florida: Everglades, Biscayne and Dry Tortugas. All three have campgrounds, but Biscayne and Tortugas are "front" country campgrounds that allow tents only. Only Everglades permits RV and back-country camping. Biscayne is practically within sight of the Miami waterfront, with activities like boating, fishing, scuba diving and snorkeling at your doorstep. Dry Tortugas National Park is also a good spot for snorkeling and scuba diving. It's located in an old fortress in Key West. There are three campgrounds in the Everglades: Chekika, Flamingo and Long Pine Key. There are no fees for camping from June through August, but there are plenty of mosquitoes.
Biscayne National Park
9700 SW 328 Street
Homestead, Fla. 33033
(305) 230-7275
www.nps.gov/BISC
Everglades National Park
40001 State Road 9336
Homestead, Fla. 33034-6733
(305) 242-7700
www.nps.gov/ever/
Dry Tortugas National Park
P.O. Box 6208
Key West, Fla. 33041
(305) 242-7711
www.nps.gov/drto
KOA
It is hard to imagine a place in Florida that is not a short drive from a KOA campground. There are 25 throughout the state. KOAs have full hook-ups for RVs, sites for tents, free wireless Internet, hot showers, flush toilets and coin laundry. Almost all of them also have rustic cabins for rent and a swimming pool, and many have a motel-style lodge as well.
koa.com/where/fl/
Disney World
Disney World has its own campground, called Fort Wilderness. Shower and toilet facilities come with air-conditioned comfort stations, RV sites have hook-ups that include cable television and the campground is pet-friendly. It's also a bit costly, with sites beginning at $43 per night in 2009.
Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
4510 North Fort Wilderness Trail
Lake Buena Vista, Fla. 32830
(407) 939-7429
disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/campsites-at-fort-wilderness-resort/
State Parks
The Florida State Park system is extensive, with 160 state parks scattered around the state. Of these, more than three dozen have campground facilities. Much like KOA, there are not too many places in Florida that are far from a state park campground. Facilities vary from park to park, but most offer tent camping with showers and toilets, RV sites with hook-ups, rental cabins and back-country camping at primitive sites.
www.floridastateparks.org/campcabinlodge.cfm
