Nothing beats bonfires, vibrant ocean sunsets, and napping on the beach. Few getaways rival a beach camping escape and some of the best spots are within driving distance of Orlando. Here are a few of our favorite ways to camp in the sand.

 

Canaveral National Seashore 212 S. Washington Avenue, Titusville, FL 32796 | 321- 267-1110 All the campsites at Canaveral are primitive and you won’t have the luxurious facilities, like a toilet, that you might be used to it. But if you can stand roughing it for a few days, not many other campgrounds can offer such a cool experience. Not only do you get a chance to rent out some gnarly beachfront property, but you also might get the opportunity to see a rocket launched into space from the nearby Cape Canaveral Air Station. Photo via ferphinyosh/Instagram
Cayo Costa State Park Cayo Costa, FL 33922 | 941-964-0375 Take a private boat or ferry to set up camp at this private destination. On your way there, keep a lookout for manatees and dolphins! The nine-mile beach consists of nature trails for hiking and off-road bicycling, and the park offers cabins and 30 tent sites that can be reserved up to 11 months in advance. Photo via rbello/Instagram
Grayton Beach State Park 357 Main Park Road, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459 | 850-267-8300 Looking for somewhere to camp at night and paddleboard, canoe or kayak during the day? Grayton Beach State Park is nearly 2,000 acres and consists of 59 camping sites, where visitors can bring their RVs or tents. Campers have the option to stay overnight in modern cabins or fully facilitated campgrounds. Photo via 30aoutdoors/Instagram
Bahia Honda State Park 36850 Overseas Hwy, Big Pine Key, FL 33043 | 305-872-2353 Campers can visit Bahia Honda State Park for its award-winning beach and historic bridge. There are three camping areas, with a total of 80 campsites for both tent and RV campers. Visitors are also able to go kayaking, swimming, biking and fishing. Photo via pinkkfreckles/Instagram
Turtle Beach Campground 8862 Midnight Pass Road, Sarasota, FL 34242 | 941-349-3839 Turtle Beach Campground is the place to go if you’re looking for a campsite on the Gulf of Mexico. Although this destination consists of 40 RV and tent sites, campers must remember to respect the nesting sea turtles in the area. The 14-acre campground features boat ramps, a canoe/kayak launch area, fishing, picnic area, playground and free WiFi – how can you turn that down? Photo via christilinatru/Instagram
Sebastian Inlet State Park 9700 South Highway A.1.A., Melbourne Beach, FL 32951 | 321-984-4852 Why wake up before the crack of dawn to head over to Sebastian Inlet to fish when you can spend the night and beat the crowds by simply taking a couple of steps outside your tent. This three-mile beach is a favorite for fishermen with it’s snook, redfish and Spanish mackerel, so bring a pole and reel in your dinner, which you can cook at one of the grills found at all 51 available campsites. Photo via 300beatspm/Instagram
Anastasia State Park 300 Anastasia Park Road, St. Augustine, FL 32080 | 904-461-2033 With four miles of pristine beach and 139 available campsites, Anastasia State Park is a beautiful campsite ready and waiting to be explored. Each campsite comes equipped with electricity and water, a picnic table, an in-ground grill and a fire pit, so you don’t have to worry about resorting to primitive survival techniques à la Tom Hanks in Cast Away. On Saturdays there’s even a farmer’s market on the property, so you can enjoy your fresh fruits and veggies with that added sandy bonus that comes with eating anything on the beach. Photo via barber_life/Instagram
Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area 3100 S. Oceanshore Blvd., Flagler Beach, FL 32136 | 386-517-2086 At Gamble Rogers, you wake up, you roll out of your tent and the Atlantic Ocean is just feet away. This park has 34 campsites located on the dunes of the the beach and 34 facing the salty river waters of the Intracoastal Waterway. Either way, you’re waking up or turning in with an incredible, uninterrupted view of the sun reflected over a colorful horizon. Photo via Gamble Rogers
Big Lagoon State Park 12301 Gulf Beach Highway, Pensacola , FL 32507 | 850- 492-1595 This state park is something out of an outdoorsman’s wet dream. Campers can fish, hike, canoe, kayak, fish, bird watch or climb up the three-story observation tower for an unhindered view of the splendor of nature. Or, if that sounds like too much work, campers can just spend the day at the beach, swimming in the warm, quiet waters of the Intracoastal Waterway. Photo via 62442katieb/Instagram
