beerman5050
Newfoundland
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Joined: 03/29/2008
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We are going to be spending our first winter in the southern US (Oct/Nov 2009 to Mar/Apr 2010) and after all the research, suggestions, etc we have decided to try the west coast of Florida for our first year. Having narrowed it down (I think) to this area we are now looking for some advice and suggestions from rvers who have stayed in this area rv parks. We are looking for parks with a 5 to 6 month rate - not top of the line but not the parks with no amenities either - somewhere in the middle $$$$.
Any suggestions and info on what part and what parks in this area would be greatly appreciated.
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85Eagle
Louisville, KY
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Joined: 07/29/2005
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The West coast of Florida is quiet big. The farther South you go the more expensive it is. If you do not have any pets this park is reasonable and excellent facilities. Orange Harbor is located in North Fort Myers. I believe the web site is WWW.orangeharbor.com. also there is another park in this area Pioneer Village. Try a Google for area parks and you will find many.
85Eagle
Conversion Coach
Louisville, KY
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Vet Man
Ct. & Florida
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Would you be interested in the area around Brooksville?
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"We Traveled To Alot Of Different Places While On Vacation, Until The wife Asked Directions"
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The Texan
Summer: A Cool Climate Winter: A Warm Climate
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If interested in the Crystal River, Homosassa area, there are several nice mid priced parks there, with lots of activities in the local area. It's a fishermans paradise with both salt and fresh water fishing.
Bob & Betsy - USN Ret'd '78 & FL LEO Ret'd '03 
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want-a-be
Indiana
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Blueberry Hill in Bushnell Florida (between Ocala & Tampa) close to I-75, with in walking distance to Wal-Mart and the sites or over sized. Stayed there last 4 years. Nice and clean and lots of activity
also has a pool.
e-mail me a private message if you want more information.
Good Luck
Want-a-be
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beerman5050
Newfoundland
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Thanks for all the replies.
This is what we are looking for. We are not familiar with the area at all - never been there. We are checking it out on the internet but it is a little overwhelming because of the number of parks and not knowing anything about the area. We find it better if we hear from people who have used the parks and know the area. We will certainly check out the towns and parks mentioned here.
We are interested in hearing about any town or campground so that we can try and narrow it down to a specific area.
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fchammer1
AR, FL, PA & points in between
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Joined: 08/19/2003
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Why do I prefer the area between Naples and Fort Myers?
Could it be the 30+ days of temperatures in the 80's during Dec., Jan.,& Feb. or the 100+ days of temperatures in the 80's from Nov. through April...
Check your Snowbird spot Here.
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tatest
Oklahoma
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We visited Florida the winter of 2003-2004, to get up to date on retirement locales. I lived in central Florida for a couple of years in the 60's. My grandparents retired to Brooksville in the 50's, a half dozen aunts and uncles to Brooksville and the SW coast in the 60's, followed by at least a dozen cousins, and one brother who chose the Crystal River area.
Since Florida retirement is a family tradition, it was the first place to check out on retirement (Jan 2004).
Winter along Florida's "Nature Coast" (Brooksville north to Crystal River) will be as warm, most of the time, as summer in Newfoundland. This is where the manatee choose to winter. But it can occasionally have frost, for a few days every few years. My Michigander brother retired in Beverly Hills to play golf every day through the winter, he manages about 85-90% of his days playable. Population density is still pretty low (but growing fast), so costs are relatively low for Florida.
South of Fort Myers is frost free most of the time, exceptions measured at intervals of tens of years. But on the average, daily temperatures are only 2C to 4C warmer, than the Nature Coast, right at the coast. A snowbird retirement center for more than 50 years, the SW coast is densely populated, and even 20-30 miles inland, land values (and thus rents) are now very high.
Brooksville to Sarasota is in between, climate, population density, and land costs. More people, especially the population center around Tampa, means more urban services and opportunities for entertainment.
A lot depends on what you are accustomed to, what lifestyle you seek. If you were coming out of a big northeastern city, you might find even Tampa too small, too provincial. For me, after living 20+ years in a small town on the edge of the prairie, even the least crowded places in Florida had too many people, too much traffic, for my tastes, or were on the way to becoming that over the length of time that I expected to be there.
If you are coming from a rural or small town setting, and outdoor nature activities, you might like the northern part of the Florida west coast. If you want to be in the middle of miles of urban sprawl, then any place along the coast from 30 miles north of Tampa, down to Naples, could fit your needs.
Tom Test
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avan
Sioux Falls, SD & Livingston,TX
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Ditto Fred's point on the nicer 100 plus days of warmer, sunnier winter weather in SW FL. I have no clue what your definition of "middle $$$$" is. The further south and the closer to the Gulf you are, the more money you will pay. However, a 6 month rental will get you a decent discount and a 6 month plus a day will get you out of the tourist or bed tax. We winter at Silver Lakes Golf & RV park in Naples and a 6 month rental of lakeside or golf course site will run @ $5500 to $6,000. Some park pics are linked in my sig and more park info and area info is available here
Click for more pics of our FT home, our snowbird digs and our summer trips
The puller - International 4700LP (530E) - Wiers Towmaster; Trailer-Saver Air Hitch
The pusher - 40' Travel Supreme Fifth
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1951 Elmer
Northern Wisconsin
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Look into Ramblers Rest in Venice. We stayed there for a month last winter and really liked it and the area and the beaches, Nice little town,nice people.
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