Since there’s no better way to embrace everything our tropical peninsula has to offer, here are a few of the best state parks you can camp at in Florida.
Little Talbot Island State Park
Distance from Orlando: 2 hours and 33 minutes
Five miles of sandy-white beaches make this state park stand out from the marshes and branches of the other ones. A campground can be found on the salt marshes of Myrtle Creek.
Photo via yogaslackers/InstagramFalling Waters State Park
Distance from Orlando: 4 hours 45 minutes
Home to Florida’s highest waterfall, this park has 24 campsites you can call temporary home. Aside from view the waterfall, those who camp here can visit interactive exhibits and view wildlife.
Photo via chris_explores/InstagramManatee Springs State Park
Distance from Orlando: 2 hours 18 minutes
This spring is a haven for manatees, so if you don’t see one, that would be a first here. This state park boasts 86 campsites in three loops, each with its own hot shower restroom.
Photo via sarah-kilbourne/InstagramSuwannee River State Park
Distance from Orlando: 2 hours 45 minutes
With five trails, one of the state’s oldest cemeteries, and cabins for overnight stays, this full-service park is placed where the Withlacoochee River and the Suwannee River meet.
Photo via abbydoup/InstagramAlafia River State Park
Distance from Orlando: 1 hour 25 minutes
This state park has 30 family campsites, and if you camp here you’ll be able to see a phosphate mine, watch birds, go boating or fish virtually anywhere. All the camp sites are equipped with electricity hookups, water and campground restrooms.
Photo via dirty_biker/InstagramRainbow Springs State Park
Distance from Orlando: 1 hour 34 minutes
The crisp cerulean water here has been in use for close to 10,000 years, according to archeological studies. You can swim, snorkel and kayak your way to leisure in this spring, which is Florida’s fourth largest.
Photo via joelrmstrong/InstagramJonathan Dickinson State Park
Distance from Orlando: 2 hours 10 minutes
The campgrounds here have both fully equipped and primitive sites, and those who stay in it can kayak, hike, fish, or just take in the beautiful view of the beach.
Photo via Club Scrub/FacebookAnastasia State Park
Distance from Orlando: 1 hour 50 minutes
Campsites here come with a hammock, water and electricity for your convenience. There’s library of picture books for kids and bathrooms with showers when you get extra dirty. This is a great location to hunt for shells along the beach, as well as kayak, canoe, fish, hike, picnic and swim.
Photo via jjanerodey/InstagramWekiwa Springs State Park
Distance from Orlando: 30 minutes
Old hunting cabins at this park have been turned into “primitive camping sites.” Fun activities include kayaking, horseback riding and hiking. If you get lucky, you can catch a glimpse of a bear cub at rest from a distance.
Photo via sha_rivera_barrett/InstagramLake Manatee State Park
Distance from Orlando: 2 hours
Fifteen miles east of Bradenton, freshwater fishing and a swimming beach attract daily visitors to this park where, contrary to the name, you can’t actually see manatees.
Photo via babbyprincess/InstagramFort Clinch State Park
Distance from Orlando: 2 hours 50 minutes
This state park has 69 full-facility campsites with beach areas and lush gardens. The most popular activity for campers here is to visit the historical site of the fort itself, but you can also visit a museum or go mountain biking.
Photo via dwinwonderland/InstagramFaver-Dykes State Park
Distance from Orlando: 1 hour 30 minutes
Both primitive and RV camping are available at this spot known for its tranquility. It has four hiking nature trails of varying length with tons of wildlife for campers to check out.
Photo via mightyblonde/InstagramHillsborough River State Park
Distance from Orlando: 1 hour 20 minutes
This state park’s Class 2 rapids are perfect for those seeking a little thrill along with their camping trip. You can also take a guided tour of Fort Foster, the only standing replica of a Second Seminole War fort in the United States.
Photo via Florida State Parks/FacebookJohn Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
Distance from Orlando: 4 hours 10 minutes
Campers here have a variety of ways to see this park’s coral reef and marine life, including scuba diving, snorkeling or riding in a glass-bottom boat. The camp site has 47 sites with full hookups and access to restrooms and showers.
Photo via John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Concession/FacebookCollier-Seminole State Park
Distance from Orlando: 3 hours 40 minutes
This park offers both a primitive campground and a campground with electricity and water hookups. Campers can go on hiking trails ranging from 0.9 to 6.5 miles long, take a guided canoe trip, or ride on their off-road bicycle course.
Photo via gggiraffy/InstagramBlue Spring State Park
Distance from Orlando: 45 minutes
Blue Spring is a manatee refugee that comes equipped with cabins as well as sites for RVs and tents. Manatee viewing is of course the main activity, but you can also scuba dive (with certification), snorkel, or go on a boat tour of the St. Johns River.
Photo via Blue Spring State Park/FacebookMike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park
Distance from Orlando: 2 hours 12 minutes
Three full-facility campgrounds are hidden under the trees in this 2,000-acre park developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. You can swim, fish, canoe, star-gaze and even get married here.
Photo via floridahikes/InstagramKissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park
Distance from Orlando: 1 hour 45 minutes
Those camping here will be surrounded by the largest remaining stretch of Florida dry prairie, reminiscent of the Great Plains. You’ll also be able to view endangered animals and plants during your visit.
Photo via Student Astronomical Society at Florida Tech/FacebookLake Griffin State Park
Distance from Orlando: 50 minutes
Campers here can visit Florida’s second-largest oak tree and Florida’s eighth-largest lake, as well as hike on a nature trail and see a variety of threatened and endangered wildlife. The campsites themselves are in the shade of oak trees.
Photo via Jim Hartnett/FacebookSebastian Inlet State Park
Distance from Orlando: 1 hour 45 minutes
Two museums tell the history of the 1715 Spanish treasure fleet and of the area’s fishing industry, but Sebastian Inlet is best known as the best saltwater fishing spot on Florida’s east coast.
Photo via vladimir_bara/InstagramHighlands Hammock State Park
Distance from Orlando: 1 hour 45 minutes
Highland Hammock is one of Florida’s oldest state parks. Camping here is pretty standard, with hookups and RV and tent sites. Campers can hike, walk or bike around a variety of trails, and they have special equestrian campsites for those who want to bring their horse along.
Photo via Florida Hikes/FacebookLake Louisa State Park
Distance from Orlando: 40 minutes
Twenty cabins overlooking Dixie Lake (one of the the most accessible of the 13 lakes in the chain that includes Lake Louisa) offer full accommodations and amenities, and they’re bound to be less booked than Blue Springs.
Photo via Irina Popa/FacebookLittle Manatee River State Park
Distance from Orlando: 1 hour and 41 minutes
Rare fauna and ecosystems set Little Manatee apart as a spot for nature lovers. A full-facility campground and 15 miles of multi-use equestrian trails add to the stay-and-enjoy atmosphere of this park, whose river has been designated as an Outstanding Florida Water.
Photo via Florida State Parks/FacebookSantos Trailhead and Campground
Distance from Orlando: 1 hour 15 minutes
This park is known for its 30 miles of bike trails with difficulty ranging from beginner to expert. Ideal for “mountain biking” or for teaching your daughter how to ride her first wheels.
Photo via ohmaigomos/Instagram