Camp Gulf 10005 Emerald Coast Parkway, Destin, FL 32550 | 850-837-6334 If you’re looking for somewhere to stay in your RV on the beach, you may want to consider the 200 RV sites at Camp Gulf. Known as the “Destination RV Park of Northwest Florida,” Camp Gulf allows visitors to park their RVs at the Beach Front, Beach, Upper Park and North Upper Park RV Sites. Photo via modernrver/Instagram
Curry Hammock State Park 56200 Overseas Hwy., Marathon, FL 33050 | 305-289-2690 The shallow, protected waters make Curry Hammock State Park the perfect place to bring the entire family on a camping getaway. Set up your tent along the oceanfront in one of 28 campsites, grab your kayak or canoe and launch your boat right from your front lawn. You can even bring along your furry family members, as long as they remain leashed or under your control at all times. Photo via pavlick9/Instagram
Dry Tortugas National Park Key West, FL | 866-758-6420 It’s hard to say “no” to camping on an island with warm tropical breezes that is 70 miles away from civilization. Be sure to make a reservation before camping at Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park because the popular destination tends to fill up, and the 11 campsites run on a first come, first served basis. Campsites range from $15 to $30, depending on the size of your group. Photo via momoawesomesauce/Instagram
Emerald Beach RV Park 8885 Navarre Parkway, Navarre, FL 32566 | 850-939-3431 Your love for being indoors may be preventing you from experiencing the beauty of nature. But if you take a trip to Emerald Beach RV Park, you can enjoy the air conditioning of your RV and the sandy air of the beach. Prices vary from $40 to $695, depending on the RV site you choose and the amount of time you stay. Photo via davemuckerman/Instagram
Biscayne National Park 9700 SW 328th Street, Homestead, FL 33033 | 786-335-3609 Camping in Biscayne means a boat ride to one of two keys located off the coast. At Boca Chita Key, campers can set up on an open, grassy site on the water’s edge, but this island doesn’t have any running water available, so you’ll have to bring your own. At Elliot Key, campers can pick between a forest site or one along the beach and restrooms and showers are both readily available. But make sure you come early no matter which island you choose — this park doesn’t take reservations, so it’s first come, first serve. Photo via etifarah/Instagram
Flamingo Campground 1 Flamingo Lodge Hwy, Homestead, FL 33034 | 239-695-0124 Camping at the southernmost tip of Everglades National Park may be an experience within itself. Bring some friends and choose among the 234 drive-in sites, 40 walk-up sites or 65 RV sites because camping is available at Flamingo Campground all year round. Individual campsite nightly fees are $20, group sites are $30 per night and RV sites are $30 per night, or $15 per site. Along with hiking and canoe trails, this site makes campers feel as comfortable as possible with solar-heated showers, picnic tables and grills. Photo via nat.tg/Instagram
Fort Clinch State Park 2601 Atlantic Ave., Fernandina Beach, FL 32034 | 904-277-7274 It may be a camper’s dream to set up camp on a land of more than 1,400 acres of land. There are 70 campsites in two separate campgrounds at Fort Clinch State Park, and well-behaved pets are welcome at both campgrounds. Visitors are able to swim, fish and view wildlife at the park’s three-mile shoreline and half-mile-long fishing pier. You will even have the opportunity to go shark-tooth hunting near the pier and along the St. Mary’s Inlet. Photo via viktorelsaieh/Instagram
Fort De Soto Park 3500 Pinellas Bayway S., Tierra Verde, FL 33715 | 727-582-2267 Fort De Soto Park is the largest park within the Pinellas County Park System, consisting of 1,136 acres of land. Surrounded by mangroves, wetlands and palm hammocks, this area has 238 campsites for visitors, and there are special campsites if you bring your pet along. Photo via mikecollinsre/Instagram
Gulf Islands National Seashore 1801 Gulf Breeze Parkway, Gulf Breeze, FL 32563 | 850-934-2600 The Gulf Islands Seashore has two sets of campsites, one in Mississippi, and one in Fort Pickens. In the one that doesn’t require a boat or plane trip, you can have your pick of 200 campsites. The campground is located on a barrier island, with white beaches, coastal marshes and groves of oak trees to provide campers with plenty of relief from the sun. The campground gets its name from historic Fort Pickens, located just a mile from the campsites, one of the only four forts in the South never occupied by the Confederates during the Civil War. Photo via keoni101/Flickr
Little Talbot Island State Park 12157 Heckscher Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32226 | 904-251-2320 Imagine opening your tent and being awakened to a beach of more than five miles of white sand and diverse habitats. Located near Jacksonville, this island has 40 campsites that each have electricity, fresh water, a fire ring, laundry facility and two bathhouses with hot showers. There is also a canoe/kayak launch available, along with a bait cleaning station and short dock, into Myrtle Creek. You can even purchase firewood for $7 a bundle and rent bikes for $2 per hour, or $10 per day. Photo via emmybemmy323/Instagram
Long Key State Park 67400 Overseas Hwy, Layton, FL 33001 | 305-664-4815 With 60 oceanfront campsites that overlook the Atlantic Ocean, Long Key State Park allows campers to spend the night and fish its famous flats at the full-service campground. Visitors are also welcome to hike, kayak, swim, snorkel, bird watch or picnic in the area. And if you don’t want to leave your furry friend behind, be sure to take note that well-behaved pets are welcome in the campground. Photo via bigeye_bill/Instagram
Navarre Beach Campground 9201 Navarre Pkwy, Navarre, FL 32566 | 850-939-2188 Pack up your RV and drive to this tropical escape, located just minutes from some of the Gulf’s best beaches. You could brave the crowds of those tourist sand traps, or you could kick back at the campground’s own private stretch of sand on the Santa Rosa Sound with unspoiled beaches and emerald green waters. Photo via Navarre Beach Campground/Yelp
North Beach Camp Resort 4125 Coastal Highway (A1A), St. Augustine, FL 32084 | 904-824-1806 This cozy campground is nestled in between the Atlantic Ocean and the North River, so no matter which way you walk when you leave your tent, you’re going to hit a beach. You can camp right on the riverfront or pick a campsite under a cluster of moss-covered oaks and palmettos. And if eating burnt hotdogs and s’mores every night starts to get old, there’s even a full service restaurant available for campers located right on the oceanfront with a great view of the sunset. Photo via germanavilac/Instagram
Caladesi Island State Park 1 Causeway Blvd., Dunedin, FL 34698 | 727-469-5918 Caladesi Island is a unique campground in that you have to have a special type of tent to get there — a boat. Visitors can take a ferry or kayak over during the day to enjoy the white sandy beaches, but only those with boats will be allowed to dock at one of the marina campsites overnight. Those lucky guests are treated to an island getaway without the nuisance of towering hotels and beach condos ruining their Instagram photos. Photo via rcgtrrz/Flickr
St. Andrews State Park 4607 State Park Lane, Panama City Beach, FL 32408 | 850-233-5140 x5141 Sugar, white sands and emerald green waters may be enough to draw you into this camping destination. St. Andrews State Park has a campground for both RVs and tents, where visitors can rest after swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, kayaking or canoeing. There are a lot of activities available at this campsite, along with two fishing piers and two nature trails. Photo via sylvanjane/Instagram
St. George Island State Park 1900 E. Gulf Beach Drive, St. George Island, FL 32328 | 850-927-2111 The miles of undeveloped beaches on this barrier island state park provide the perfect outdoor camping getaway you’ve been looking for. The traditional camping facility has 60 campsites with all the necessities, but it’s located a short walk, quarter-mile walk from the beach. If you want the full shoreline experience you’ll have to ditch the luxuries and head to the primitive campsite. There won’t be any restrooms, showers or fresh water, but you’ll be only feet away from the shoreline of Aplachicola Bay. Photo via traveling_talleys/Instagram
St. Joseph Peninsula State Park 8899 Cape San Blas Road, Port St Joe, FL 32456 | 850-227-1327 Across the bay from Port St. Joe is a 9.5-mile stretch of white sand and clear waters. Visitors are welcome to enjoy 119 campsites that include water, electricity, picnic tables and grills. If you want to explore a bit more at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, you can hike, kayak, fish, snorkel or even bird watch. Photo via natalka_noonie/Instagram
Red Coconut RV Resort 3001 Estero Blvd., Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931 | 239-463-7200 At Red Coconut RV Resort, when you throw open the door to your RV and hop down those steps onto sand, not pavement. You can drive your RV straight onto the beach, so you can get a running start from your front door and dive into ocean waves in seconds. The campground has 60 available sites, but it’ll cost a little extra to park your RV in the front row. It might be worth the money though, if only for the amazing view of a sunset you can see right out your front window. Photo via johnniegarvey/Instagram